The wheel-rail contact
At the wheel-rail contact, forces of several tonnes act on an area the size of a coin. This is where wear and flat spots develop. With railTRAQ, we make this point visible during live operation.
How railTRAQ works
A measuring foil on the rail web records how the rail deforms with every passing wheel. From this data, a digital twin calculates the forces in all three axes as well as the actual wheel contact point. Measurements are taken in regular service at speeds from 5 to over 350 km/h.
What railTRAQ delivers
- Weigh in Motion: The vertical wheel force is determined to within about 1 %. This yields axle, wagon and train loads. Overloading and uneven loading are detected in real time.
- Predictive Maintenance: The system detects flat spots acoustically and hollow-worn wheel profiles by the distance between the contact points.
- Condition Monitoring: Every passage is documented automatically and assigned to vehicle, axle and wheel via RFID.
Installation without intervening in the track structure
Installation takes two to three hours, requires no drilling and can be carried out during ongoing operation. The measuring site operates autonomously. Our software ACQUA® generates the reports automatically and delivers them to the cloud or directly into the operators’ software.
Proven in service
railTRAQ is in use in pilot and reference projects with leading railways in Europe. Our flagship is the measuring site on the Koralm Railway, one of the most modern lines in Europe.
For our customers, this means: Decisions based on reliable measurement data rather than on intervals or experience.
to the article on Bahnblick more about railTRAQ