Author(s)

J. Madejski & A. Gola

Abstract

Tram wheels need to be checked regularly, so when the wear reaches certain limits, the treads either have to be reprofiled to the correct shape or the wheels have to be replaced. This paper presents the autonomous wheel condition monitoring system for trams, whose employment has been the source of significant savings on wheel reprofiling and has reduced the noise level generated by trams. The measurement data is processed by a computer at the track side and transferred by wireless link to a database in a control room. Diagnostic and reporting software on the control room computer provides an interface for the display of the measured data analysis. If a wheel flat is detected, an alarm message is displayed advising the severity of the wheel defect and the recommended course of action. Exceedence reports are generated when the wheel flat exceeding the threshold value is detected. These reports give records of all wheel impacts and their position within the train. They include a graphical output showing the train, highlighting wheel defects. The experience collected using the system proves that keeping the limiting wheel dimensions without tolerance limits has eliminated tram derailments due to the wrong wheel geometry. Using the system makes it possible to forecast precisely the wheel tread as a function of its mileage between repairs, with the possibility of updating the information. The regular measurements allow forecasting of wheel tread needs, which is very important with the long lead times for them. The detailed information about the wheel profiles makes the material saving reprofiling on the wheel lathe possible. All wheel monitoring data is stored in the database which gives the possibility of extensive diagnostic analyses and reporting. Keywords: wheel flats, build-up, monitoring, reprofiling, wheel geometry.

Keywords

wheel flats, build-up, monitoring, reprofiling, wheel geometry.