Condition monitoring of railway transition zones using acceleration measurements on multiple axle boxes: Case studies in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway

Railway transition zones connecting conventional embankments and rigid struc-tures, such as bridges and tunnels, usually degrade much faster than other railway sections. Efficient health condition monitoring of transition zones is important for preventative track maintenance. In this paper, a methodology for monitoring rail-way transition zones...

Detection of Rail Surface Defects based on Axle Box Acceleration Measurements: A Measurement Campaign in Sweden

This work presents the results of a measurement campaign to demonstrate the effectiveness of the axle box acceleration (ABA) technology for detecting rail defects. The measurements were conducted along the Iron Ore line between Sweden and Norway for the IN2TRACK3 project. This line is mostly single-track with passenger-freight mixed traffic and...

Evaluating railway track stiffness using axle box accelerations: A digital twin approach

While various train-borne techniques have been developed for measuring railway track stiffness, differentiating stiffness at different track layers remains a challenge. This study proposes a digital twin framework for the vehicle–track interaction system, which enables track stiffness evaluations based on axle box accelerations (ABA). The...

Comparisons between beam and continuum models for modelling wheel-rail impact at a singular rail surface defect

A singular rail or wheel surface irregularity, such as a squat, insulation joint or wheel flat, can cause large wheelrail impact force. Both the magnitude and frequency content of the impact force need to be correctly modelledbecause they are closely related to the formation, deterioration and detection of such irregularities. In this paper,we...

Lessons learned from data analytics, applied to the track maintenance of the dutch high speed line

Life cycle performance and risk management are often mentioned as critical tasks for infrastructure managers. However, without proper data collection and analytics these tasks cannot be executed. This paper discusses lessons learned from a case where a data analytics approach was deployed when an unexpected phenomenon occurred on the Dutch...

Railway track design & degradation

The long-term behaviour of railway track has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Improvements in long-term structural performance reduce demands for maintenance and increase the continuous availability of railway lines. The focus of this paper is on the prediction of the sensitivity of a track design to long-term deterioration in...

Enhancing rail infra durability through freight bogie design

The extensive usage of railway infrastructure demands a high level of robustness, which can be achieved partly by considering (and managing) the track and rolling stock as one integral system with due attention to their interface. A growing number of infra managers consider, in this framework, the track-friendliness of vehicles that have...

Using data analytics to understand why certain rail sections at the Dutch high-speed line are affected by RCF

This paper describes the use of big data for analysing Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) phenomena at the High Speed Line (HSL Zuid) in The Netherlands. The authors developed a data model to investigate the impacting parameters in train-track interaction. This has been done to gain more insight in the circumstances where RCF occurs and to conclude...

Data Analytics for the of RCF Damages on the Dutch High Speed Line

During a typical measurement campaign, lots of temporal and spatial data can be gathered regarding the condition of the rail. This paper proposes two approaches that make use of data analytics techniques to find causes of rolling contact fatigue (RCF) damages. The first approach, named ‘bottom-up approach’, determines the influencing factors...

Application of a bottom-up approach for the analysis of rolling contact fatigue in the Dutch high speed line

This paper describes the use of big data analytics for understanding the Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) phenomena at the High Speed Line (HSL Zuid) in The Netherlands. The authors developed a data model to investigate the impacting parameters in train-track interaction. This has been done to gain more insight<br/>about the circumstances under...

Dynamic Axle Loads as a Main Source of Railway Track Degradation

During train operation, geometrical irregularities develop in soil-supported ballasted railway tracks as a function of born tonnage. This form of degradation is combatted by periodic maintenance in the form of tamping by specially equipped trains in order to guarantee predefined levels of structural performance. The growth of irregular...

Dynamic Axle Loads as a Main Source of Railway Track Degradation

During train operation, geometrical irregularities develop in soil-supported ballasted railway tracks as a function of born tonnage. This form of degradation is combatted by periodic maintenance in the form of tamping by specially equipped trains in order to guarantee predefined levels of structural performance. The growth of irregular...

Railway design and maintenance from a life-cycle cost perspective: A decision-support approach

Developing life cycle based startegies for track maintenance and renewal tools and rules from life cycle management plus project

Life cycle cost analysis for managing rail infrastructure