PhD students

Tommy Huynh

RMIT University (Supervisor: Raj Das)

PhD topic – Fire-retardant and lightweight composite materials for rolling stock carriages

Research summary

This project aims to develop lightweight structural fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites exhibiting multifunctional properties including acoustic and thermal insulation, vibration damping and improved fire performance and fire structural resistance. Specifically, the proposed project will lead to the development of fire-safe and structurally-efficient composite materials for rolling stock carriages and a multi-physics numerical model with the ability to simulate the fire response of these structures under service conditions.

Expected completion date

December 2022

Key achievements

• Overview on the history of materials in rail transportation and the safety of rail structures in relation to fire incidences that have occurred in recent years in Australia and abroad and how this affects the adoption of engineered materials such as polymeric composites in rail.
• The generation of realistic railway carriage model and configuration, emulating the environment in service conditions and in the event of a fire incident to measure the growth, propagation and heat transfer within the compartment.
• An analytical technique combining the numerical methods of fluid dynamics (fire) and finite element methods (structural) to enable better tools in predicting and analysing the effects of fire on the structures and materials used in rail.

No publications to-date