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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 trialed 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.
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