Experimental Study of Wheel-to-Rail Interaction Using Acceleration Sensors for Continuous Rail Transport Comfort...

Area of Science:

• Railway Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Ensuring rail transport comfort relies on predictive maintenance and continuous rail quality supervision.
• Existing methods often require specialized equipment, limiting in-service monitoring.
• Real-time detection of rail irregularities is crucial for operational safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a simple, in-service system for detecting rail irregularities using operational wagons.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of using acceleration sensors for real-time rail defect identification.
• To analyze vibration data for diagnosing rail conditions.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an acceleration sensor and electronic microcontroller system on a standard tank wagon.
• Filtering of inrush acceleration data by the microcontroller.
• Transmission of filtered data to the wagon's onboard diagnosis system.
• Recording and interpretation of transversal and vertical vibration data from axles and car body.

Main Results:

• The system successfully recorded real vibration data from a standard tank wagon.
• Analysis of recorded data provides insights into rail conditions based on vibration patterns.
• The proposed system demonstrates potential for in-service rail monitoring.

Conclusions:

• The developed system offers a practical solution for detecting rail irregularities during operation.
• Real-time monitoring of vibrations can contribute to predictive maintenance strategies in rail transport.
• This approach can enhance overall rail infrastructure safety and operational efficiency.