R&D

IVM carries out a significant R&D activity, partially supported by Italian and European contributions, aimed to:

• develop new products;
• continuously improve products;
• encourage the growth of its staff.

The main lines of research are:

a) Development of diagnostic systems for track and wheel conditions.

SIDIRR project is a part of this research line. It lasted 36 months and ended at the end of 2019. The project was funded by the Ministry of Economic Development, PON I&C 2014-2020, R&D project in the technological areas of Horizon 2020 – Decree of 13/12/2017 CUP B88I17000610008. Thanks to this project it was possible to create an advanced system on board train to monitor continuously the vibrations for diagnostic purposes. The system is installed as a demonstration on a regional train in Campania. The project therefore allowed the development of the system and data analysis algorithms at a fully operational level (TRL7).

Then, OCTOPUS project began. It’s financed by the Ministry of Economic Development, Fund for Sustainable Growth – “Fabbrica Intelligente” PON I&C 2014-2020, as per Ministerial Decree of March 5, 2018, Chapter III CUP: B61B20000300005. The OCTOPUS project is based on the excellent results of the previous project in terms of track diagnostics. The purpose is to develop a service, to be proposed to Infrastructure Managers, that is based on data processing of monitoring systems that are installed on board of standard running trains.
The service will allow to overcome the main obstacle related to the diffusion of this type of product, that need expertise in data processing to extract significant diagnostic parameters.

b) Continuously POWERVE improving

The company philosophy leads IVM to a continuous improvement of its products. In particular for the POWERVE product, there is always a continuous innovation activity aimed at improving mechanics, electronics and software.

The POWERVE product is supported by continuous research focused on the:

• development of better performing POWERVE system load cells.

Consequently, IVM investment is considerable but POWERVE is now conconsidered by the market a competitive product compared to fixed systems. The improvement in measurement quality has reached almost the same levels than fixed systems and it opens to a much larger market.

IVM is member of the CTIF consortium composed of SMEs from Campania region characterized by high tech activities, which operate in the railway domain to provide services/products/solutions. The CTIF consortium is member of the Distretto Tecnologico per i Trasporti della Campania DATTILO, PON R&C2007-2014, where SMEs, big industries, research centres and universities are united with the following objectives: 1) to carry out industrial research projects with the aim of developing innovative products and raising the competitiveness level of Campania region; 2) to promote dissemination activities, research results exploitation, and companies internationalization. IVM is currently involved, as research partner, in two DATTILO projects:

• Nembo – sistemi iNnovativi “EMBedded” caratterizzati da elevata efficienza per applicazioni ferrOviarie – IVM develops a MEMS accelerometer odometry system for trains, in collaboration with Ansaldo STS, RFI, and other SMEs.
• Modista – MOnitoraggio e DIagnostica preventiva da remoto di infrastrutture e flotte di veicoli per innalzare i livelli di disponibilità, efficienza e sicurezza dei siSTemi ferroviAri – IVM deploys a Wireless Sensor Network for monitoring and diagnostics of bridges and railway viaducts combined with satellite observation techniques.

As a memeber of CTIF, IVM participates in the creation of the Italian Railway Platform coordinated by ASSIFER / Anie, association of Italian industries in the railway sector, for the participation to the strategic European project Shift2Rail. This project,  relative to the railway sector, is promoted by the European Commission and involves funding for over a billion of euros over a 6/7 years period.

IVM is also leader of an innovation project funded by the Campania region entitled

• Morfeo – MonitORaggio Frane per la gestionE del rischiO – Industrialisation of a research prototype, that is a system made of tensiometers and inclinometers, based on MEMS technology, together with the Italian patent owned by IVM (N. 0001393752 del 08/05/12 “Sistema e metodo per il monitoraggio di aree a rischio frana”).

The project is relative to the innovation program for cooperative and technological transfer and for early phases of industrialization of high potential innovative companies. The aim of MORFEO project is to develop, at readiness level of industrial product, a prototype of inclinometric system based on MEMS technology in collaboration with the University of Naples Federico II for geotechnical aspects and with the TRE consortium for the management aspects. The project aims at exploiting the Italian patent, property of IVM (N. 0001393752,  08/05/12 “Sistema e metodo per il monitoraggio di aree a rischio frana”, inventor Giovanni Mannara), whose system has already been subject of an optimization process in a precedent industrial research project (PONRC2010 Sicurfer PON00142).

IVM developed the vibrational monitoring system for the METRO A of Roma Metro, based on MEMS technology accelerometers.