In the railway industry, there are different parameters to be kept under control in order to ensure safe running dynamics and sustainable rolling stock and infrastructure wear.
In this section we propose a series of contents that are aimed both at sharing technical considerations (from our experience) and at stimulating our audience to a debate around the proposed topics:
THE IMPORTANCE OF MEASURING THE DISTRIBUTION OF VERTICAL FORCES PER WHEEL IN STATIC CONDITIONS FOR MAINTENANCE
The definition of maintenance in the UNI EN 13306: 2018 standard is:
“combination of all technical, administrative and managerial actions during the life cycle of an item intended to retain it in, or restore it to, a state in which it can perform the required function’’
Therefore, the goal of maintenance is to ensure that the rolling stock, during use, maintains compliance with its project requirements.
A very important design requirement is to keep the distribution of vertical forces exerted by each wheel on the rail within the limits imposed by the regulations.
Several investigations after derailments have highlighted the correlation of these episodes with conditions of uneven load distribution.
When and how should load measurements be performed to accurately monitor the correct distribution?
There are several ways to carry out effective rolling stock maintenance. Currently this aspect is carried out exclusively in a scheduled or periodic manner.
Is it conceivable and advantageous to envisage on condition and predictive maintenance?