Monitoring bolt tightness of rail joints using axle box acceleration measurements

Journal article (2016)

Authors

M. Oregui Echeverria-Berreyarza Railway Engineering -

S. Li Railway Engineering -

Alfredo Nunez Railway Engineering -

Z. Li Railway Engineering -

R Carroll Stagecoach Supertram Maintenance Ltd, External organisation

R.P.B.J. Dollevoet Railway Engineering -

Research Group

Railway Engineering () (TU Delft)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.1848

Axle box acceleration measurements Bolt tightness Rail joint Health condition monitoring Characteristic frequency

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Published Date

2016

Language

English

Reuse Rights

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Faculty

Civil Engineering & Geosciences

Department

Engineering Structures

Research Group

Railway Engineering

Abstract

Rail joints are a weak component in railway tracks because of the large impact and wheel-rail contact forces. Every train passage contributes to the deterioration of rail joints, causing visible (e.g. battered rails) and invisible (e.g. loose bolts) damages. The invisible damage cannot be detected by the commonly performed visual inspection, which is labor intensive, unreliable, intrusive and unsafe. In this paper, a vehicle-borne monitoring system is used to automatically detect and assess the tightness condition of bolts at rail joints. The monitoring method is developed based on field Axle Box Acceleration (ABA) measurements using different bolt tightness conditions. The suitability of the method is assessed by bolt tightness prediction and verification of a set of rail joints in the tram network of Sheffield, United Kingdom. The results show that ABA system can be employed to monitor bolt tightness conditions at rail joints.With this information better planning for selective preventive maintenance actions can be taken over rail joints.

Files

Oregui_et_al_STC.pdf

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