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...

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...

Intelligent rail maintenance decision support system using KPIs

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) enable the infrastructure manager to keep the performance quality of the infrastructure at an acceptable level. A KPI must include specific features of the infrastructure such as functionality and criticality. The KPIs can be classified into three performance levels: (1) technical level KPIs; (2) tactical level...

A decision support approach for condition-based maintenance of rails based on big data analysis

In this paper, a decision support approach is proposed for condition-based maintenance of rails relying on expert-based systems. The methodology takes into account both the actual conditions of the rails (using axle box acceleration measurements and rail video images) and the prior knowledge of the railway track. The approach provides an...

A big data analysis approach for rail failure risk assessment

Railway infrastructure monitoring is a vital task to ensure rail transportation safety. A rail failure could result in not only a considerable impact on train delays and maintenance costs, but also on safety of passengers. In this article, the aim is to assess the risk of a rail failure by analyzing a type of rail surface defect called squats...

Influencing factors for condition-based maintenance in railway tracks using knowledge-based approach

In this paper, we present a condition-based maintenance decision method using<br/>knowledge-based approach for rail surface defects. A railway track may contain a considerable number of surface defects which influence track maintenance decisions. The proposed method is based on two sets of maintenance decision factors i.e. (1) defect detection...

An approach to determine a critical size for rolling contact fatigue initiating from rail surface defects

A methodology for the determination of a critical size of surface defects, above which RCF can initiate, has been developed and demonstrated with its application to the passive type of squats under typical Dutch railway loading conditions. Such a methodology is based on stress evaluation of transient rolling contact at the defects, for which...