Digital station for rail vehicle maintenance
Rail vehicle maintenance moving to a digital station
In rail tran-
sport, time is the de-
cisive economic factor.
Many industries have long used conditi-
on-based maintenance (CBM), where pa-
rameters such as vibration and temperatu-
re are measured to detect anomalies at an
early stage. The monitoring aspect is
commonly referred to as condition moni-
toring.
Historically, the principle of maintenan-
ce in the rail sector has been to service
trains on a time or mileage basis. While
this approach has been used successfully
for many years, it does not take into
account whether the components actual-
ly require replacement. Inspections can
only be carried out when trains are not in
motion and servicing operations require
the prolonged shutdown of rolling stock
or interruption of operations on the line.
With an ageing fleet and increasing de-
mands on train availability, maintenance
costs remain one of the sector's biggest
challenges.
Thanks to significant innovations and the
availability of technology, CBM mainte-
nance is increasingly being used. Digitali-
zation significantly helps in maintenance
and can enable customers to extend ma-
intenance intervals. This can produce be-
nefits for train availability, for example.
The less time rolling stock spends in servi-
ce, the more it can be used to transport
passengers or freight, which is important
at a time when the sector is facing increa-
sing pressure on demand. It can also help
to reduce overall life cycle costs and spa-
re parts management by providing early
warning through assembly-free diagnos-
tics of potential risks and accidents.
SKF has combined CBM maintenance
with its expertise in bearings and other
components to create a version of its ex-
traordinarily successful Multilog IMx plat-
form for the rail sector. This latest innova-
tion combines rolling stock and track
condition monitoring in a single, easily cu-
stomisable solution.
The next step in the digitalisation
of trains d
Multilog IMx-Rail is a multi-channel, onli-
ne, disassembly-free diagnostics system
that uses new rail-certified components.
This next step in the digitalisation of trains
allows operators to implement condition-
based maintenance that helps reduce to-
tal cost of ownership, increase availability,
reduce unplanned downtime and extend
service intervals.
The Multilog IMx-Rail can be implemen-
ted during the production stage as well as
the retrofit stage. It provides early war-
nings of potential problems with rolling
stock rotating parts such as wheel bea-
rings, gearboxes and motors, and enables
data collection from a range of other com-
ponents. The system can also produce
a track condition map, with faults located,
identified and recorded with unrivalled
accuracy.
The Multilog IMx-Rail system can also be
integrated with SKF's cloud-based data
storage and sharing services and SKF's re-
mote diagnostics services. Its versatility,
combined with SKF's expertise in monito-
ring rotating components in a wide range
of industries, enables rapid analysis and
prioritisation in rolling stock maintenance
planning.
Tested on the track d
The Multilog IMx-Rail system is already
proving its capabilities in operation. A ty-
pical example of an application on a stan-
dard commercial train is the mounting of
an autonomous system of sensors and
electronics on one of the vehicle chassis.
During daily operation, the system measu-
res and records acceleration and vibration
signals, then processes the data and sends
all data wirelessly to a remote collection
point where the incoming information can
trigger the desired action.
A specialised software system, also pro-
vided by SKF, then uses sophisticated al-
gorithms to analyse the sensor data, as
well as information on the position and
operating status of the train. A software
system called "@ptitude Observer" identi-
fies, locates and accurately records abnor-
malities on the railway line that may cause
wear or damage to train wheels, passen-
ger discomfort or noise in particular secti-
ons of the line. The maintenance staff can
then use the information to start a more
detailed inspection of the designated sec-
tion of track.
The Multilog IMx-Rail system not only
helps operators assess the condition of
wheels and rails, but also allows them to
identify vibrations caused by other train
problems, such as bearing failures. This
approach is already being used by opera-
tors around the world to help them pre-
vent breakdowns and optimise rolling
stock maintenance schedules.
As rail traffic grows, so does the impor-
tance of digitalisation and maintenance-
free diagnostics solutions such as Multilog
IMx-Rail. Their implementation helps to
increase the efficiency and operability of
rolling stock. p
www.skf.com
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Rail vehicle maintenance
going to a digital station
rail transport
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