Alfa Pendular CP
The project presented by EMEF - Empresa de Manutenção de Equipamento Ferroviário S.A primarily aims to increase passenger comfort and safety and reduce energy consumption through improved sound insulation and reduced carriage weight due to incorporation of Amorim Cork Composites' AluCORK® flooring solutions.
Projects of this scale are further evidence of Amorim Cork Composites' capacity to develop innovative solutions for the railway industry.
ALUCORK® flooring, from Amorim Cork Composites equips the new generation of high speed trains of the Portuguese train company CP – Comboios de Portugal. The project includes overall refurbishment of the ten trains included in the fleet of the Alfa Pendular service, in order to optimize passenger comfort and safety, and increase the trains’ energy efficiency.
“The investment consists in the train’s renovation, including outside and inside components, passenger comfort, and technical features as well, such as cabling, illumination changes and safety specifications. ”
Weighing about 40% less – in comparison with similar alternative thicknesses available in the market – the ALUCORK® system will make it possible to reduce energy consumption and expenses for this type of high-speed train, thus constituting a more advantageous option in environmental and economic terms.
Produced using an innovative technique which comprises a composite agglomerate of low weight cork, CORECORK ™, coated with aluminum alloy layers, ALUCORK® is an option that is specifically designed to meet the needs of the transport industry, with the added value of being suited to the different structural characteristics, dimensions, and thermal and acoustic insulation requirements of each project.
The characteristics of the material, allied to the possibility of adapting the thickness of the CORECORK ™ core - between 20 and 30 mm – and in special cases, of the aluminum layers, make this floor a benchmark solution for the transportation industry. The end result comprises a modular construction, based on the interconnection of various ALUCORK® panels that are subsequently coupled to the carriage's structure.