Project description
Optimising bridge deck acceleration for cost-efficient railway infrastructure
Current standards across Europe specify different limits for bridge deck acceleration on ballasted railway bridges, leading to inconsistencies in design and maintenance. The optimal acceleration ensuring both track stability and safe train operation remains unclear. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the VIBRATS project investigates the interaction between bridge vibrations, track stability and train dynamics. By studying the dynamic instability thresholds of granular ballast materials, the project aims to identify more reliable limits for bridge deck acceleration while maintaining track performance and operational safety. The results will support the development of improved guidelines for bridge design and railway infrastructure. Ultimately, VIBRATS seeks to reduce construction costs by 5 % and maintenance costs by 10 %, contributing to a greener and more efficient European railway network.
Objective
The VIBRATS project aims to provide additional background for revising criteria for vertical bridge deck acceleration limits, contribute to more economical designs and maintenance practices for both bridges and ballasted track, and promote the sustainability of railway transport. Through a combination of full-scale experimental studies, numerical simulations using the Discrete Element Method (DEM), and an advanced vehicle-track-bridge model, the research will explore the dynamic interactions among bridge deck acceleration, ballast interlock, track stability, and train running safety.
This project involves significant multidisciplinary research, leveraging collaboration with top-tier experts in railway engineering. The applicant will conduct VIBRATS under the supervision of world-renowned bridge experts at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and railway track experts at University of Birmingham. We will fully utilize their respective expertise and resources in the fields of ballasted track and bridge dynamics research, combined with my own experience in DEM simulation of ballasted track and vehicle-track coupled dynamics. This project will not only enhance the applicant's research capabilities and professional skills but also provide a platform for expanding networks within the railway engineering community, facilitating future collaborative research.
VIBRATS will also offer valuable technical guidance for updating bridge design standards and maintenance practices, reducing reliance on empirical decision-making and optimizing railway infrastructure performance. The project is expected to reduce life-cycle maintenance costs by up to 10% in specific use cases and potentially lower construction costs by an estimated 5%(expected). These outcomes will contribute to more sustainable and economical designs for railway bridges and tracks, aligning with the European Green Deal's goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advancing the sustainability of rail transport.
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Keywords
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
100 44 Stockholm
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.