Aeronautical Know-how Strengthens Rail Bridges Saving $Millions
AN innovative aeronautical engineering technique has been adapted
to strengthen rail bridges potentially saving the rail industry
millions of dollars.
The Cooperative Research Centre for Railway Engineering and
Technologies (Rail CRC) project, led by Monash University’s
Professor Rhys Jones and managed by Australian Rail and Track
Corporation’s (ARTC) Wayne Potter, developed a methodology to
strengthen rail bridges using carbon composite reinforcing plates
attached with a super high-strength glue, rather than the
traditional welding of steel doubler-plates.
Mr Potter said gluing the carbon composite doublers resulted in no
down-time for trains.
“You don’t have to wait for a large window of
track-time to employ this method”, Mr Potter said.
“It’s a lot easier and far quicker just to glue these
new plates on.
“As far as we know, it’s a world first to use this
aerospace technique on steel rail bridges. A similar method has
been used in the aeronautical industry for 25 years – there
are huge stresses involved in aircraft structures, and the plates
and gluing method have not failed to date. We trialled a
number of glues and found one suitable to apply to steel rail
bridges.”
Mr Potter said the carbon composite plate reinforcement technique
was used to increase the load-carrying capacity of the bridge, and
also to allow trains to operate at higher speeds. “The
technique rejuvenates bridges that would otherwise be condemned and
have to be replaced,” Mr Potter said. “The next step is
to set up a full-scale production process.”
The bridge strengthening project, which has been independently
assessed to potentially save the rail industry millions of dollars,
is one of approximately 40 Rail CRC research projects established
and supported under the Australian Government’s Cooperative
Research Centres Programme.
Rail CRC consists of rail industry partners – ARTC, Rail
Corp, TMG Rail Technology, Pacific National, and Queensland Rail -
and six university partners – Queensland University of
Technology, the University of Wollongong, University of South
Australia, Central Queensland University, Monash University, and
The University of Queensland.
