Using thermo-optics and AI to assess the condition of freight vehicles
Damage from non-rotating wheels and dragging brakes has caused serious incidents. These include the freight derailments at Llangennech in 2020 and Petteril Bridge Junction in 2022.
Automatic monitoring of trains could reduce the risks. Rail Innovations used Department of Transport First-of-a-Kind funding to develop a demonstrator thermal rail condition monitoring system. The system sits alongside the tracks and uses AI to detect issues in real time. Thermal cameras monitor passing trains for:
- Wheels that are abnormally hot, indicating a potential dragging brake or handbrake left on.
- Wheels that are abnormally cold, indicating partially braking or unbraked wheels.
It also uses optical cameras to monitor the position of handbrake and discharge door status indicators on freight wagons.
The demonstrator was commissioned in December 2020 and is still operational today. The product is Network Rail-approved for lineside installation.
Rail Innovations is working with Network Rail to exploit AI further by automating review of the videos and generating a real-time train statis report. This will allow earlier, more accurate detection of faults, and further reduce risk and reduce maintenance costs. Alerts will be sent automatically to the operator and, for critical faults, also to Network Rail.
For more information and case studies, please visit the Rail Innovations website.
August 2024
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