IIT Kharagpur research to prevent cracks on tracks

This innovation will ensure better safety, reliability and enhanced load carrying capacity without altering the design parameters of the components

The Indian Railways is on evolutionary mode and requires high-end research and innovation. Which is why, it has, through the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), awarded 12 new research projects to IIT Kharagpur’s Centre for Railway Research.

Indian railways has awarded 12 new projects to IIT Kharagpur. (Praful Gangurde)

Of the several technologies being developed at the institute one has reached the delivery stage. It’s the newly developed (ultra high strength) bainitic steel for tracks which would ensure better safety, reliability and load carrying capacity.

Process parameters associated with the production of current rails have been studied at the Bhilai Steel Plant. Researchers from various departments of IIT Kharagpur have collaborated to deliver the projects to Indian Railways. It is hoped that a state of the art facility for research in rail wheel interaction will be developed in the Centre for Railway Research as part of this initiative.

A two-year MTech programme in railway engineering was launched in 2015, with 20 seats reserved for Indian railway personnel to equip Indian railways engineers with in-depth knowledge of the state-of the-art in railway engineering and to equip graduate engineers, with specialised knowledge in railway engineering.

The author teaches in IIT Kharagpur’s department of metallurgical and materials engineering and is the lead researcher in this project on bainitic steel