TRACK: ZF Group has started using vibrations and artificial intelligence to monitor track condition, wheel fatigue and damage.
Connect@rail uses ZF’s heavy duty inertia sensors to detect potential irregularities from rail surface defects and wheel faults.
AI is used to filter out common events such as wheel-rail noise, rail corrugation or curve squeak, helping operators to identify accurately different types of track damage and patterns in the data generated. This enables defects to be identified with improved accuracy, reducing maintenance downtime.
Planned developments include the use of different rail and train types, and a heatmap visualisation tool.
‘The AI-backed platform means we can offer bespoke products that meet individual customer requirements’, said Simon Hargreaves, Business Manager at ZF Services UK, after the system was presented at the UK Tram Summit in Birmingham during September.
