Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SMaRT (Sand Mitigation around Railway Tracks)
Période du rapport: 2019-01-01 au 2020-12-31
SMaRT (Sand Mitigation around Railway Tracks) is a four-year project coordinated by Politecnico di Torino and supported by the EC through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action. It has provided an innovative, multidisciplinary and inter-sectorial doctoral training in prestigious academic institutions (Politecnico di Torino – IT, and University of Oxford – UK) as well as a highly skilled Consulting Company (Optiflow Company – FR), and supported by a panel of global players in the railway industry as Partner Organizations, ranging from civil works (Astaldi), to railway equipment (Salcef), to signalling systems (Hitachi Rail STS). SMaRT has promoted international excellence in sand mitigation science and technology, in modelling, design, assessment and commercialization of innovative and efficient Sand Mitigation Measures (SMMs).
In the last decade, a growing number of railways have been designed or built in arid regions worldwide mainly to transport pilgrims and freight. Transnational railway networks are even more ambitious, intended to promote the social and geopolitical growth of large Regions. For instance, the Arab Network Railway is a 30,000 km long high-speed/capacity railway network currently under design connecting all the Arab League Countries. The length of such a single project is more than twice the overall European high-speed railway network. The corresponding investments are significant: Middle East Countries allocated USD 259 billion to build 40,000 km of railway tracks up to 2030.
In arid environments, windblown sand can have relevant negative impacts on railways in terms of safety and serviceability issues related to migrating dunes, windblown loose sand accumulating on the railway, and derailment of running trains. Windblown sand reduces railway serviceability and increases maintenance costs because of ballast contamination, rail grinding, or burial of signal controls.
Effective, durable, robust and sustainable solutions are mandatory to protect railways against windblown sand. The design and verification of SMMs are at their infancy worldwide and they currently remain in the realm of empiric, qualitative practice. Such an approach obviously conflicts with modern engineering practice, based on the quantification of the design solutions by means of predictive models. SMMs suffer from the scarce transfer of knowledge from research fields to Civil Engineering design practice and construction industry.
The European industry has a strong know-how thanks to its experience in the construction of the European high-speed railway network. Nevertheless, the transfer of such competences to constructions in arid environments requires specialized knowledge in the design and analysis of SMMs.
SMaRT has tackled these problems, and grasped the opportunity to:
• Innovate the sand mitigation research field, by advancing competences in the main scientific fields involved (wind engineering, fluid and porous mechanics, aeolian geomorphology), and their convergence in a multidisciplinary approach for design and analysis;
• Innovate the training of the three ESRs enrolled during the project by means of:
- a multidisciplinary doctoral training programme incorporating the development of both design capabilities and analysis skills;
- an academy-industry intersectoral doctoral framework integrating the innovation ability of the former and the stimuli stemming from the industrial and commercial needs of the latter;
- a proper “in vitro” replica of the ESRs’ future real-world working context, by a consortium layout that reflects the production chain of the construction industry;
• Enrich and complement the competences of the European railway industry, in order to address an exciting and growing market sector.
In the light of the above, SMaRT has accomplished its mission during its course.
In the last decade, a growing number of railways have been designed or built in arid regions worldwide mainly to transport pilgrims and freight. Transnational railway networks are even more ambitious, intended to promote the social and geopolitical growth of large Regions. For instance, the Arab Network Railway is a 30,000 km long high-speed/capacity railway network currently under design connecting all the Arab League Countries. The length of such a single project is more than twice the overall European high-speed railway network. The corresponding investments are significant: Middle East Countries allocated USD 259 billion to build 40,000 km of railway tracks up to 2030.
In arid environments, windblown sand can have relevant negative impacts on railways in terms of safety and serviceability issues related to migrating dunes, windblown loose sand accumulating on the railway, and derailment of running trains. Windblown sand reduces railway serviceability and increases maintenance costs because of ballast contamination, rail grinding, or burial of signal controls.
Effective, durable, robust and sustainable solutions are mandatory to protect railways against windblown sand. The design and verification of SMMs are at their infancy worldwide and they currently remain in the realm of empiric, qualitative practice. Such an approach obviously conflicts with modern engineering practice, based on the quantification of the design solutions by means of predictive models. SMMs suffer from the scarce transfer of knowledge from research fields to Civil Engineering design practice and construction industry.
The European industry has a strong know-how thanks to its experience in the construction of the European high-speed railway network. Nevertheless, the transfer of such competences to constructions in arid environments requires specialized knowledge in the design and analysis of SMMs.
SMaRT has tackled these problems, and grasped the opportunity to:
• Innovate the sand mitigation research field, by advancing competences in the main scientific fields involved (wind engineering, fluid and porous mechanics, aeolian geomorphology), and their convergence in a multidisciplinary approach for design and analysis;
• Innovate the training of the three ESRs enrolled during the project by means of:
- a multidisciplinary doctoral training programme incorporating the development of both design capabilities and analysis skills;
- an academy-industry intersectoral doctoral framework integrating the innovation ability of the former and the stimuli stemming from the industrial and commercial needs of the latter;
- a proper “in vitro” replica of the ESRs’ future real-world working context, by a consortium layout that reflects the production chain of the construction industry;
• Enrich and complement the competences of the European railway industry, in order to address an exciting and growing market sector.
In the light of the above, SMaRT has accomplished its mission during its course.
