Project description
Building heat-resistant railways
As the Earth warms, railway slab tracks (which are vital to train networks worldwide) are in danger. Derailments may result from the distortion of these concrete slabs caused by extreme heat waves. Even worse, up to 60 million tonnes of carbon emissions could be produced in order to ensure their safety in a warming world. Nevertheless, there are not many resources available to direct climate-conscious maintenance. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TwinsTrack project will develop digital twin models, adaptive maintenance plans, and optimisation tools. The aim is to increase sustainability and safety. The project’s outcomes could result in a 30 % reduction in emissions, providing engineers with the information they need to prepare railroads for future heat waves.
Objective
We are in a warming climate. Predictions indicate that the world is on track for a warming of 1.5 ℃ in the most optimistic situation. This is very bad news for railway slab tracks utilized all around the world, since the intensified extreme heat waves in a warming climate can induce severe slab track failure and cause lethal outcomes like train derailments. Furthermore, the rise in life-cycle carbon emissions due to increased track maintenance workload and material consumption worldwide in a warming climate is estimated to be around 60 million tonnes, which can be used to manufacture about 120 million cars.
However, we are not fully prepared to this challenge because of a lack of useful tools to predict track performance and arrange maintenance activities in a warming climate. Thus, this TwinsTrack project aims to contribute to a better understanding of slab tracks' mechanical behavior in a warming climate and practical maintenance strategies to improve their climate adaptability.
In this project, the applicant will (i) develop integrated digital twin models of slab tracks for performance prediction in a warming climate; (ii) design various climate-adaptive maintenance measures for slab tracks; (iii) develop a multi-objective optimization approach to select optimal types and design details of maintenance measures to not only maximize the safety of slab tracks, but also ensure their best environmental and economic performance.
The outcomes of this TwinsTrack project will not only prepare engineers for the climate crisis but also inform policymakers of the urgent need for action. This will not only reduce the risk of structural-failure-induced accidents but also decrease carbon emissions and maintenance costs of slab tracks by an estimated 20% to 30% in a warming climate.
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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.
20133 Milano
Italy
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.