DG8 IndustrialDesign&Engineering
Icomera’sdedicateddesignandengineeringdivision,DG8,area creativeandversatileteamwithextensiveexperiencein deliveringprojectsfromconceptthroughtoimplementation.
Experience&Expertise IndustrialDesign
ProductDesign
Startingfromconceptsketchesthroughtofinalmanufacturingdrawings,the industrialdesignteamcancreatebespoke/customiseexistinginteriorproducts, rangingfromseating,tables,luggageracks,andluggagestackstolightingmodules andbikestorage.
GraphicDesign
Withintheindustrialdesigndepartment,DG8alsoundertakegraphicdesign including:vehicleliveries,interiorandexteriorsignage,alongwithbranding.
TextileDesign
Whenaninteriorschemeisproduced,allaspectsarecoherentlydesigned;this includesthedesignofnewtextiles,includingseatingmaterials,carpets,and curtains.
InteriorDesign
DG8’sdesigncapabilitiesallowthemtoproduceacompletevehicleinterior, including3Dvisualisations,schedulesofcoloursandfinishes,andfullcolour contrastassessments,ensuringalldesignsmeetcurrentstandardsandregulations.
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Engineering
ElectricalEngineering
Theteamoffersvehiclesurveysincludingpowercapacitytesting,EMC investigationsandfaultanalysis.PreviousprojectsincludeGSM-RRadio,RETB Radio,Wi-Fi,CCTV,atSeatPowerandlightingupgradestobothpassengerandplant vehicles.
EngineeringDesign
DG8candelivercosteffective,reliableandhigh-qualitydesigns,complyingwithall relevantstandardsincludingthoseimposedbymanufacturers,owners,and operators.
EngineeringDocumentation
Whetheritbefaultinvestigations,leadingengineeringdesign,orfullsuitesof mechanicalreportstosupportengineeringdesign,DG8canprovidedocumentsto meetmanyengineeringrequirements.
StructuralEngineering
DG8analyseallengineeringdesignstoensurecompliancewiththerelevant standards.Thesecalculationsencompasseverythingfromsmallelectricalitems mountedwithinthesaloon,tovehiclebodymodifications.Theteamcanalso provideastructuralanalysisofthird-partydesigns.
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TimeTravel
HowDG8isTakingOlderRollingStockintotheFuture
AUTHORS: MIKEMORTIMER&MARKHOPTROFF
MikeMortimer and MarkHoptroff arethedirectorsofDG8Design &Engineering
Whileintroducingmorenewvehiclesintoservicewillcontributetothetechnologicaladvancementof thetransportindustryoverthenextdecade,itisthelife-enhancing,life-extendingupgradesofolder vehiclesthatwillhaveagreater,moreimmediateimpactonsupportingthetransportindustry’s overarchinggoalsinasustainableandcost-effectiveway.
PlayingCatch-up
TenyearsisnotalongtimeinRail,withlimitedvaluablewindowsofopportunitytomoderniserollingstock-realistically onlyoneortwoatmostpervehicle-andequipthemtomeetchallengesthatarealreadyverypresent.
Vehiclesarealwaysplayingcatch-upwithnewtechnologies,evenbeforetheyhaveenteredserviceforthefirsttime.It startswiththelongtrainprocurementprocess,wheremanufacturersarebuildingvehiclestospecificationsthatwere defined4-5yearsearlierandtryingtoincorporatetechnologies-particularlyinthecasesofthosethataredigital-that refreshevery5-7years.
Ifthehardwarerequiredtosupportthattechnologyisnotinstalledduringvehicleconstruction,itcanfaceafive-year waitforthenextopportunity,andthedifficultieswillonlyeverincreaseeachtimethewindowopensagain.Eventually therewillcomeapointwherethetraindesignpre-dateseventheconceptualstageofanewtechnology.Thisis somethingIcomeraencounteredwhenfirstinstallingitsconnectivityhardwareonolderrollingstock,tryingtofindthe bestwaytoroutefibreopticcablethroughatrainthatwasdesignedlongbeforemanufacturersunderstoodthatfibre opticswasevercomingtotherailways.
