IMAGE: Innovative composite Mast for Greener Electrification

Despite much investment and focus on modernising and decarbonising UK railway vehicles from diesel locos and multiple units to electric, railway infrastructure has often been the poor relation in terms of investment and development. One area of the infrastructure which has not changed significantly for many years is that of Overhead-Line Equipment (OLE) and the materials used therein.

OLE still relies on the same basic design first conceived in the 1950s with masts made from galvanised steel and maintenance performed either upon failure (due to fatigue or impacts) or as prompted by regular manual inspections (typically an annual manual inspection from the ground and a 6-yearly manual inspection of the upper structure).

This project sees a major railway infrastructure installer, Furrer+Frey, take a disruptive approach to the materials used in OLE as well as the manufacturing methods, the lineside installation, and automating of the condition monitoring of the masts throughout their operational lives (approximated to be up to 100-years as per their steel counterparts).

The "**I**nnovative composite **MA**st for **G**reener **E**lectrification" (IMAGE) is one such disruptive approach. It will offer a significant improvement of the mass of the mast, but the real benefits lie in the cumulative positive "snowball" effects of enabling reduced volume & mass of CO2-intensive concrete foundation material needed, the depth of piling required, and therefore the lifting capability of installation machinery.

Additionally, the new mast will also include an integrated, automated structural condition monitoring system, thus enabling pre-emptive maintenance and removing the need for disruptive, expensive, and imperfect visual condition checking.

To help Furrer+Frey realise this ambition, they have engaged some of the UK's leading researchers at Cranfield University, University of Southampton, and Newcastle University as subcontractors to develop the masts and Prodrive Composites - a manufacturer with considerable experience in complex composite structures for demanding applications. TruckTrain Developments will be supporting work on the commercialisation and export potential. The project has attracted the interest of HS2 and Network Rail, amongst others.