Structural analysis and shape design for development of composite fire extinguisher storage for railway vehicles

This study involved a structural analysis and investigation of the shape design of a fire extinguisher storage box with the aim of reducing the weight of the box by changing the material from stainless steel to a composite material for installation in railway vehicles. The material type and thickness of the storage box were varied and analyzed. When the material of the storage box was changed from stainless steel to a glass fiber-reinforced composite material (GFRP), the stress applied to the box decreased, but the deformations increased. Moreover, when the thickness of the storage box made of GFRP was 3 mm, a weight reduction of 50 % was achieved. In this case, the deformation was very small, ＜15 μm, but increased approximately 5 times compared to that made of stainless steel. For additional weight reduction, case 1, with a side wall thickness of 2 mm, was proposed for the detailed shape design. The weight reduction for this case was 59 %. Furthermore, the effects of the clamping force applied by bolt pretension on the stress and deformation of the composite materials near the bolt were investigated.