NEWSLETTER

WELCOME The future of NewRail is looking extremely bright with the three core research groups all receiving substantial funding for the next three years. This creates stability for the researchers in NewRail and builds a platform for further development. Our priority over the next six months is to highlight our activities with industry and attract further research funding from Research Councils. www.newrail.org Professor Mark Robinson High Speed Focus: HST Connectivity NewRail is the coordinator of HST Connectivity, a project that forms part of the HST Connect initiative led by SEEDA – the South East England Development Agency. HST Connect is part-funded by the European Inter-Regional Trans-national Programme for North-West Europe. HST Connect concentrates on two key issues: developing the secondary public transport system to feed efficiently and economically into the primary high speed train (HST) network, and making stations better places to travel to, through and from – and to do business in. HST Connectivity deals with the current obstacles for rail access to the HST rail network, specific solutions for the HST rail network stations/interchanges, and new technologies to enhance and promote access to the HST rail network. HST Connectivity will be completed in March 2007. t+44 191 222 6829/5821 [email protected]

Vacancy NewRail Professor visits Australia As part of the Marie Curie Research Professor Ajay Kapoor, Deputy Director of Training Network NewRail, visited Australia and held discussions momentum (Newsletter February 2006), NewRail has with New South Wales Railways about future a Fellowship vacancy to cover a post-doctoral position as projects. a senior researcher. The incidences of rolling contact fatigue cracks are The Fellow will work on prediction methodologies for the on the rise and recently there has been an axle long term behaviour of composite material systems to failure prompting suspension of services for develop an integrated whole life operational model. several days between Sydney and Melbourne. A background and understanding of composite material behaviour, damage evolution and remaining functional Professor Kapoor also visited the Institute of Rail life in multi-component composite structures, Technology (IRT) at Monash University to give a particularly transport-related, is required. presentation. During the talk it was raised that low The deadline for applications is the 30 June 2006 . adhesion due to centipedes is a problem in certain tunnels in Australia. Apparently, centipedes get t+44 191 222 6829/5821 [email protected] caught in the wheel-rail contact and produce a leaf film-like layer, which has very low adhesion and NewRail at the JEC Exhibition makes it difficult for trains to climb slopes. NewRail was represented at the JEC European composites exhibition held in Paris from the 28th to the The University of Newcastle upon Tyne and 30th March 2006. The theme of the show was Monash University have signed a Memorandum of “composites for better living”. NewRail had a stand in Understanding for collaboration, creating links the Educational and Skills village, which formed one of 7 between NewRail and IRT. thematic villages. Presentations were made by Professor Mark Robinson and Roberto Palacin at the Mass Transit Forum. [email protected]

NEWSLETTER - JUNE 2006 BESTUFS 2006 - Urban Freight STAFF Conference: Malta Each newsletter features a particular staff member and introduces new people who have joined NewRail Amit Chaudhury is originally from India but grew up The BESTUFS project held its annual conference in in Zambia. He moved to England 15 years ago living Malta on the 18th and 19th of May 2006. The mostly in Kent and conference, which was supported locally by the Malta Manchester and is now an Transport Authority (ADT) and the City of Valetta, adopted Geordie! was an “open house” event with papers invited from across the entire urban freight topic. He graduated with a BEng in Aerospace Engineering An international body of speakers from Japan, and an MSc in Mechanical Australia and many EU nations addressed a wide Engineering Design from range of subjects: the interaction of Intelligent Manchester University. Transport Systems (ITS) and urban freight; data collection and modelling; underground freight At the moment Amit is transportation; freight and vehicle access in Valetta; working on the low- the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) in Deutsche velocity impact of a series Post; inland waterways; the freight plans of London of novel tied-core and Paris; and others. composite sandwich structures with the help of the LS-DYNA and OASYS The event was a success with over 50 delegates, a software supplied by [email protected] lively range of debate, a technical visit to the Malta ARUP. Freeport and a convivial conference dinner overlooking the bays of Vittorosio. The conference Ms. Gordana Vasic is was expertly chaired by Mme. Laurence Douvin. back in NewRail after The proceedings are available at: two years in Belgrade http://www.bestufs.net/conferencesII.html during which time she completed her Masters and worked part time on her PhD on low adhesion leaf films. Gordana is now continuing her PhD full time in the Wheel Rail Interface Group under the supervision of Professor Kapoor. [email protected] Successful PhD for Wheel-Rail Interface Group NewRail at Railway Interiors Expo Exhibition Ali Asadi Lari has successfully completed his PhD. Ali was supervised by Professor Felix Schmid NewRail recently had a and Professor Ajay Kapoor. His work was based on stand at the Railway the problem of heavy wear in wheels on some rail Interiors Expo Exhibition routes in Iran and his work provided a solution. held in Cologne, Germany. EPSRC Funding for Wheel-Rail The stand focused on our work concerning rail interiors, Interface Group lightweighting for interiors, transport studies, crashworthiness, The second tranche of funding for RRUK2 has been and fire safe interiors. approved by the EPSRC. The total award of £3.9M is shared by the core members of the consortium. A It proved very useful for NewRail, substantial part is earmarked for the Wheel Rail raising the profile of the Centre Interface Group, managed by Professor Kapoor. and resulting in new contacts, leads and contracts for research The funding will support the work on modelling work. 3-dimensional microstructures in rail steels and will fund two members of staff. [email protected] [email protected]

NEWSLETTER - JUNE 2006