State-of-the-Art Review on Additive Manufacturing Technology in Railway Infrastructure Systems

Abstract

Additive manufacturing technologies, well known as three-dimensional printing (3DP) technologies, have been applied in many industrial fields, including aerospace, automobiles, shipbuilding, civil engineering and nuclear power. However, despite the high material utilization and the ability to rapidly construct complex shaped structures of 3D printing technologies, the application of additive manufacturing technologies in railway track infrastructure is still at the exploratory stage. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art research of additive manufacturing technologies related the railway track infrastructure and discusses the challenges and prospects of 3D printing technology in this area. The insights will not only help the development of 3D printing technologies into railway engineering but also enable smarter railway track component design and improve track performance and inspection strategies.

A Review on the Use of Additive Manufacturing Technology in the Railway Industry

“…Lazer kaplama teknolojisi ise ilk olarak ray başı alanında güçlendirilmiş bir katman oluşturmak için kullanılmıştır. Geçmiş onarım teknolojisiyle karşılaştırıldığında, eklemeli imalat yalnızca yerel gerçek hasarı onarmakla kalmaz, aynı zamanda ray performansını iyileştirebilir ve ray hizmet ömrünü uzatabilir (Fu & Kaewunruen, 2022).…”

“…Balast parçacıkları dinamik tren yükleri altında hareket eder, döner ve birbirleriyle etkileşime girer ve sonra bozulur. Balastlı bir hattın bakımı, balastlı hattı yeterli sağlamlık ve elastikiyetle tutmak için önemlidir (Fu & Kaewunruen, 2022). Demiryolu hattı altyapısında, balastların hareketini incelemek için balast benzeri parçalar eklemeli imalat ile üretilmektedir.…”

The Key 4ir Soft Skills for the Rail Sector

“…The 4IR is driven by technological trends such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics, and it is reshaping industries worldwide, including those in South Africa [3]. The rail sector is embracing these technologies to enhance safety, efficiency, and customer experience through initiatives such as predictive maintenance, smart railways, autonomous trains, and improved service delivery [4]. The impact of the 4IR on the rail sector is expected to be profound and transformative [3].…”

A Survey on Process Modelling, Innovation, Design, and Material Characterisation in Additive Manufacturing

“…In recent years, additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have been adopted by many different industry sectors, ranging from the automotive industry to fields including consumer products, electronics, the military, architecture, and many more [1,2]. As an industrial example and due to some unique capabilities of AM technologies, it is estimated that there has been a reduction in the cost of 30-90%, a reduction in the build time of 77-94%, and zero inventory and warehousing by using AM technologies in the rail industry [3].…”