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Aluminum profiles help lightweight rail transit development
In the first decade of the 21st century, rail transit in China and even the world has ushered in rapid development. However, this is also accompanied by problems such as energy consumption and environmental pollution. From the perspective of sustainable development, we should strive to reduce the weight of the vehicle itself when developing new rail vehicles to achieve the goal of reducing energy consumption.
As light metals, aluminum and aluminum alloys have the characteristics of light weight, good formability, high strength, corrosion resistance, and recyclability. In recent years, they have been widely used in the field of rail vehicles. Although developed countries such as Europe, the United States, and Japan are at the forefront of aluminum alloy applications, this also means that my country has huge development potential in this field.
Application of aluminum profiles in rail transit
With the development of my country’s economy, urban and intercity rail transit has entered a period of rapid development, which has brought about a surge in demand for rail transit vehicles. In the face of energy shortages and environmental problems, the application of aluminum and aluminum alloys in the field of rail vehicles has gradually expanded due to its light weight, excellent formability, high strength, corrosion resistance and other properties. Around the world, developed countries such as Europe, the United States, and Japan have achieved significant economic and social benefits in the transportation equipment manufacturing industry, but my country still has considerable room for development in this field.
Demand for aluminum profiles grows in the high-speed rail era
China has entered the era of high-speed rail, and its high-speed rail network ranks the longest in the world. With the golden period of high-speed rail construction, the demand for EMUs has grown rapidly. Due to its lightweight properties, aluminum alloys are widely used in the manufacture of high-speed train bodies with speeds above 250 kilometers per hour. China plans to extend its high-speed rail network to 17 countries, further boosting demand for aluminum for EMUs. As China’s high-speed rail technology is exported abroad, the global demand for EMU aluminum will continue to rise. Aluminum alloy coal-carrying gondolas have broad prospects in the railway field. With the development of China’s economy, the demand for coal and other bulk commodities continues to increase, and railways, as the main mode of transportation, place higher requirements on transportation capacity. Aluminum alloy coal-carrying gondolas have become an important way to achieve high speed and heavy load due to their lightweight characteristics. Although the manufacturing cost of aluminum alloy coal-carrying gondolas is relatively high, it can achieve significant economic benefits after long-term use due to its advantages such as fuel saving, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and long service life.
The prosperity of urban rail transit has led to an increase in demand for aluminum materials. With the acceleration of urbanization in China, the urban rail transit industry has ushered in leapfrog development. Many cities in China already have rail lines. It is expected that in the next ten years, urban rail transit construction will enter a golden period, and the demand for urban rail vehicles will increase significantly. This will further promote the widespread application of aluminum profiles in the field of urban rail transit.
In this process of rapid development, my country’s industrial aluminum profile production technology continues to improve, and the application prospects of aluminum in the field of vehicle lightweighting are very optimistic. It is foreseeable that with the widespread application of aluminum alloys in the field of rail transit in the future, industrial aluminum profiles will play a significant role in China’s booming rail transit market, injecting new impetus into the development of the industry.
