DigiRail High-performance computing of construction, operation and maintenance of railway infrastructure

Purpose and goal

The railway system is a cornerstone for sustainable transport infrastructure, but there are several challenges regarding maintenance and increasing load and speed. Simulation methods have been used for a long time in the R&D of railways. In this project, a new level of digitization will be implemented, which enables detailed physics-based models of the entire structure. The project´s goal is to develop and validate a virtual model of the railway superstructure and vehicles for construction, operation and maintenance with multi-physics high-performance computation.

Expected results and effects

Modeling the complete system requires different numerical methods; discrete element method is used for unbound materials, finite element method for structures and multi-body dynamics for machine and vehicle systems. A key result will thus be a new framework for effective co-simulation. The main focus of the project is to validate the simulation concept for three areas; operational cases & transient zones, maintenance operations, design & construction. A validated method can also be used for problem solving and optimization.

Planned approach and implementation

The project is implemented through the following work packages: WP1 - Project Coordination WP2 - Development of software demonstrator WP3 - Modelling and simulation of railway structures and systems WP4 - Validation of machine and vehicle MBD/DEM FMI coupling WP5 - Validation of railway structure model during operation load cases WP6 - Validation and investigation of critical maintenance operations WP7 - Investigation of transient positions and verification against analytical calculation methods The FCC leads WP1-3 and industry representatives WP4-7.