Carbon footprint analysis and emission reduction pathways of Bogie frame manufacturing process in Urban Rail Transportation

It is significant for the carbon emission reduction of bogie frame (BF) to establish a standardized carbon footprint accounting method for BF manufacturing and to analyze the carbon emissions of different materials, different production stages, and different functional constituent parts. This study is based on the theory of life cycle assessment (LCA), combined with the carbon emission factor method, to account for the carbon footprint and formulate emission reduction measures for the entire manufacturing process of BF. The results show that the carbon footprint of each BF produced is 3115.02 kgCO₂eq, of which the raw material consumption stage has the highest carbon emission of 2882.01 kgCO₂eq, accounting for 92.52% of the carbon emission of the whole process of production and manufacturing. Of all the materials, P355NL consumption produced the largest carbon footprint, 2083.08 kgCO₂eq. Among the auxiliary materials, the consumption of welding wire produced the highest carbon emissions at 119.10 kgCO₂eq. Among all the functional constituent parts, the Side Beam Inner Web Plate in the Side Beam Assembly produced the highest carbon emissions at 241.96 kgCO₂eq. Finally, it is proposed that optimizing the material composition and using clean energy can reduce the carbon emissions in the production process of BF. Accounting for the carbon footprint of urban rail transit BF can provide theoretical support for the green manufacturing of urban rail transit equipment, and can also provide data support for the development of industry standards.