Modelling and control of vibration instabilities in railway systems
- Enrolment status
- Future UQ student
- Student type
- Domestic, International
- Study level
- Postgraduate research (HDR)
- Study area
- Engineering
- Scholarship focus
- Academic excellence
- Funding type
- Living stipend, Tuition fees
- Scholarship value
- $33,641 per annum tax free (2024 rate), indexed annually
- Scholarship duration
- 3.5 years with the possibility of 1 extension in line with UQ and RTP Scholarship Policy
- Number awarded
- May vary
- Applications open
- 8 April 2024
- Applications close
- 29 April 2024
About this scholarship
Supervisor: Professor Paul Meehan
Vibration Instabilities in Contact mechanical systems occur across a range of applications in railways systems.
Typical examples include false brinelling in railway bearings; a phenomenon that causes marks on bearing contact surfaces during transportation of new trains and subsequently leads to bearing failure, wheel squeal that is an undesirable tonal noise resulting from transverse sliding in the wheel/rail contact exciting vibrations of the wheel as a train negotiates a corner/curve; and similarly brake squeal that occurs typically when a train slows causes disk contact sliding energy to pass into the brake dynamics under undesirable conditions.
The purpose of this project is to mathematically model and experimentally test one or more of these phenomena before developing model-based predictive control techniques for avoidance or suppression of the instability.
Research environment
The nonlinear and railway mechanics groups at the University of Queensland are highly vibrant research clusters that typically work on both theoretical and practical aspects of mechanics phenomena with close industry interaction if needed. The group boasts both high impact in very high quality journals as well as industry impact in solving real problems.
Eligibility
You're eligible if you meet the entry requirements for a higher degree by research.
How to apply
To be considered for this scholarship, please email the following documents to Professor Paul Meehan (meehan@uq.edu.au)
- Cover letter
- CV
- Academic transcript/s
- Evidence for meeting UQ's English language proficiency requirements eg TOEFL, IELTS
Please note the following: Submitting the above documents does not constitute a full application for admission into The University of Queensland's PhD program. If you are selected as the preferred applicant, you will then be invited to submit a full application for admission. You can familiarise yourself with the documents required for this process on UQ Study website.
Selection criteria
Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.
We take into account your:
- previous academic record
- publication record
- honours and awards
- employment history
A working knowledge of dynamics, vibrations and/or control theory would be of benefit to someone working on this project.
You will demonstrate academic achievement in the field/s of mechanics and/or control theory and the potential for scholastic success.
Rules
A domestic part-time student with carer’s responsibilities, a medical condition or a disability, which prevents them from studying full time may be eligible for scholarship consideration, on a case-by-case basis.