Investigation of Railway Studs and Squats Top-Up Scholarship
Not stated
- Location
- Brisbane, Australia, Australia
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
- Application deadline
- Year-round applications
About the project
About the Project Rail studs and squats are increasingly important forms of rail damage affecting railway networks in Australia and internationally. Their prevalence has become a growing concern as modern railways adopt higher traction capabilities and more intensive operating conditions, generating increasingly demanding wheel–rail contact conditions. This research will develop an experimentally validated mathematical model for the initiation and growth of rail studs and squats, with particular emphasis on establishing how the mechanisms responsible for studs differ from those associated with squats. The project will investigate the fundamental rolling contact mechanics and dynamic phenomena governing these defects, including contact stresses, traction and slip, dynamic wheel–rail forces, material damage, and vehicle–track vibration over successive wheel passages. The resulting mechanics-based model will predict when studs and squats initiate, how they grow, and how their development is influenced by vehicle, track and operating conditions, ultimately supporting improved prediction and control of these critical phenomena.