Name: Raphael Pfaff
Presentation Title: Braking Curves in Railway Shunting and Implications for the Development of Sensor Systems for Autonomous Shunting (EB2021-FBR-005)
Session: Simulation, Testing, Innovative Development Processes (rail), Thursday 20th May 2021, 09:00 - 10:40 (Central European Summer Time - CEST)
What do you find most interesting about the topic of your presentation?
There are vast opportunities for improving the quality of our braking curve predictions by using the available data, e.g. recorded by on-board telemetry devices, by simply integrating them in a manner prevalent in other sectors.
When discussing this topic with industry peers, what question are you most frequently asked? How do you answer it?
Q: Who is going to pay for the increased investment cost of freight trains?
A: Today’s freight rail system is underperforming in comparison to road logistics. We need to be able to provide reliable services for small batches, i.e. single wagon load. So if we don’t invest, we will be drive out of the market.
Who do you think will be most interested in your presentation, and who would you most like to ask questions about it?
Brakes experts from railway undertakings as well as OEMs may be interested to see the possibilities of big data in braking curve prediction. I would like to open a discussion with infrastructure managers and ATP experts on the opportunities and the means of integration.
What specific topics or technology are you hoping to see in other presentations or in the exhibition?
Being rooted in the railway sector, I look forward the most to seeing automatic inspection technologies, since automation is the key to profitable future railway operation.
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About Raphael Pfaff
After an apprenticeship as cabinet maker, Raphael went on to study Mechatronics, Mathematics and Control Engineering in Bochum, Hagen and Coventry. After graduating with a masters degree in control engineering, he joined Siemens in a system engineering role and pursued his PhD studies in part-time. Raphael joined the brakes community by moving to Faiveley Transport, working as a brake system engineer e.g. for Vectron locomotive and ICE4.
In 2014 he followed the call for a professorship in rail vehicle engineering to FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, where he is also responsible for the undergraduate course in rail vehicle engineering.
Raphael's research interest lies mainly in digitalisation of rail vehicle technologies and processes, particularly modelling and simulation, prognostics and health management as well as the development of self-driving capabilities in the shunting space.
