Testing the rails

摘要

With nearly 100 h.p., the hefty engine can accelerate the 4-metre-wide cross to 1 revolution per second. That is a fairly impressive speed, certainly when you are standing right next to the spectacle. Four times a second, a mini railway wheel races over the mini railway in the basement of the building housing the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences. Dr Zili Li watches the installation proudly. He funded the million euros required for the test installation with work conducted by the railway engineering laboratory for external clients over the past decade. "A week on the test track is comparable to a year on the railway network," explains Li. Every 10 seconds, 40 axles crash over each point of the circular rail - equivalent to a train every ten seconds. The speed on the test track is also equivalent to the 280 km/h speed achieved by a TGV train. Spring tension can be used to increase the force exerted on the wheels. And to accelerate wear even further, the wheels can be driven forward or slowed down, corresponding to the additional wear on wheels under a locomotive.