We see applied research and development as an essential criterion for being competitive and prepared for future challenges. We are therefore all the more pleased that the research project we submitted to the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) on the subject of 'Prototype development of a dynamic calibration test bench for measuring wheelsets' was positively assessed and will be funded.
For the acceptance of running characteristics of rail vehicles according to EN 14363 (normal measuring procedure), measuring wheelsets are required whose measuring accuracy is essentially dependent on the calibration process. With the implementation of our new calibration test bench concept, we will not only generate a significantly higher accuracy (and thus lower measurement uncertainty) of the dynamic calibration process, but in the future it will also be possible for us to calibrate our own measuring wheel sets in-house. The test bench is designed as a transportable unit and can be used worldwide if required. In combination with the construction of the measuring wheelsets on site, the time-critical component of the approval procedure can be defused and a new calibration after the reprofiling of the measuring wheelsets can be carried out on site.

In addition, our calibration procedure makes it possible to demonstrate the suitability of the Engenium measuring wheelset in the field of highly dynamic force measurement with a local resolution in the centimeter range. This represents a significant improvement over the state of the art and also allows a much higher quality of information on aspects of vehicle-track damage. 

As a future accredited testing laboratory for rail vehicle measurements according to ISO 17025, we are thus well prepared for the future and look forward to the first exciting projects starting in the fall of 2022.