A consortium made up of Amorim Cork Composites, a supplier of cork composite solutions ("CORTICEIRA AMORIM"), Caetano Components, a member company of a large group that produces components for the automobile industry ("Salvador Caetano Group"), Couro Azul, a leading supplier of leather for the transport industry ("Carvalhos Group") and INEGI, a R & D institution with expertise in the design, development and prototyping of composite materials, with the participation of Almadesign, a Portuguese industrial design company and ALSTOM, a railway integrator, presents the ISEAT project - research and development of integrated components for railway seats, with the aim of designing a seat for long-distance and high-speed trains using the best integrated, lightweight, comfortable and eco-efficient solutions.
A full-scale mock-up of the FLOW seat will be on display at the Railway Interiors Expo in Cologne, Germany from 15 to 17 November 2011 (Stand no. 9410).
The design of the FLOW seat highlights the flowing lines and sets high standards in passenger comfort (seat cushions, armrests and backrest), which are, in turn, suspended from the structural elements (centre console and column). The design of the seat draws an analogy with the lightness of a "flying carpet" suspended from a structure and puts emphasis on the use of lightweight materials (leading-edge composite materials) to build the structural elements that form this support.
The SKIN2SKINTM system is among the innovative technologies that are used in the ISEAT project. With the SKIN2SKINTM system, the passenger is in physical contact with the leather and controls all the technological aspects of the seat, such as selecting the audio/video channel or adjusting light intensity, without the ubiquitous plastic interface.
The backrest is made from a carbon fibre and cork composite sandwich panel (CORECORK ®), which is then covered with ecological leather, employing different textures and punctured holes, resulting in improved passenger comfort. The TRAINLYS leather is a material that complies with the relevant NF F 16-101 railway standard and provides added comfort and durability, while ensuring a lower cost of ownership (COO) due to reduced maintenance costs. The benefits arising from the use of CORECORK ® are comfort, weight savings and thermal and acoustic insulation, characteristics inherent in natural cork.
The back panel includes accessories such as an LCD entertainment screen, magazine rack, table, seat numbering, footrest and handle. The backrest and seat folding system move together to offer a reclined position, while the headrest boasts two folding lateral supports with integrated lighting, allowing passengers to enjoy a relaxing experience.
ISEAT was funded by approximately € 900K from the Portuguese Strategic Reference Framework Programme under the European Regional Development Fund Programme (ERDF) through the COMPETE - Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors (OPCF). This is a demonstration project focusing on the development of sub-systems for the railway industry.
