Topic: Railroad 4.0: Hybrid Computing of Ballast Behavior

Abstract: Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution, is the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies.  Originated from the German government’s high-tech strategy, the underlying concept of Industry 4.0 is to create “cyber-physical systems” (CPS) that connects smart production facilities which in-turn generates a convergence between industry, business, and internal functions and processes.  Even though Industry 4.0 was a manufacturing initiative, the idea of bridging digital and physical systems can be expanded beyond the manufacturing industry.  “Railroad Infrastructure 4.0” is thus proposed to revolutionize the maintenance operations of the railroad industry.  In North America, most primary freight and passenger rail corridors are constructed using ballasted track.  One of the primary maintenance activities is to ensure the ballast is performing adequately. Being able to simulate the ballast performance and conduct tamping operations (e.g. maintenance activities) at optimal intervals can increase the safety and efficiency of railroad operations.  Previously, techniques such as discrete element method (DEM) and boundary element method (BEM) have been used to calculate the interactions of ballast, but these investigative tools lack the capability of automatically and continuously predict ballast performance.  We have developed a hybrid computation method as a key component of Railroad Infrastructure 4.0 to greatly increase the accuracy and efficiency of ballast behavior simulations. The information presented here demonstrates the concept and potential of Railroad Infrastructure 4.0 as the future framework for railroad engineering.

Reporter: Dr. QIAN Yu

Time: 10:00-12:00 a.m., July 16

Place:  Room A326, An-zhong Building