The Monash Institute of Railway Technology (Monash IRT) in Melbourne is celebrating the opening of its new railway manufacturing workshop, which will further enhance its capabilities in research and innovation.
The new workshop contains a large, three-axis CNC (computer numerical control) machine, a precision welding table, laser cutting grinders, lathes, guillotines, benders and other equipment that will enable the team at IRT to manufacture components, carry out research and more.
“We recently bought a brand-new, unique laser cutter that has an upgraded six-kilowatt laser head,” said Professor Ravi Ravitharan, Director of Monash IRT.
“It can cut up to 25-millimetre-thick mild steel sheets all at once, which is significant for railway research activities, saving time and costs whilst supporting greater precision and protecting the structural integrity of materials.”
Professor Ravitharan said Monash IRT always starts with an initial idea for an innovation that could improve rail operations. The team of engineers, scientists and technicians working at IRT will research and test these concepts, as well as manufacturing components and even entire solutions which can be implemented on railway systems.
“To deliver solutions to the rail industry, Monash IRT has 3D printing, digital twin and modelling capabilities, design and testing capabilities, and we now have our own additional manufacturing capability,” he said.
“This railway manufacturing workshop can manufacture components to the highest standards for us to deliver services to the railway industry.
“In-house manufacturing capability allows Monash IRT to provide a quick turnout from concept design to prototyping and production. This allows us to deliver critical advanced solutions to the local and international railway industry.”
Organisations that have enlisted IRT’s services in recent years include MTR Corporation, Rio Tinto and the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR), to name a few.
As an example, IRT completed a project for ONRSR, looking into what sort of lighting would improve a locomotive’s visibility for pedestrians at level crossings.
This research has in turn helped the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) to re-evaluate the national standards around locomotive lighting.
“RISSB has asked us to conduct additional measurements around this, and meanwhile the office of [Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government] Catherine King has provided us with a grant to investigate improving safety at regional passive level crossings,” said Professor Ravitharan.
For the research for RISSB, IRT needed to test different types of lights on a locomotive to determine which option was best for conspicuity (and therefore safety).
“The previous research for ONRSR was undertaken in Western Australia, but the current work is in Melbourne and we didn’t have access to the same locomotive here.
“To address this, we created a 2D model of a full-scale locomotive in the new workshop, with the capacity for the lights to be changed.”
Another project the IRT team is excited to work on is the creation of a pantograph and catenary condition monitoring system.
“This will have dynamic monitoring capability, which will complement our Instrumented Revenue Vehicles – ordinary revenue-generating railcars that are fitted with sensors to continuously monitor track condition and vehicle dynamic performance.”
Professor Ravitharan said that prior to this new manufacturing workshop, the team had been using Monash University’s mechanical workshop.
“We were very pleased to be given the new space by the university, and it’s going to make a big difference for our research and development activities,” he said.
He explained that IRT was originally positioned within the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Monash University. However, IRT has grown so much it is now a university department – one of six within the Faculty of Engineering. It has the unique position of focusing on railway translational research.
IRT’s team covers a wide range of disciplines such as mechanical, civil, electrical, metallurgical, data analytics and computational simulation.
Primary areas of expertise include vehicle and track instrumentation, vehicle and train performance, condition monitoring, component testing, material and failure analysis, wheel-rail interface, rail welding, track structure design and maintenance, standards development and professional training.
In addition to applied research, IRT team members aim to be thought leaders when it comes to the future of the rail industry.
Professor Ravitharan and his colleagues are passionate about decarbonisation, and one of their most high-profile current projects is the creation of level access tram stop platforms from recycled plastics.
“We have completed many projects that are high value for the rail industry, but this project has probably received the most attention,” said Professor Ravitharan.
“I think that demonstrates that the rail industry has a real focus on innovative ways of decarbonising.”
These modular tram stop platforms could soon be seen dotted around Melbourne, with Yarra Trams interested in installing them across its network.
Monash IRT has finished the groundwork and tested the platforms in the lab, and now it’s waiting to carry out field trials.
In October, Monash IRT hosted a launch event for the new workshop, with Victorian Rail Advocate Tamara Culembourg attending as the guest of honour and cutting the ribbon.
“It was a great day, and an opportunity to show the industry what we do here,” said Professor Ravitharan.
“We’re excited for what the future holds for IRT.”
