Our main goal is to perform research and development on freight and passenger railway vehicle dynamics, assess brake performance, and establish service life of railway components as wheels, rails, wagons, couplings, and locomotive parts.

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The Railroad Laboratory relies on its specialists team to develop new vehicle designs, and to teach graduate and undergraduate students to work on the railway industry,

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We are the lead institution on Vale's Cátedra de Vagões (Wagon Chair) program,  LaFer é a instituição líder do programa Cátedra de Vagões da Vale S. A., desenvolvido em conjunto com diversas universidades e institutos de pesquisas nacionais tais como UFES, POLI, UNISANTA, IFSP, UFRJ e UFJF.

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Anualmente sedia o simpósio de engenharia ferroviária, evento que divulga as principais pesquisas relacionadas ao transporte de cargas. (www.simposio-ferroviario.com.br)

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