Paul Pircher

Background

About Paul Pircher

Master graduate in Mechanical Engineering of Mining, who started out with conducting Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations of bulk materials (iron ore and coal) in conveying operations (chute transfers and bunker filling/discharging) during my Bachelor's degree. This modelling experience led to a Master's thesis investigating the mechanical properties of railway ballast under cyclic loading using an elastic sleeper model in a DEM framework. This was followed by starting a PhD to further research the load transfer mechanisms in ballasted railway tracks. Current research focus lies on studying the sleeper-ballast interaction on a mesoscale level with laboratory experiments and DEM simulations as well as using a vehicle-track-interaction (VTI) model to gain insights into the macroscale behaviour of longer track sections enabling studies of the influence of track components (rails, rail pads, sleepers and under-sleeper pads). In addition, a strong focus is set on transition zones (e.g. bridges) and turnout/switches, where complex load transfer mechanisms can lead to hanging sleeper situations.