Optimization of materials in track switches (CHARMEC TS17)

Research Project, 2015 – 2020

The project aims at increasing the understanding of the long-term degradation and damage modes of different crossing materials. Guidelines for selection of crossing material will be developed, where the selected material should produce a crossing that for a given traffic scenario is stable in geometry and has a long service life and a low life cycle cost. The methodology, developed in project EU10, for prediction of rail profile degradation in track switches by integrating several cross-disciplinary numerical models and tools will be applied and extended. Robustness and computational efficiency of the methodology will be improved by formulating metamodels using, for example, Response Surface Modelling. Models will be calibrated and validated versus damaged rail profiles measured in the field. A better understanding of required production tolerances and maintenance action limits for rail profile degradation will be established.

This is a doctoral project. Mr Rostyslav Skrypnyk, Lic Eng, is the doctoral student and Professors Jens Nielsen and Magnus Ekh are the project leaders and supervisors. Dr Björn Pålsson is assistant supervisor.