Rail vehicle technology

The world population is growing rapidly. The urbanisation is increasing dramatically. In several major cities the individual transport is on the brink of collapse. For short and medium-distance routes the aeroplane is a rather uncomfortable and unprofitable means of transport, as well as extremely detrimental to the environment.

Our goal is to contribute to making the railway system more attractive and competitive. To achieve this, safe, reliable, environmentally friendly, comfortable and affordable rolling stock is needed. Additionally, the access to the railway system has to be made easier for the customers. This should be accomplished for both the short- and middle-distance public transport and the freight transport.

At the IFS we develop concepts for innovative rail vehicles and their subsystems and components with modern product development methods. To do this, we possesscompetencies in the fields of system dynamics, track guiding technology, lightweight construction and structural mechanics.

In the level of fundamental research, we work on the improvement of the wheel-rail interface as well as the analysis of possibilities for the usage of additive manufacturing technology for the railway sector.

Other fields of research are the development of driver assistance systems and the investigation of possibilities for the automation and the autonomous operation in terms of Smart Mobility. We investigate approaches to reduce the energy consumption and the CO₂ emissions by means of lightweight constructions and alternative drive concepts. The development of innovative running gear - a long-established tradition in our institute - remains one of our core activities.

Research topics

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