Nirmal Mandal
Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) Master of Engineering (Dynamics) PhD in Rail Structure EngineeringSenior Lecturer - Mechanical Engineering
School of Engineering and Technology
Centre for Railway Engineering
Building 30/1.04 - School of Engineering and Technology
I am a mechanical engineer. I obtained my BEng and Masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering. I achieved my Ph.D. degree in solid mechanics in Railway Engineering.
I am interested in carrying out applied research in Mechanical Engineering. Currently, I am focussing on engaged research with industries and producing research output that has business value. Important areas of research are solid mechanics, railway engineering, fluid power, finite element analysis (FEA), modal testing, fatigue, and damage analysis of applied structures. I am continuously publishing important research findings to prestigious journals such as the International Journal of Fatigue, Wear, Engineering Failure Analysis, Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, etc. If you are interested in Master and Ph. D. research, pl. contact me by e-mail: n.mandal@cqu.edu.au
I have been involved in three projects with the CRC for Rail Innovation, the Australasian Centre for Rail Innovation (ACRI) through the CRE (Cat 4 & 2), and CQ Fibreglass Direct. Total funding, I achieved as a chief investigator and team member was AUS $1,668,483 in recent years. The most recent funding in 2020 is: Flow characteristics of venturi devices – dust suppression – mining, Nirmal Mandal and Masud Khan, $ 30,280 (50% fund from ‘CQ Fiberglass Direct Pty Ltd’ and 50% from ‘Commonwealth Business Fund’)
My teaching interest, on the other hand, is also in mechanical engineering. I am promoting innovative teaching practices to student learning; active student engagement is the key to the teaching practices. I developed a few key teaching practices. Of them, my four-point teaching strategy and 3D printed models are very important. My teaching areas are Solid Mechanics, Material Design, Dynamics, Fluid Power, etc. I am interested in the scholarship of learning and teaching (SoLT). I am publishing its output to educational conferences and journals.
Universities Studied At
Central Queensland University
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
Universities Worked At
Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh
University of Wollongong, Australia
University of Technology Sydney, Australia
University of New South Wells, Australia
Central Queensland University, Australia
Awards
Excellence in Research Award, Central Queensland University, Australia in 2005
Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA) wheel/rail contact award in 2013
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Good Practice in Learning and Teaching (Tier 1) - a team award in 2013
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Good Practice in Learning and Teaching (Tier 1) in 2015
Vice-Chancellor's outstanding Early Career Researcher awards in 2016
Vice-Chancellor's outstanding Learning and Teaching awards (Tier 2) in 2019
Previous teaching
At Chittagong University of Technology, Bangladesh
University of Wollongong, Australia
Professional Experience
- Teacher in Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) for sixteen years till 2001
- Part-time teacher, University of Wollongong, 2001
- Research Associate, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), 2002-2003
- Research Associate, University of New South Wales (UNSW), 2002
- Part-time teacher, CQUniversity, 2005-2006
- Full-time teacher, CQUniversity, 2007-cont.
Professional Memberships
- Member, Engineers Australia
- Member, Engineers Australia Local Group - Rockhampton
- Member, International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration
- Fellow, Institution Engineers Bangladesh
- Member, Australasian Association for Engineering Education
Responsibilities
Course Development
ENEM 12007 - Statics and Dynamics ENEG 12002 - Engineering Design ENEM 14012 - Solid Mechanics and Computational Analysis ENEM 13011 - Fluid and Electrical Drive SystemsProfessional Interests
FEM, Structural Fatigue, Damage Estimation, Stress and Failure Analysis Structural Dynamics, Structure-borne Sound, Vibration Propagation in Structures For Master and PhD research in those areas or in any area of Mechanical Engineering, please send me an e-mail (n.mandal@cqu.edu.au) for preparation of research proposals.
Industry Reports
Compressed air flow characteristics through venturis Project code: ICG001302_CQU_CQFrireglass project - RSH/5420, HE3734, 2020
Track Stability Management: Development of Rail Temperature Prediction Model and Software, CRC for Rail Innovation, 2013
Track Stability Management Part 1 - Literature Review: Theories and Practices, CRC for Rail Innovation, 2013
Editor
Associate Editor of Australian Journal of Mechanical Engineering
Consultancy Work
Identification of Flow characteristics in venturis
Accreditation
I am currently accredited for supervision in the following:
- 4017 Mechanical Engineering
- 4017 Mechanical Engineering
- 4017 Mechanical Engineering
- 3999 Other Education
At the level of Principal Supervisor
Current Capacity
Curriculum and Pedagogy - Physical Education and Development Curriculum and Pedagogy
Teaching practices, 3D printed models,
Student engagement, satisfaction and learning
Mechanical Engineering - Numerical Modelling and Mechanical Characterisation
Flow characteristics
Mechanical Engineering - Solid Mechanics
Fatigue and damage assessment of Rail joints,
Rail stress analysis and track stability
