Emerging Technologies for Transportation Infrastructure

In this elective, students will get acquainted with the latest technological solutions in the transportation industry facing increasing demands for passengers and freight transport, as well as challenges related to energy and climate change. The elective covers the state-of-the-art and potential technical breakthroughs that can revolutionize existing transportation infrastructure, with a focus on future resilient and green railway and road infrastructure. Backgrounds, principles, and implementations of the latest techniques and their limitations compared with the current transportation industry in terms of practicability, reliability, efficiency, and sustainability will be addressed. Leading specialists from the industry will be invited to give guest lectures to ensure the actuality of the problems discussed in this elective. Activities including laboratory and field tests, and excursions to transportation companies are planned. The following topics (not limited to) will be discussed:

1. Advanced topics on novel/sustainable designs and optimization, e.g., modular tracks, interface conditioning from the perspective of tribology, bio-mimics, smart materials, A-Train, Hyperloop, Maglev, Parcels/Pods.

2. Advanced experimental and numerical methods, e.g., nanomaterials, new ballast, discrete element method, molecular dynamics modelling.

3. Smart infrastructure, e.g., sensing, instrumentation, self-healing, platooning, MaaS equipment, digital twins, artificial passengers, cyber-security, solar roads, low-noise roads, robots for maintenance, cyber-security, railway markets, block-chain in transportation, privacy for passengers information to people in the platforms, IoT passengers as a sensor (mobile technologies, analysis of social networks, etc.), autonomous door to door transportation for passengers and freight/parcels - last mile problems.

4. Enhancing the reliability and resilience of transportation infrastructures and coping with the impact of climate change with emerging/advanced technologies for condition monitoring and decision making.

5. Energy efficiency and management, including hydrogen, fuel cells, batteries, maglev, friction modifier, friction energy reuse, automatic coupling, rolling pantograph, ATO, automated driving, ERTMS, charging station design, optimization of locations for catenary systems, and energy harvesting roads.

6. Circularity, including wheel-to wheel/LCA full loop of life cycle, construction, sustainability, CO2 and emission reduction, diesel line conversion (hybrid and hydrogen), modular design with circular materials.

7. Ethical implications of implementing the emerging technologies.