Railway research at Huddersfield Uni

[pdq]

Thought some forum readers might be interested in these news stories that appeared this week from the University of Huddersfield relating to the Institute of Railway Research.

1. New £3.5m test rig for pantograph research
   

   ELECTRIFICATION – leading to improved services and massive reductions in carbon emissions – is the future for railways. But there is a vital need for research that will improve the technology, especially the pantographs that collect current from overhead catenary wires. When they fail, schedules are disrupted and there can be safety risks.
   
   Now, the University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Railway Research (IRR) is to be the site for a world-class, £3.5 million pantograph testing rig.
   
   The new test rig at the Institute will be available for research and testing by scientists, engineers and companies from around the world. Currently under construction by Italian conglomerate Simpro, the rig will be installed and operational in the IRR in 2020.
   
   It will be a full-scale rig. Pantographs brought for testing will sit on a moving table that mimics the behaviour of a train and will interact with a virtual catenary, modelled by an advanced computer software.

   
   
2. £4.5m test rig puts new two-axle rail vehicle through its paces
   

   A radically redesigned railway vehicle that could help end commuter misery by offering greater comfort and seating capacity is undergoing exhaustive tests at the University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Railway Research (IRR).
   
   The new design – named FORESEE – has two-axles in place of the bogies that are fitted to conventional vehicles. This means major saving in weight and the potential to increase space for passengers.
   
   The problems associated with current two-axle rail vehicles are that they offer bad ride comfort and their poor steering in curves can cause damage to track and wheels. FORESEE solves these issues with a novel system of active suspension and steering, intelligently controlled by pneumatic and electromagnetic actuators.
   
   “This compensates for the loss of the bogies and allows more of the available space and weight to be used for carrying passengers,” said Barnaby Bryce, who is the IRR’s Test Applications Engineer.
   
   “And because you can carry more passengers on the same length of train, it is possible to extend capacity using the existing network, so you don’t need longer platforms,” he added.
   
   FORESEE project’s two-axle rail vehicle
   The project is dubbed FORESEE because it addresses the “four Cs” of carbon, customer, cost and capacity. A prototype chassis has now been delivered to the IRR and placed on its world-class £4.5m test rig.
   
   Over the course of several weeks, Mr Bryce will supervise a wide range of tests designed to appraise factors such as the new vehicle’s ride comfort, its stability and the wheel-rail forces. The performance of the vital actuators that control steering and suspension will also be assessed.
   
   The FORESEE concept was devised by Martin Pemberton, of Transport Design International (TDI). The company leads the project, which has eight partners in the UK and Sweden, including the Institute of Railway Research.
   
   One aim is to provide a comfortable, capacious rail vehicle that could be deployed across the rail network, superseding vehicles such as the unpopular Pacer trains that have remained in service much longer than originally envisaged.
   
   The interior of FORESEE vehicles will not only offer greater capacity and comfort but will also be highly adaptable. For example, more seats could be added to meet demand on busier routes, or they could be reconfigured.
   
   “This is an exciting project and takes us a step closer to fully-active suspension on the railways,” said the Director of the IRR, Professor Simon Iwnicki.

   
   
3. Minister unveils Uni’s £30m Centre of Excellence in Rolling Stock
   

   The Centre of Excellence, within the University’s Institute of Railway Research, will develop the rolling stock of the future.
   
   THE University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Railway Research (IRR) has become a Centre of Excellence for the new £90m UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN), launched at a special event in Westminster. The ultimate aim, pledges Rail Minister Jo Johnson, is to deliver the biggest modernisation programme since Victorian times, meaning more frequent trains and quicker and more comfortable journeys.
   
   Within UKRRIN, the Institute of Railway Research’s task will be to develop a new generation of rolling stock that lasts longer, is more energy efficient and is less costly to maintain.
   
   As leader of UKRRIN’S Centre of Excellence in Rolling Stock, the IRR will be the conduit for almost £30 million of research funding. “It’s the largest contract that we have had so far and will lead to a real step change in our capabilities,” said the Institute’s Director, Professor Simon Iwnicki.
   
   UKRRIN has been established after a successful £28m bid to the Higher Education Funding Council for England to create four rail Centres of Excellence, backed by commitment from the rail industry to invest more than £60m in research, development and innovation activities at these Centres over the next ten years.
   
   In addition to the Centre of Excellence in Rolling Stock, led by the University of Huddersfield – in partnership with Newcastle University and Loughborough University – there are also Centres of Excellence in Digital Systems, led by the University of Birmingham, and in Infrastructure, led by the University of Southampton. There is also a Centre of Excellence in Testing, to be led by Network Rail.
   
   UKRRIN aims to build the capacity of the rail sector to develop, deliver and deploy new technologies, helping the UK maintain its position as a global leader.
   
   A key role in UKRRIN means that the Institute at Huddersfield – based in its own purpose-built labs and offices – will equip itself for a big expansion in activity. The Institute already has facilities that include a £4.5 million test rig that is unique in Europe. New equipment will include an extended range of full-scale advanced test rigs to accelerate the adoption of new technology for the next generation of rolling stock.
   
   Commenting on the launch of UKRRIN, Rail Minister Jo Johnson said: “We are investing in the biggest modernisation programme of our railways since Victorian times. In doing so, we are utilising a range of new technologies across the network and Britain is now at the cutting edge of digital signalling, high speed transport and railway infrastructure.
   
   “New centres of excellence, bringing together experts, universities and the wider rail industry will be essential in achieving our ambition to get all diesel-only trains off the track by 2040 as well as delivering the advanced railway network that passengers deserve.”

 

[edwin_m]

£4.5m test rig puts new two-axle rail vehicle through its paces

That headline and the story beneath it will give a few people conniptions...

 

[racyrich]

I am mystified how replacing bogies with single axles frees up space for more passengers. Shhh . . .did someone mention double decker . . .

 

[hwl]

I am mystified how replacing bogies with single axles frees up space for more passengers. Shhh . . .did someone mention double decker . . .

Looks like it is for continental europe rather than UK

 

[squizzler]

The projects names in the original post sound every bit as forward looking as the projects from British Rail's skunkworks in Derby, which is much lamented in the railway press.

I'll enjoy hearing how things develop.