Analyzing the Effect of Multiaxial Stresses on the Structural Integrity of Composite Bogie Frames
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Date
2025-11
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The increasing global demand for sustainable and efficient transportation has driven interest in
replacing traditional steel railway components with advanced composite materials like Basalt
Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion
resistance, and cost-effectiveness. However, a comprehensive understanding of BFRP behavior
under complex multiaxial stress conditions, typical of operational railway environments, remains
limited, hindering confident application in critical components such as bogie frames. This
research aimed to analyze the structural and fatigue behavior of a Y25 railway bogie frame made
from BFRP, specifically focusing on developing a multiscale material model using DIGIMAT
and ABAQUS, analyzing stress distribution under operational multiaxial load cases, predicting
and comparing fatigue life with S355 steel, assessing failure behavior using the Hashin Failure
Criterion, and evaluating strength-to-weight performance. The study employed a simulation based approach, selecting a 60% fiber volume fraction plain weave BFRP laminate, generating
its homogenized properties, applying manual geometry modifications to an original steel bogie
frame, and performing structural simulations in ABAQUS under EN 13749-defined multiaxial
loading conditions, with fatigue life predicted using FE-SAFE and damage onset assessed via
Hashin-based failure analysis. Results demonstrated a significant 75% weight reduction from 892
kg to 223 kg for the BFRP frame. Under multiaxial loading, the BFRP bogie maintained sufficient
stiffness with stresses remaining within allowable limits, while fatigue life prediction showed a
remarkable improvement: for example, in Case 2 the steel bogie frame failed at 594,292 cycles,
whereas the BFRP frame exceeded 50 million cycles. Similarly, across all load cases, steel fatigue
life ranged between 0.59–9.97 million cycles, while the BFRP consistently survived beyond 50
million cycles, confirming its superior durability. Hashin failure analysis also showed delayed
damage onset in BFRP compared to steel, highlighting the material’s ability to withstand
operational stresses without premature failure.
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Keywords
Multiaxial stress, Composite bogie frames, Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Fatigue life, Hashin Failure Criterion, Weight reduction, Railway engineering.