Study on the predictability of the vertical impact of rail vehicles running gear on rails considering weather conditions and wagon suspension load

Abstract

The faulty running gear of rail vehicles can be identified by the results of measurements of vertical forces caused by wheel running surface damages or other wrongness of bogie suspension. Several different automatic diagnostic systems are used in European railways (operating while the trains are in service) to detect damage to rail-wheel running surfaces. The principles of this trackside equipment operation and the reliability of their measurements may differ noticeably. This is especially true in different seasons of the year (winter/summer). Data collection and aggregation results should be checked in equivalency (comparability). The authors compared the efficiency of different automatic systems in detecting wheel failures according to wheel-rail loads in different seasons of the year and presented their results. The authors also compared the similarity of results of the different measurement systems.