Investigation of damage development in turnout components: Diagnostic analysis based on historical data and field measurements

Project description

Turnouts are important assets in a railway network as they provide flexibility to traffic operations. They require frequent inspection and maintenance, and represent one of the most critical and expensive assets within the rail system. This project aims to have a comprehensive understanding of the prevailing damage modes, such as field side cracking in switchblades, through field investigation and analysis of historical damage data. The project also aims to characterise or identify early signs of these damage processes and their possible causes to propose improved monitoring and inspection procedures.

Industry Partner

The project will be conducted in collaboration with the industry partner BHP.

Doctoral Candidate

Ms Simone  Issomura

Portrait of Ms Simone Lie Issomura

Supervisors

Supervisor:

  • Dr. Elias Kassa, Monash Institute of Railway Technology, Faculty of Engineering

Co-supervisor:

  • Prof. Wenyi Yan, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Industry supervisor:

  • Mr Gregory Crew, Superintendent Rail Engineering, BHP Iron Ore
Faculties Involved

Engineering

Contact Details & Additional Information