Objective:
In a railway network of any size switches and crossings (S&Cs) are both a very necessary object as well as a major cost driver for maintenance and renewal. The overall objective of this project is to provide tools for reliable condition assessment of both visible and hidden parts of S&Cs. The specific objectives, within the duration of the project, are:
- To develop a holistic model capable of assessing the condition of individual S&C by combining fault diagnostics input from conventional measurement vehicles and new strategically placed sensors with metallurgical characterisation of key components and dynamic modelling of wheel-rail interaction
- To use this model to produce one or more maintenance performance indicators (MPIs) for the condition of S&Cs using existing data – such as measuring vehicle data – as inputs, thereby making it possible to replace corrective maintenance with condition based maintenance and renewal.
Outcome:
A successful outcome of the project will have a significant positive influence on maintenance procedures and renewal of railway infrastructure, and the scientific results will be of broad interest in the railway research community and beyond.
The project started on March 1, 2015 and will run over a period of 4 years