- Home
- Innovation and technology
- COMPETITIVENESS
COMPETITIVENESS
Transport cost reduction is one aspect that must make railways more competitive than other means of transport.
To this end, CAF focuses on developing new technologies which reduce life cycle cost, optimize design and facilitate validation and certification, supporting many new digital technology developments.
DESIGN OPTIMIZATION
- Advanced modelling and simulation for vehicle performance optimization, including the factoring in of relevant infrastructure aspects and operation speeds for global optimization.
- Digital railways: data analysis for optimal designs.
MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
- 'Digital twins' for better health status predictions.
- Estimation of remaining service life, and optimization of maintenance strategies by CBM techniques and tools.
- Wheel service-life optimisation. Advanced techniques (advanced modelling, automatic learning...)
VALIDATION AND CERTIFICATION
Validation and certification processes are long and expensive, having a particularly significant effect on development and commissioning costs. CAF works in the following lines of activity with the intention of minimising validation and certification costs for new designs: Virtual validation and certified approval.
- The designs which are based on models, modelling with advanced simulation tools, together with theoretical and experimental validation, allow for the number of complex tests performed on test benches or on tracks to be kept to a minimum.
- Model integration in electronic validation environments which interact in a simulated manner with the electronics of the main systems allows for maximum automation of tests, the creation of reports, minimising the costs of tests carried out on test benches or tracks.
TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION
Electronic equipment evolves rapidly, improving performance, and its obsolescence also needs to be controlled. This evolution must be kept balanced between product depreciation, backwards compatibility, new designs for discontinued components, etc.
CAF believes that being aware of technology evolution is vital so as to be able to develop its electronics accordingly: in line with their strategic product lines, remaining competitive, implementing integrations and ensuring appropriate obsolescence management.
These developments apply across the board for the Train Control and Monitoring System, On-Board Signalling Equipment, Power Electronics Control, etc. Also, digitalisation and any requirements related to autonomous vehicles have created a new field where state-of-the-art electronics are becoming increasingly relevant.