The research activities carried out within SMaRT developed along three main axes.
• PoliTo team, jointly with Optiflow and with the support of Astaldi, has developed a COMPUTATIONAL-BASED DESIGN OF INNOVATIVE SAND MITIGATION MEASURES, fuelled by:
- categorization of the windblown sand-induced hazards on railway and its components that SMMs are asked to solve;
- deep understanding of the working principles of SMMs, notably the way they affect the wind and sand flow;
- optimization procedures intended to maximise the SMM performance and to minimize its construction and maintenance costs.
• At Optiflow, together with PoliTo mathematicians, PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL MODELS OF WINDBLOWN SAND PHENOMENA have been developed, addressed to:
- the translation of complex phenomena emerging from interacting multiphase wind-sand dynamics in mathematical equations;
- the development of robust and accurate computational simulations techniques and software to be applied in industrial context;
- the performance assessment of SMMs;
• Oxford geographers, with the support of Optiflow computer systems, have provided the IN-SITU ASSESSMENT OF SAND HAZARDS FROM THE LANDSCAPE SCALE TO THE RAILWAY SCALE by:
- desk-based analyses of meteorological historical records and remote sensing imagery;
- in-situ measurements of wind velocity, sand concentration in air, sedimented sand thickness and forms, sand inclusion in ballast by means of sophisticated equipment;
- developing standard procedures and competences for operational design, evaluation and field testing of SMMs.
The research products include 11 published scientific papers, while others are currently in preparation.
The SMaRT fellows’ training program has covered all theoretical and technical aspects related to Windblown Sand and SMMs. A series of overlapping components has contributed to achieve this aim: Research training provided by the expert supervisors, Specialised PhD courses; Industrial technical courses, Transferable skill courses, Secondments of researchers to industrial partners and along desert railways.
Two design solutions intended to protect railways from windblown sand have been conceived and developed during the project. The achieved industrial knowhow has been disseminated by articles published on rail sectoral technical magazines, participation to industrial exhibitions, business meetings and collaborations with industrial stakeholders.
• PoliTo team, jointly with Optiflow and with the support of Astaldi, has developed a COMPUTATIONAL-BASED DESIGN OF INNOVATIVE SAND MITIGATION MEASURES, fuelled by:
- categorization of the windblown sand-induced hazards on railway and its components that SMMs are asked to solve;
- deep understanding of the working principles of SMMs, notably the way they affect the wind and sand flow;
- optimization procedures intended to maximise the SMM performance and to minimize its construction and maintenance costs.
• At Optiflow, together with PoliTo mathematicians, PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL MODELS OF WINDBLOWN SAND PHENOMENA have been developed, addressed to:
- the translation of complex phenomena emerging from interacting multiphase wind-sand dynamics in mathematical equations;
- the development of robust and accurate computational simulations techniques and software to be applied in industrial context;
- the performance assessment of SMMs;
• Oxford geographers, with the support of Optiflow computer systems, have provided the IN-SITU ASSESSMENT OF SAND HAZARDS FROM THE LANDSCAPE SCALE TO THE RAILWAY SCALE by:
- desk-based analyses of meteorological historical records and remote sensing imagery;
- in-situ measurements of wind velocity, sand concentration in air, sedimented sand thickness and forms, sand inclusion in ballast by means of sophisticated equipment;
- developing standard procedures and competences for operational design, evaluation and field testing of SMMs.
The research products include 11 published scientific papers, while others are currently in preparation.
The SMaRT fellows’ training program has covered all theoretical and technical aspects related to Windblown Sand and SMMs. A series of overlapping components has contributed to achieve this aim: Research training provided by the expert supervisors, Specialised PhD courses; Industrial technical courses, Transferable skill courses, Secondments of researchers to industrial partners and along desert railways.
Two design solutions intended to protect railways from windblown sand have been conceived and developed during the project. The achieved industrial knowhow has been disseminated by articles published on rail sectoral technical magazines, participation to industrial exhibitions, business meetings and collaborations with industrial stakeholders.
All the research activities carried out in SMaRT have strong potential for excellent research and technological development, and for converting the results into industrial and economic benefits. The production and characterisation of novel design solutions for railway applications has been performed together with the development of the appropriate cost-effective, cost-competitive and innovative methodologies.
Additionally, this project directly aims at training highly skilled researchers who are at ease in both industrial and academic environments, thanks to a strong and effective industry-academia cooperation and collaboration, thus bridging the gap between the academic and commercial research sectors.
Knowledge transfer from SMaRT to different audience has been carried out by differentiating mind attitude, used language and media. The SMaRT Client Colloquium organized at the SMaRT stand within the Middle East Rail show for innovation, technology and strategy on February 2019 in Dubai was the opportunity to disseminate SMaRT innovative methods and technologies to stakeholders, policy makes, industries and general contractors.
Additionally, this project directly aims at training highly skilled researchers who are at ease in both industrial and academic environments, thanks to a strong and effective industry-academia cooperation and collaboration, thus bridging the gap between the academic and commercial research sectors.
Knowledge transfer from SMaRT to different audience has been carried out by differentiating mind attitude, used language and media. The SMaRT Client Colloquium organized at the SMaRT stand within the Middle East Rail show for innovation, technology and strategy on February 2019 in Dubai was the opportunity to disseminate SMaRT innovative methods and technologies to stakeholders, policy makes, industries and general contractors.