DG8 Industrial Design and 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

LineScanCamerasareinstalledunderneaththetrain

WhatNetworkRailSay:

“[Theproject’s]returnoninvestmentisfast,andif itsavesonemoredeathontherailwayitwillhave paidforitselfahundredtimesover.”

ProjectLead, NetworkRail

WhatWeSay:

“WorkingaspartofthisinnovativeNetworkRail project,it’sbeenapleasuretodemonstrateDG8’s capabilitiestodeliverturnkeyserviceswithinan ambitioustimeframe"

MarkHoptroff,Director, DG8DesignandEngineering

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.

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.

ClientOperationsStandardsManager

ClientDesignManager

ClientLeadDevelopmentManager