Can Railways Cheat Adhesion and Triumph Over Gravity?

Please note this is a ticketed event and only people with tickets will be admitted.

Professor Felix Schmid from the School of Civil Engineering gives his Inaugural Lecture

From the earliest days of railways, operators worried about the effectiveness of the interface between the wheel and the rail, given that propulsion and braking rely on the friction between two polished steel components that are exposed to many environmental influences. Over the years, engineers and scientists developed a range of weird, wonderful, and pragmatic approaches to solve the problem of overcoming gravity when climbing inclines. In his inaugural lecture, Professor Schmid will address the limitations of adhesion based operation of railways and will describe some of the alternatives.

This lecture will be followed by a reception in the foyer of the Gisbert Kapp Building.

Cost: Free of charge