Trains are composed of thousands of moving parts, all subject to wear and tear.
A team of NIU researchers is studying some of the parts that wear out most frequently and investigating the use new materials to improve their life span and drive down costs. Among the parts they are studying are:
The team will devise new designs and select new materials to address problems with those parts and subject their solutions to rigorous testing.
The team will also be looking at components of the locomotive that could be made more energy efficient through improved design or new materials.