Development of a Modular Design Based Telescopic Rail Mechanism and Techno-Economic Analysis of Integration into Traction Inverter Systems Used in Rail Transportation Vehicle

This study presents a design approach for traction inverter systems used in railway vehicles, focusing on modularity and maintenance accessibility. The electrical structure and internal layout of the traction inverter are evaluated based on a modular configuration of power electronic components, aiming to reduce power loop inductance and mitigate electromagnetic interactions. A telescopic rail based mechanical structure, developed in accordance with underfloor installation constraints, enables direct access to inverter modules during maintenance operations. The thermal performance of the design is analyzed, indicating that the maximum temperature of the power semiconductor modules remains at approximately 74 °C. Furthermore, different traction inverter architectures are comparatively assessed in terms of maintenance duration, personnel requirements, and cost parameters. The results demonstrate that the proposed modular and telescopic rail based structure achieves an improvement of approximately 80–90% in maintenance duration compared to conventional fixed mounted designs, while significantly reducing maintenance costs at the fleet level. These findings indicate that a modular and maintenance accessible design approach provides substantial advantages in terms of both technical performance and operational and maintenance cost efficiency.