Evaluation of train driver work culture and environment for improving railway safety. This innovative research intersects the fields of neurosciences, computer science and engineering, leading to application of new knowledge for developing intelligent train driver systems for improving transport safety. Such research will place Australia at the forefront of this area. Reducing train related accidents will positively impact on the socio economic fabric of society by reducing the emotional and fin ....Evaluation of train driver work culture and environment for improving railway safety. This innovative research intersects the fields of neurosciences, computer science and engineering, leading to application of new knowledge for developing intelligent train driver systems for improving transport safety. Such research will place Australia at the forefront of this area. Reducing train related accidents will positively impact on the socio economic fabric of society by reducing the emotional and financial burden to the community. The research has the potential to lead to substantial revenue generation in Australia in the future. The data obtained will provide new knowledge and information to transport and Government authorities.Read moreRead less
Optimal Topological Design of 3D Continuum Structures for Crashworthiness. There is a widespread need throughout the Australian transport, defence and construction industries for high performance energy absorption devices. Data from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau show that in 2002 there were 1,715 people killed in 1,525 crashes in Australia. The proposed research will develop advanced techniques for improving crashworthiness of vehicles, roadside barriers and other energy absorption devi ....Optimal Topological Design of 3D Continuum Structures for Crashworthiness. There is a widespread need throughout the Australian transport, defence and construction industries for high performance energy absorption devices. Data from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau show that in 2002 there were 1,715 people killed in 1,525 crashes in Australia. The proposed research will develop advanced techniques for improving crashworthiness of vehicles, roadside barriers and other energy absorption devices. This will lead to significant reductions in injury to people and damage to structures caused by impact; and thus substantial savings for the nation from the enormous costs associated with the fatalities, injuries and structural damages. Read moreRead less
Highly Multiplexed Fibre Sensor Systems for Structural Health Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Critical Transport Infrastructures. Safeguarding critical transport infrastructures is very much in the interest of Australian government and people. This project is to develop advanced photonic and telecommunication technologies for timely and reliably acquiring and processing key structural performance information. This will reduce structural failures and maintenance costs with reliable data of stru ....Highly Multiplexed Fibre Sensor Systems for Structural Health Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Critical Transport Infrastructures. Safeguarding critical transport infrastructures is very much in the interest of Australian government and people. This project is to develop advanced photonic and telecommunication technologies for timely and reliably acquiring and processing key structural performance information. This will reduce structural failures and maintenance costs with reliable data of structure health monitoring and risk assessment.Read moreRead less
Training for critical thinking and decision making under stress associated with workplace accidents and disasters. Workplace accidents are a major concern for employees and employers alike. In the past two years, StateRail lost 7437 workdays to accidents, resulting in physical and mental distress for the employees, and considerable financial loss to the company. This project will test the effectiveness of employee training in critical thinking and decision making. In particular, the use of virtu ....Training for critical thinking and decision making under stress associated with workplace accidents and disasters. Workplace accidents are a major concern for employees and employers alike. In the past two years, StateRail lost 7437 workdays to accidents, resulting in physical and mental distress for the employees, and considerable financial loss to the company. This project will test the effectiveness of employee training in critical thinking and decision making. In particular, the use of virtual environments will be investigated as a means of simulating physically and mentally stressful situations. Ultimately, the projects seek to devise a training programme which will reduce the likelihood of accidents and improve employee response in the event that they occur.
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Hybrid Job Shop Techniques for Dynamic Train Scheduling. The job shop approach to dynamic train scheduling promises considerable benefits over existing approaches, and allows problems of large size and complexity to be solved with great accuracy. The application of research results in Australia has the potential to:
- reduce train delays and costs by better planning of train schedules of railway systems;
- reduce transport costs to rail customers and increase rail's market share of freight ....Hybrid Job Shop Techniques for Dynamic Train Scheduling. The job shop approach to dynamic train scheduling promises considerable benefits over existing approaches, and allows problems of large size and complexity to be solved with great accuracy. The application of research results in Australia has the potential to:
- reduce train delays and costs by better planning of train schedules of railway systems;
- reduce transport costs to rail customers and increase rail's market share of freight movements;
- enhance the ability of operators to control operations in an efficient manner and minimise conflicts;
- to increase efficiency of Australian Railway System, leading to lower operating and capital costs;
- optimise the energy consumed.
