PostDoc position in condition monitoring

We are glad to announce the postdoc position "Model-based condition monitoring of high-speed railway turnouts". Apply if you are interested to solve challenging inverse problems in applied structural dynamics in close collaboration with industry.

About the research
Switches and crossings (S&C, turnouts) constitute key components in railway networks as they allow for trains to change track. This functionality comes at a cost however as the rail discontinuities in switches and crossings induce greater loading and faster deterioration compared to plain line track. S&C are therefore often characterized as “hungry assets”, and it is of great interest for infrastructure managers to improve maintenance decisions for S&C. With the increased availability and reduced costs of sensors that allow for continuous remote condition monitoring data of S&C, more accurate maintenance decisions can be made with the right software tools for data analysis compared to what is possible if only intermittent track inspections are made. Continuous monitoring can also improve safety as faulty components can be detected at an earlier stage.

The overall objective for this position is to support the development of improved condition monitoring systems for high-speed railway turnouts. The condition monitoring system should take data from embedded sensors in track (e.g. inertia and acoustic sensors) and map it into a condition assessment of the turnout. As most damage modes (e.g. rail surface irregularities or rail cracks) cannot be directly observed with sensors, model-based inverse problem-solving approaches need to be applied. Currently multibody and finite element models are used within the research group for this purpose. The task for the PostDoc that we are looking to recruit is to either expand on these methods or find a novel path to address the project objectives. As it is difficult to obtain large sets of data including both structural responses and damage information to apply purely data-driven approaches, physics-based modeling or a mix of physics-based modeling and machine learning would probably be the most applicable.

A particular challenge of high-speed turnouts is that the most loaded rail components, the switch rail and the swing nose crossing, are constrained via support surfaces and switch and locking devices such that they can be set for traffic in different routes. This introduces contact conditions that give rise to both non-linearities and high frequency dynamics that makes condition monitoring more difficult compared to regular track.

Information about the competence centre 
The project will be carried out at Chalmers within the competence centre CHARMEC (Chalmers Railway Mechanics) in close collaboration with industry partner voestalpine Railway Systems within the EU-funded project Iam4rail. The overall goals of CHARMEC are to achieve increased quality in railway transportation while reducing production, maintenance, operational and environmental costs via improved understanding of the mechanical behaviour of railway systems. CHARMEC is primarily active in national and EU-level research projects but has a global outreach and recognition in scientific publications and conferences.

Major responsibilities
Your major responsibilities as Postdoc is to pursue your own research. This includes developing scientific concepts and communicating research results verbally and in writing. The position is a full-time temporary employment limited to 2 years including teaching or other departmental duties corresponding to 20% of working hours. You will be employed by Chalmers and will receive a salary according to current salary agreements.

Qualifications
PhD in a field relevant for the project, e.g. Solid and structural mechanics, Condition monitoring, Railway mechanics.

To qualify for the position of postdoc, you must hold a doctoral degree awarded no more than three years prior to the application deadline (according to the current agreement with the Swedish Agency for Government Employers). Exceptions from the 3-year limit can be made for longer periods resulting from parental leave, sick leave or military service*.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. Swedish is not a requirement but Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

You are expected to be somewhat accustomed to teaching, and to demonstrate good potential within research and education.

* The date shown in your doctoral degree certificate is the date we use, as this is the date you have met all requirements for the doctoral degree.

Contract terms
This postdoc position is a full-time temporary employment for two years.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with 20240449 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV: (Please name the document as: CV, Surname, Ref. number) including:
• CV, include complete list of publications
• Previous teaching and pedagogical experiences
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous research fields and main research results
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Attested copies of completed education, grades and other certificates.

Use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form.

Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered.

Application deadline: 2024-09-20

 
For questions, please contact:
Docent Björn Pålsson, Dynamics,
bjorn.palsson@chalmers.se, +46 31 772 1491