The article outlines the functionality of an on-board monitoring and diagnostic system for railway vehicle suspension components in the area related to software. These functionalities are presented primarily in the form of algorithms and procedures implemented by control programs. The system is being developed as part of the MONIT project.
INTRODUCTION
Monitoring the condition of a railway vehicle is primarily aimed at improving its active safety. Monitoring is an organized, continuous method of observation.
On the other hand, the state of a system is understood as the smallest number of coordinates (parameters) sufficient to predict the behavior of that system[4]. Therefore, we focus on the vehicle’s running gear, i.e., wheelsets (monitoring the condition of axles, wheel tread surfaces), axle box bearings (detection of bearing damage, bearing temperature control), and primary and secondary suspension elements.
In our case, we use so-called online monitoring [1], where sensors, a unit executing diagnostic procedures, and a data recording module are mounted on the wagon, as well as a part where diagnostic procedures located outside the vehicle operate.
An important issue is the selection of the number and location of measurement points. As a rule, this choice is a compromise between expanding the system with additional sensors enabling more detailed diagnostics and the economic sphere, i.e., the costs of the system per railway vehicle. At the initial stage, when selecting the number and location of measurement points, simulation studies can be used [2].
One of the most important components of the system are sensors responsible for collecting information on the vibrations of the monitored vehicle’s suspension elements, which is key from the point of view of vibrodiagnostics.
Another important element is the Data Acquisition Unit (DAU), which is tasked with collecting data obtained from sensors, changing the nature of information from analog to digital, and performing an initial analysis of measurement data based on established alarm thresholds. Its next task is to create an information package and prepare it for transmission to the system server. The remaining components of the system are (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine 4/2011
Algorithms for railway vehicle monitoring system software – PDF file for download