Wewillencounterthismorefrequentlyoverthenextdecadeasglobaleventsdictatetheneedforthefasteradoption ofawiderrangeofnewtechnologies,frommultiplevendors,acrossmultiplevehicleclasses.IntheUK,forexample, theaverageageofpassengerRailrollingstockoverthelast10yearshasbeenbetween17and21years.Thisisahuge
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MarkHoptroff
MikeMortimer
numberofvehiclesthatpre-datethewiderunderstandingofconceptsliketheInternetofThings,oremissionstargets. Buttheywillallbeexpectedtoplayanequalroletotheirnewercounterpartsintermsofdeliveringasmarter,safer,and greenertravelexperience.
Intelligent,Space-EfficientDesign:TheBlueprintforSuccess
Theprojectsthatmostsuccessfullyblendnewtechnologieswitholderassetsarethosethatkeepthepassenger’s engagementwiththeirjourneyinfocus:Design-led,fromconceptthroughtoimplementation,workingacrossalltiers ofthesupplychain.
DG8DesignandEngineeringwasformedin2008.Inourearlyyears,retrofittingvehicleswithknownthird-partysystems madeupthelargestpercentageofourwork.Now,withtheincreasinginterestandavailabilityofinnovationfunding (suchastheUKgovernment’sFirstofaKindcompetition),retrofittingnewandadvancingtechnologiesaccountsforat least60%ofouractiveprojectsatanygiventime.Thiswillonlyincrease.
When(re)designinganddeliveringtheonboardnetworksofdevicesandsystemsthatwillsupportthedigitaland energytransitions,themainchallengesare(1)limitedspaceand(2)theneedforintegrationwithcurrenton-board systems.
Therapidinstallationofsafeandreliablemodularsystemsacrossawidevarietyofvehicletypesrequiresinnovative engineeringdesignwork.WhenDG8wastaskedwithaddingIcomera’s5GconnectivitysolutiontoaWestMidlands Metro(WMM)tram-thecountry’sfirst5Genabledtramproject-thelimitedspaceavailableonthevehiclerequireda compactdesignsolution.Collaboratingwithmultiplepartners,weworkedtoneatlypackagethenewconnectivity solutionsaroundtheexistingequipment,andtoensurethedeploymentmetallindustrystandards;oncedesigned, installationwascompletedoverthecourseofaday,withthesupportofWMM’sdepotteam.
Thisproject(andtheothercasestudieswhichfollowinthisbrochure)helpdemonstratethepotentialofwhatcanbe achievedinthenear-termwhenpartnerswiththerequiredcompetencyandcapacityareengagedattheearliest stages.
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DG8completedtheengineeringdesignworkontheUK’sfirst5Genabledtramproject
CaseStudy:NetworkRail
Class153VisualInspectionUnitConversionProject
DG8deliveredaturnkeysolutionforNetworkRailaspartofaprojecttoconverttwoBritishRailClass 153“Sprinters”intoVisualInspectionUnits(VIUs).Initsroleasleadsupplier,DG8oversawthe installationdesignandengineering,approvals(RIS-2700-RST),materialsupplyandinstallationwork.
TheUrgentNeedtoAddressTwoKeyChallenges
ReduceRiskstoRailwayStaff
IssuessurroundingtrackworkersafetyaretreatedwithutmostprioritybyNetworkRail–theownerandinfrastructure managerofmostoftheBritishrailwaynetwork.
Currently,NetworkRailemployeesspendhundredsofthousandsofhoursontrackforswitch&crossing(S&C) inspections.However,switchesandcrossingsarethehighestriskassetintrackengineering.NetworkRailstandards requireS&Cinspectionstobecarriedoutuptoweeklyinsomeareas.Thisissometimesdoneduringtheday(causing disruptiontopassengerandfreightservices)butmoreoftendonemanuallyatnightbyatrackengineerwhowalks alongthetrackduringapossessionandlooksattheassetusingjustatorch.
