Vehicle-based track quality monitoring system – Reallabor “Tälesbahn”

The instrumentation scheme for in-service railway vehicles – “Reallabor” was conceived as an efficient and low-cost vehicle-based track quality monitoring system, which allows the detection and identification, primarily, of geometrical track irregularities and vertical structural track defects by using inertial measurements from a vehicle in regular operation.

• Continuous vehicle-based monitoring of the track quality.
  • Vehicle-based detection, classification and localization of typical track geometrical and structural faults.
  • Application of Machine Learning and hybrid algorithms
  • Data collection for compilation of railway track faults datasets.
• Implementation on regular in-service vehicles.
  • No disruption of the regular railway operation.
  • Permit-free implementation
• Effective, condition-based maintenance strategy.
  • Improvement of the ride safety and comfort
  • Reduction of the maintenance costs

The first implementation of the Reallabor was carried out in the framework of the collaborative DFG research project EPIB 1.1 [Insert link] between the Institute for Railway and Transportation Engineering (IEV) and the Institute of Engineering Geodesy (IIGS) https://www.iigs.uni-stuttgart.de/ , both belonging to the University of Stuttgart. The test track section as well as the railway vehicle, where the sensors were mounted, were provided by the Württembergische Eisenbahngesellschaft (WEG), https://www.weg-bahn.de/ operator of the short railway line “Tälesbahn” in the southwest of Germany. For the development of the project, several measuring devices were acquired by the IEV, while the data acquisition and processing system as well as the geo-location device were provided by the IIGS.

• Located at southeast of Stuttgart, between Nürtingen and Neuffen.
• Test track length: 8.9 km
• Ride duration: 12 minutes

• Inertial data (acceleration and angular rate) on the vehicle
• Data collection, analysis and visualization
• Fault detection, classification and localization

• Determination of the characteristics of punctual instabilities considering the occurring cause and load (EPIB 1.1)
  
  • Funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
  • Project duration: 11.2017 – 04.2020
• Track condition monitoring via inertial sensors on regular in-service vehicles
  • Reallabor short-term recommissioning
  • Project duration: 01.2022 – 07.2022
• Efficient Sensor-based Condition Monitoring Methodology for the Detection and Localization of Faults on the Railway Track (ConMoRAIL)
  • Funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
  • In collaboration with IIGS https://www.iigs.uni-stuttgart.de/
  • Project duration: 05.2023 – 04.2026