University of Huddersfield unveils £4.5m railway test rig

The rig enables experiments and investigation of issues surrounding the contact area between wheel and rail

The University of Huddersfield unveiled its recently completed multi million pound railway test rig, while simultaneously launching a centre for innovation and research in the railway sector.

 The university is home to the Institute of Railway Research (IRR) which secured £4.5 million from the Regional Growth Fund. Its facilities now include a 150ton test rig that enables a wide range of experiments to be conducted on a full-size railway bogie and will enable in-depth investigation of issues surrounding the contact area between wheel and rail.

Installing the rig required 95 piles to be sunk five metres deep and a system of air springs to prevent excessive vibration. The rig is now ready for use and was officially opened by Richard East, who chairs the Railway Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

Alongside the test rig the Institute launched a unit named the Centre for Innovation in Rail. It has been set up to help the railway supply chain develop innovative products and is an outlet for research activity within the IRR, aiming to work with industry, especially SMEs. 

The event was attended by more than 100 engineers and executives from engineering firms and official rail bodies. 

Professor Simon Iwnicki, director of the IRR, described the wide range of research being conducted by the Institute, which investigates issues such as rolling stock, track materials, railway infrastructure and braking systems.  He said important partnerships had been formed with major firms and agencies and outlined the potential and importance of the new rig.

Iwnicki said: “We do a lot of research by computer modelling, but this needs to be supported by testing and that is why what we are showing you today is so important to us.”

East stated that since rail privatisation, passenger numbers had doubled but the network had remained essentially the same. 

East said: “This huge amount of growth is starting to challenge the capacity and the resilience that we have.”

East stated issues such as the need for sustainability and greater energy efficiency would motivate the new generation of engineers.