ManualS&Cinspectionsbringriskstoengineeringteams.Followingseveralseriousincidents,NetworkRailsoughta proof-of-conceptwhichwoulddemonstrateaviablealternativetoon-footvisualinspections,meaningthatsome inspectionscouldbedivertedtothesafetyofanoffice.
ImproveNetworkInfrastructureManagement
Byguidingtrainsfromonetracktoanother,switchesandcrossingsplayanintegralroleinthelifeoftherailway.
However,theyareverypronetowearandtearbecausetrainsfrequentlytraveloverthem,meaningthattheyneedtobe monitoredandreplacedregularly.With20,000milesoftrackforNetworkRailtomaintain,that’squiteajobforitsstaff todomanuallyoutonfoot!
Everyyear,severallow-speedtrainderailmentsoccuronthenetworkduetoissuesinwhichS&Careatfault.These derailmentscausesignificantdisruption;andtheyalsorequirelargenumbersofengineeringstafftobe(re)allocated
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tohelpresolvetheproblem,whichincursitsownstaffsafetyrisks,inadditiontocostandlogisticalissues.
NetworkRailwerethereforekeentoimplementasolutionwhichwouldhelptoaccuratelydeterminethelocationofany issuesalongthetrackandensurearesilientandreliable“PredictandPrevent”maintenancestrategy.Ifsuccessful,they wouldimproveoperationalefficiencyonthenetwork,ultimatelyhelpingofferthetravellingpublicamorereliable service,whilemaintainingthenetworkatalowercost.
AbouttheProject
DG8’sRoleasLeadTurnkeySupplier
Giventhepressingneedtoaddressthesetwochallenges,NetworkRailsoughtatrain-basedsolutioncapableof performingautomatedraillineinspection,whichitcouldcommencetestinginunderoneyear.Amulti-companyproject teamwasformedtodesignandbuildaswiftsolution.
DG8wasassignedastheleadsupplier,responsiblefordeliveringaturnkeyserviceforNetworkRailinwhichitwould overseeallaspectsofprojectmanagement,design,andinstallation.
ComplexDigitalOnboardSolutions
ToachievetheprojectgoalssetoutbyNetworkRail,theunitconversionoftheCl153swasbasedaroundintegrating threecomplexdigitalsolutions:
1.Atrackconditionandgeometrymonitoringsystemenablingnon-contactmeasurementofrailroadtrack
2.AcamerasystemrecordingimagesofthetrackanduploadingthefootagebacktoNetworkRail’sVideo ManagementSystem(VMS)
3.Apositioningsystemthataccuratelytagsthedatafromtheothersystemswiththelocationonthenetwork
DG8workedcollaborativelywiththeindustry-leadingsolutionprovidersinvolvedtoaccommodatetheirrequirements intothevehicle’sinteriorandexteriordesign.
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Switches&Crossingsarethehighestriskassetintrackengineering
TheVIUconversionunitshaveeachbeenequippedwithelevencameraswhichcanrecordthousandsofhigh-resolution imagesathighspeed(eightatthefront,oneunderneath,andtwoattheback).Mountedapproximately20cmabovethe rail,thecamerascaptureanareaofupto40cmwide,deliveringhigh-fidelityimages.Sincetheimageresolutionisgood enoughtoinspect(forexample)anindividualbolt,S&Ccheckscanbeperformedremotelybasedondatareceivedfrom theVIUs.
AnInnovativeHybridPowerSolution
Thetrainsystemsrequiredahybridpowersourcewithmulti-modecontrolstosupportrecordingwhileinservice,and post-processingwhileinsidings.DG8’ssolutionwastoinstallaninternalgeneratorandsupportinglithiumbatteries workingintandem.
Adistinctionwasdrawnbetweenthecritical(“essential”)andnon-critical(“secondary”)onboardsystems.The generatorpowersboththe“essential”and“secondary”circuitswhilethetrainisrunning–Butwhenthetrainisshut downattheendofashift,thegeneratorclosesdownandsomeservices(e.g.non-essentiallighting)areswitchedoff, whilethecriticalsystemscontinuetoreceiveconstantpowerviathelithiumbatteries.
