Optimizing the train’s nervous system

There are hundreds of kilometers of wiring that needs to go on a single train and these comes with their own weight. The challenging part is that wires are expected to bend all the time as the other equipment are rigid. So, wiring gets the last preference in terms of how it needs to be routed which becomes a major challenge because the longer you route the more weight is added. Routing is a complex phenomenon. Itu2019s a balance between the weight and the safety because you canu2019t afford to have electrical fires. So, itu2019s a key element to ensure that the safety of the wires is always maintained while taking care of the weight.

The Electrical Wiring Interconnection systemu2019s challenges for the OEM include designing to the latest specifications from a cable perspective. Weight also plays a key role. Routing of harnesses in complex areas is also a worry, especially when more & more equipment get added because of the additional features which need to be accommodated. Designing the harness routing based on different zones which could be interiors, saloon, body-side or underframe is a challenging part. The key thing is making it as a concurrent engineering for electrical is another issue because electricals should be completed last after all systems & sub-systems are defined. But that increases the design cycle. So, we are up in the game right from the beginning.

Balance between the space thatu2019s available, the weight of all the wires put together, and safety with grounding and circuit closure of all equipment - all these matter in putting the right design out there. And being last in the cycle, wiring has to accommodate all the constraints with respect to other equipment and manage concurrently along with the design of the other equipment. Also, all wiring has to be designed for electromagnetic compatibility and manufacturability, while also adding the protection.

What we bring to the table is concurrent engineering. Our ability comes from the fact that we are involved in the design of a lot of these other systems and sub-systems, the concurrent engineering becomes easy for us. Also end-to-end solution of the entire EWIS system itself we are experienced in. Right from designing the cable trays, designing the thickness and length of the wire and routing everything.

We also do the computation of the harness as well. Once the complete harness has been routed to all equipment we are also involved in calculating the length of the complete harness including the sub-branches as well.

The solution that we bring in is two-fold. We provide and end-to-end solution for the cable trays, the electrical wiring design as well as the routing. We also ensure that it integrates into the existing design itself and to do that we operate in a concurrent engineering mode, working closely with the design teams with all the other modules, equipment and sub-systems that are out there.

We also do the functional and detailed schematics which is part of the actual electrical system. There are two things here u2013 electrical and electromechanical. There is a schematic development from an electrical engineer. Then there is a 3D design development from an electromechanical engineer which consists of harness routing all the way to the manufacturability drawings.