David Soper, PhD student
David Soper
University of Birmingham
S34, Civil and Mechanical Engineering Building
dxs020@adf.bham.ac.uk
PhD Student in Freight Train Aerodynamics
Welcome to my personal page, where you can find out about the research I am currently undertaking for the University of Birmingham, School of Civil Engineering and Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education.
Research interests
My research explores the flow field around a container freight train. With ever increasing passenger train speeds in an already overcrowded network and environmental and economic reasons there is a real push to increase freight train speeds. However the shape and loading of freight trains causes large deformations in the air which can lead to slipstreams severe enough to displace people or cause movement in platform objects.
I work alongside supervisors Professor Chris Baker and Dr Mark Sterling who are at the forefront of international research on the aerodynamic effects of trains.
I conduct experiments at the TRAIN Rig in Derby, a unique moving-model facility owned by the University of Birmingham.