Floating floors in rail cars on SBB trains

Unchanged properties after 20 years in service

„RABe 514 DTZ EMU“, Foto: Samson Ng . D201@EAL, Quelle: Wikimedia Commons, Lizenz: CC BY-SA 4.0

From 2006 onwards, the RABe 514 double-deck trainsets for Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) were constructed and fitted with an elastically seperated floor. Our standard material at the time, Sylomer® L, was used here. The selection of the appropriate material for the double-decker trains was based at the time on precise calculations, which took particular account of the various loads occurring at different points along the train. In total, the SBB has 61 four-carriage, double-decker train sets in service.

Retrofit

Tried-and-tested Sylomer® reused

After around 20 years, a retrofit of these train sets has been underway since 2025. As part of this process, the carriages are completely gutted, sandblasted, repainted and reassembled. The materials originally used are reused to avoid a time-consuming approval process. However, during the refurbishment, current standards – particularly in the area of fire prevention – must be taken into account. For this reason, Sylomer® FR 355 is now being used. It has the same properties as the Sylomer® L chosen at the time and meets the requirements of the highest fire classification, HL 3, in accordance with DIN 45545-2.

„RABe 514 bei Felben-Wellhausen“, Foto: Kabelleger / David Gubler, Quelle: Wikimedia Commons, Lizenz: CC BY-SA 3.0,

Tested performance

Measurements confirm unique long-term behaviour

The second-class intermediate deck had been walked on around five million times before the retrofit took place. We therefore took material samples from this heavily trafficked passageway to test the physical properties of our Sylomer® after 20 years of service. The sampling took place at the SBB site in Olten (CH) and was supervised on-site by Getzner employees. Experts from the University of Innsbruck carried out both static and dynamic load tests and examined the elongation at break and tensile strength of the 20-year-old material.

The tests carried out showed that the material under investigation has not lost any of its mechanical properties. The measured values correspond almost exactly to the original indications in the data sheet. This demonstrates the exceptional long-term stability and durability of Sylomer® under real-world operating conditions over a period of two decades.

Our solutions for rolling stock

The elastic bearing of the carriage floor contributes significantly to increased travel comfort for passengers and reduced life cycle costs. It prevents the propagation of vibrations, which protects assembly joints and installed components and reduces the maintenance required for them.

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Floating floors in rail cars on SBB trains

Tried-and-tested Sylomer® reused

Measurements confirm unique long-term behaviour

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Our solutions for rolling stock

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