High impact loads could lead to breaks in the rail system, delayed customer payloads, unproductive track time, and secondary damage of equipment. All of which increase track costs drastically, and in some cases could lead to derailment.
The solution is Weigh in Motion Wheel Impact Monitor (WIMWIM), a retrofit real time monitoring and defect detection system able to detect and alert on overload, side-to-side imbalance, and end-to-end imbalance vehicles at track speeds. The automatic identification of damaging loads to rail infrastructure not only ensures the safe operation of trains by reducing the potential for derailment but comes with a significant cost saving from reduced maintenance and ad-hoc repairs.
The Weigh in Motion system is comprised of multiple cells configured to measure vertical and lateral forces acting on in motion vertical loads for wheel, axle and wagon loads with load distribution. Strategically placed along the rail network for maximum system coverage with minimum disruption to traffic, data from multiple the monitoring points are communicated to a central point in order to detect shelling, spalling, skid wheels, skew and flanging bogies, as well as unsymmetrical or overloading wagons.
Site selection and dynamic calibration routines deliver a 2% mass accuracy and typical installation on heavy haul railway lines can measure impacts up to 70 tons at speeds up to 100km/h.
The system is complimented by RFID detectors which easily identify the culprit wagon or locomotive.
Benefits of Weigh in Motion Wheel Impact Monitor
Measure track stress in real-time
- Prevent derailments
- Optimize maintenance cycles
Identify wheel flats & skew-bogies
- Improve track condition
- Improve rolling stock life
- Increase revenue
Quick & easy to deploy
- Invisible to the operation
- Installed without Major Disruption to Traffic