Welcome to the UPV/EHU University of the Basque Country’s railway dynamics website. The research team forms part of the Faculty of Engineering’s Mechanical Engineering Department in Bilbao. Our team is currently composed of 3 researchers with doctorates, 4 associate researchers and several undergraduate students working on railway dynamics and simulation, rail corrugation, wheel-rail contact computation and wheel profile optimisation. Some members of the team also teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the University.
On this website you will find information on our main lines of research, the results of a number of research projects, some specific data on team members, and also a complete list of publications. Many of them are available for download - please click the publications tab.
The research team has carried out several projects in recent years, and has been working on different lines relating to railway dynamics. The group chiefly focuses on the following research topics:
- Wheel-Rail Contact. Analysis and detection of contact points in 3-D. Application to sharp curve negotiation. Conformal contact analysis.
- Rail Corrugation. Approach to rail corrugation formation through flexible track models.
- Vehicle-Track Interaction. Analysis of medium/high frequency track vibrations. Construction of advanced railway vehicle models with flexible rails and discrete supports. Ballasted track and slab track comparison.
- Risk of Derailment. Investigation of creep forces at contact points and analysis of the influence of the wheelset’s yaw angle on the risk of derailment.
- Wheel Profile Optimisation. Use of genetic algorithms to optimise wheel profiles and improve the dynamic performance of railway vehicles.
RECENT NEWS
April 15, 2024
Our biggest congratulations to our colleague Rakel Robles, who has just received first prize in the TRA VISIONS 2024 YOUNG RESEARCHER COMPETITION at a prestigious Awards Ceremony during the TRA 2024 event on Monday, April 15.
The TRA VISIONS 2024 YOUNG RESEARCHER COMPETITION is aimed at Universities and Research Institutes for young researchers pursuing bachelor's and higher degrees (master's and doctorate) in all scientific domains related to transportation, sustainability, mobility, energy, engineering and related areas. The competition presents an opportunity for young researchers to showcase their work on an international stage at the Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2024 Conference scheduled for April 2024 in Dublin.
