Automatic detection of squats in railway infrastructure

Molodova, M.; Li, Z.; Nunez, Alfredo; Dollevoet, R.P.B.J.

doi:10.1109/TITS.2014.2307955

Automatic detection of squats in railway infrastructure

Title

Automatic detection of squats in railway infrastructure

Author

Molodova, M. (TU Delft Railway Engineering)
Li, Z. (TU Delft Railway Engineering)
Nunez, Alfredo (TU Delft Railway Engineering)
Dollevoet, R.P.B.J. (TU Delft Railway Engineering)

Date

2014

Abstract

This paper presents an automatic method for detecting railway surface defects called “squats” using axle box acceleration (ABA) measurements on trains. The method is based on a series of research results from our group in the field of railway engineering that includes numerical simulations, the design of the ABA prototype, real-life implementation, and extensive field tests.We enhance the ABA signal by identifying the characteristic squat frequencies, using improved instrumentation for making measurements, and using advanced signal processing. The automatic detection algorithm for squats is based on wavelet spectrum analysis and determines the squat locations. The method was validated on the Groningen–Assen track in The Netherlands and accurately detected moderate and severe squats with a hit rate of 100%, with no false alarms. The methodology is also sensitive to small rail surface defects and enables the detection of squats at their earliest stage. The hit rate for small rail surface defects was 78%.

Subject

Axle box acceleration (ABA)
Rail transportation
maintenance
railway monitoring
surface defects on railway rails

To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a60c3f4c-f5c9-499c-870d-76e8bc4ab299

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1109/TITS.2014.2307955

ISSN

1524-9050

Source

IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 15 (5), 1980-1990

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