DIGITISATION OF DIAGNOSTICS FOR CRITICAL PARTS OF THE TRACK SUPERSTRUCTURE

by Assoc. Prof. Otto Plášek, PhD

Head of the Institute of Railway Structures and Constructions, University of Brno

Otto Plášek has more than three decades of experience in the field of railway infrastructure and specializes in the structural behavior, diagnosis and innovation of railway superstructures and components. After obtaining his M.Sc. in Structures and Transport Structures (1986) from Brno University of Technology, he began his professional career as a railway engineer at Czechoslovak Railways (1986–1991), where he worked on construction projects, station design and track assessment. In 1991, he joined Brno University of Technology, where he received his PhD in Theory of Structures (1999), and he is currently an associate professor. He is the head of the Institute of Railway Structures and Constructions and a senior researcher at the Centre for Advanced Materials and Structures (AdMaS). His research includes static and dynamic analyses of railway superstructures, fatigue of rails and sleepers, bridge-track interactions and diagnosis of switches, crossings and welded tracks. Dr Plášek has led and contributed to numerous national and international research and development projects, including EU-funded initiatives such as S-CODE - Switch and Crossing Optimal Design and Evaluation (Shift2Rail Horizon 2020) as well as projects of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic on smart diagnostics (e.g. Turnout 4.0, Advanced Diagnostics of Railway Turnout Movable Parts), railway bridges and innovations in sleeper pads. His applied research has resulted in patents, utility models, industrial designs, and certified methodologies that have been implemented in railway practice. He has published widely on switch and crossing design, diagnostics, AI-based monitoring techniques, smart autonomous diagnostics and train type identification. Since 1994, he has collaborated with industry partners on more than 130 projects, helping to shape innovations in rail safety, performance and sustainability. At the international level, he is a member of technical committees such as CEN TC 256/SC1 (Bridge Track Interaction) and the National Technology Platform for Railway Infrastructure, where he holds leadership roles.