Project Details

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Engine Cooling - Locomotive Flexible Pipe Connection

Company: Wabtec

Major(s):
Primary: ME
Secondary: EGEE
Optional: ESC, IE

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Freight locomotives utilize rigid steel piping and grooved couplings to connect oil and water lines between the diesel engine and cooling system. This piping can be prone to breaks and leaks due to a combination of assembly misalignment and vibratory loads while the engine is running. This project is to design alternative concepts to connect the oil and water lines between engine and cooling system. The design team will evaluate concepts against their ability to meet system requirements - pressure, temperature, flow, displacement, vibration, life, cost, etc. A final concept should be selected based on detailed analysis and tradeoff of concepts. Detailed analysis should be performed for selected concepts in comparison to baseline designs. Recommendations should also include a validation plan to qualify the new design. Stretch goal: develop working prototypes and perform functional testing.