Recent Trends in Research and Development on Materials Used in the Railways

Abstract

Technological development in various industrial fields including the railways has been brought about by advances made in component technology. Material technology contributes to component technology in many aspects. When developing materials, it is important to fully understand the properties of various kinds of material. One way to achieve this is to classify materials and gain a rough understanding of their properties. This paper classifies materials according to their compounds and/or components, and introduces aspects of materials research and development applicable to railway facilities and vehicles, depending on their classification.