Thelithiumbatterieshaveacapacityof600Amphours,48V,whichcanpowerthekitforapproximately3.5days.When thebatteriesbegintolosetheircharge,thegeneratorautomaticallystartsupandchargesthemuntiltheyarefullagain, beforeswitchingitselfoff.Thisensuresthatthetrainremainspermanentlypoweredandreadyforoperation.
SincetheVIUsessentialsystemsarepermanentlypowered,theycanconstantlytransmitdatabacktoTheCloud;this allowsNetworkRailtoaccessthesystems24/7.Shouldthetrainbeoperatinginbadreceptionareasorworkingin tunnels,thekitisabletotransmitthedataaftertheshifthasfinished.Evenafterthedriverhasgonehome,thetrain remainspoweredandtransmits.
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LineScanCamerasareinstalledunderneaththetrain
WhatNetworkRailSay:
“[Theproject’s]returnoninvestmentisfast,andif itsavesonemoredeathontherailwayitwillhave paidforitselfahundredtimesover.”
ProjectLead, NetworkRail
WhatWeSay:
“WorkingaspartofthisinnovativeNetworkRail project,it’sbeenapleasuretodemonstrateDG8’s capabilitiestodeliverturnkeyserviceswithinan ambitioustimeframe"
MarkHoptroff,Director, DG8DesignandEngineering
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Batterychargerandlithiumbatteries
CaseStudy:HydroFLEX
SupportingTheUK’sFirstHydrogen-poweredTrain
TheHydroFLEXproject,ledbyrollingstockassetmanagerPorterbrook,involvedtheconversionofa30+year-old BritishRailClass319train,fittedwithhydrogenfuelcells,givingittheabilitytorunautonomouslyonhydrogenpower onnon-electrifiedroutes.HydroFLEXisexpectedtoplayakeyroleindecarbonisingtheBritishrailwaynetwork,by helpingtoreplacediesel-onlytrainsby2040.
DG8wasresponsibleforthetrain’smechanicalinstallationdesign,includinghowbesttointegratekeycomponents suchasthehydrogenfueltanks,fuelcellandbatterymodule,andtheinteriordesignofthetrain’s‘onboardboardroom’ conversion,givingpassengersthechancetoworkwithIcomera’s5GPassengerWi-Fiwhiletravellingonthetrain.
Inaddition,DG8supportedtheelectricalinstallationdesign,workingtoensurethatitconformedtotherailway industry’sspecificationsandbestpractices;performedstructuralcalculationstoverifythattheitemsinstalledon HydroFLEXmetstructuralcompliancerequirements;andprovidedsupporttovalidatethewiderapprovalsprocess.
Workingcollaborativelywithanumberofskilledpartners,DG8wasproudtohavebeeninvolvedinthisambitious projecttomakethevisionofthehydrogenpoweredtrainarealityintheUK,successfullycreatingtheUK’sfirst hydrogen-railsupplychainintheprocess.
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DG8DeliversSolutionsGlobally…
ClientTestimonials
DG8broughtthreekeyelementstotheproject;strongengineeringcompetence,flexibilityinbeingabletocopewith designrequests/changesandturntheseintofirmproposalswithoutfussorargument,[and]projectleadership throughfirmadherencetoaprojectplanwithtimescales.FrommyperspectiveDG8wereabletofulfilthedualroles ofprojectmanagementanddesignconsultants.Theteamwereapleasuretoworkwithandwithouttheircontribution Idonotbelievetheprojectwouldhavereachedfruition.IwouldbepleasedtoworkwithDG8againandIwould recommendthemwithouthesitation.
Pleasepassonmythankstoallinvolvedinthis projectithasbeenverysuccessfulwithonlya handfulofminordesignissues.Theclientsare delightedwiththeresults.
Thishasbeenafantasticachievement consideringtheun-forecastdelaysongetting purchaseorderssignedoffetc,manythanksfor allyourhelp.
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ClientOperationsStandardsManager
ClientDesignManager
ClientLeadDevelopmentManager
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