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Optimising train driver vigilance system: reactivation of a fatigued driver. Fatigue poses frequent problems in train drivers. The repetitive nature of the train-driving task is a precursor of fatigue. This application proposes a novel design concept for the current train driver vigilance system manufactured by our industry partner. The proposed new vigilance system will not only assure that the driver is awake by warning of fatigue states, but will also act as an important cue in the control of ....Optimising train driver vigilance system: reactivation of a fatigued driver. Fatigue poses frequent problems in train drivers. The repetitive nature of the train-driving task is a precursor of fatigue. This application proposes a novel design concept for the current train driver vigilance system manufactured by our industry partner. The proposed new vigilance system will not only assure that the driver is awake by warning of fatigue states, but will also act as an important cue in the control of the train. Incorporating fatigue detection in the vigilance monitor is of commercial value to our industry partner. Furthermore, this study will help improve the safety culture of the railway environment.Read moreRead less
Rail Safety And Reliability: A Human Factors/Ergonomics Approach. Recent rail crashes have focussed rail operators and the public on issues of rail safety and reliabilty. The project is a major initiative that will assist the development of safer and more reliable rail operations through the application of human factors and ergonomics methods to the design of train control and management devices and systems.
An Integrated Environment for Verification of Large-Scale Railway Interlockings. Railway administrations produce tabular specifications called Control Tables that define the safety and operational requirements for Railway Interlockings. This project will address the critical problem of early detection and elimination of errors in Control Tables. The project will produce a prototype environment for verifying railway interlocking Control Tables, suitable for application to most of the interlockin ....An Integrated Environment for Verification of Large-Scale Railway Interlockings. Railway administrations produce tabular specifications called Control Tables that define the safety and operational requirements for Railway Interlockings. This project will address the critical problem of early detection and elimination of errors in Control Tables. The project will produce a prototype environment for verifying railway interlocking Control Tables, suitable for application to most of the interlockings on the Queensland Rail network. It will also deliver results that will improve the current state-of-the-art in the practical application of model-checking technology.Read moreRead less
Model-driven development and verification of railway interlocking control logic. Railway interlockings are an essential and safety-critical part of all rail infrastructure. The results of the proposed project are intended to reduce the cost of the development and improve the quality of railway interlockings control logic. This will contribute to safer and more cost-effective rail transport in Queensland, Australia and internationally. This project has the potential to improve both development an ....Model-driven development and verification of railway interlocking control logic. Railway interlockings are an essential and safety-critical part of all rail infrastructure. The results of the proposed project are intended to reduce the cost of the development and improve the quality of railway interlockings control logic. This will contribute to safer and more cost-effective rail transport in Queensland, Australia and internationally. This project has the potential to improve both development and V&V capabilities for organisations that plan to use model-driven architecture (MDA) for safety-critical systems. While the industrial usage of MDA is currently in its infancy, forecasts predict that MDA will fundamentally change software development practice, especially in developed countries like Australia.Read moreRead less
Optimisation of Rail Network Infrastructure Capacity under Dynamic Train Planning. Recent changes in railway operating environments have caused significant operational and management problems in Australia. This research will lead to improvements of railway's key managerial functions, namely: network capacity planning; rollingstock planning; train scheduling; and maintenance planning. The major outcome of the research will be to develop an optimisation model to significantly improve the operati ....Optimisation of Rail Network Infrastructure Capacity under Dynamic Train Planning. Recent changes in railway operating environments have caused significant operational and management problems in Australia. This research will lead to improvements of railway's key managerial functions, namely: network capacity planning; rollingstock planning; train scheduling; and maintenance planning. The major outcome of the research will be to develop an optimisation model to significantly improve the operating efficiency and assets productivity of Australia's rail system. The novelty of the research is that it will be undertaken using innovations based on modern job shop scheduling and sequencing optimisation techniques as the complexity of the problem makes it impossible to solve by classic optimisation techniques.Read moreRead less