Transmission Dynamics are a UK based, multi-award winning, global innovator and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions provider, specialising in remote condition monitoring of high value assets. They have designed and deployed a range of proprietary technologies over the last two decades and these are now being utilised to monitor rail infrastructure using train borne sensor technology throughout the global rail industry. 

Key to the company’s success, is working closely in partnership with rail infrastructure owners, Rolling Stock Leasing Companies (ROSCOs) and Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to develop market leading solutions that meet specific requirements. 

In the UK, Network Rail's digital railway strategy, sets out a blueprint for modernisation, states the importance of bringing down operations costs of the network and outlines the benefits of deploying digital monitoring technology to meet those aims. While many third-party sensor technologies exist to acquire in-service data, end users repeatedly stated the businesses need to efficiently collate a holistic picture from multiple sources, determine root causes of underlying issues (through classification of potential faults found) and use this intelligence to inform operations and maintenance planning and ultimately improve asset reliability and service delivery.

These combined technologies have for the first time been deployed together on routinely operating trains in the North West and Central Region throughout January – March 2023. The data has been integrated directly into Network Rail’s platform, delivering a demonstration of one of the most comprehensive and most sophisticated IIoT applications developed for rail industry globally.

This market leading IoT solution is enabling operations and maintenance teams to address key cost efficiency and performance priorities via more informed decision making and planning of infrastructure maintenance during possessions. 

The technologies being deployed are as follows:

These unique and successful devices in their own right, are now networked together as the Trains with Brains® concept, forming an even more powerful and innovative proposition. It enables consideration of the interactions between the rail and overhead line infrastructure, allowing more complex and complete static and dynamic modelling to be accomplished than ever before. 

The Trains with Brains® products allow extraction of intelligence related to damper performance, dynamic motion compensation of pantographs fitted on tilting vehicles, as well as routine reporting on rail quality, ride quality, wheel flats, final drive and cardan shaft performance and finally overhead line induced faults. Topping it all up with the deviation from the baseline which may be caused by terrain subsidence due to flooding which can be equally applied to rail deviation from the baseline as well as the supporting structures deviation from the baseline. 

The Smart Oil Plug® Gateway (installed on the bogie) is equipped with accelerometers and gyroscope allowing extraction of the ride quality of the bogie, just above the primary suspension. Similarly, the gateway servicing the wireless accelerometer (part of the PANDAS-V® hardware) mounted on the pantograph head is also equipped with gyroscopes and accelerometers, allowing sway of carriages to be monitored and reported on a permanent basis. In addition, ultra-miniature SmartBugs®, offer an unprecedented means of fast installation and low risk devices with some of the most powerful data acquisition and logging and onboard data analytics capabilities available today built in. Due to their light weight (30g) and small size (25mm diameter) can be glued to the axle boxes and other assets such as electric motor armature for monitoring of integrity of the entire propulsion system. 

This innovative combination of networked devices enables significantly more informed maintenance planning within Network Rail, enabling them to reduce delays, unscheduled maintenance and boots on ballast, while improving reliability, safety and costs. 

Meanwhile of course, the wider supply chain also benefits from Trains with Brains®. From West Midlands Trains perspective as a Train Operating Company, one of the key perceived benefits of the Trains with Brains® product is the ability to better understand, evidence and learn from faults found. This is to continuously improve their service. From a Rolling Stock Leasing Company perspective, Angel Trains feel the Trains with Brains® solution is an excellent approach to ensuring their assets create value, supporting Network Rail to operate more efficiently and safely, which will in turn enables their customers (Train Operating Companies – such as West Midlands Trains) to deliver the best possible service to the passenger. They also believe that the outcome of this product will directly benefit their asset integrity by reducing number of pantograph related issues, and associated safety benefits. 

Download this article in PDF

Read more articles

Follow

Transmission Dynamics