Railway management and measuring vehicle

Abstract

 The invention relates to railway switch management. Data are used to calculate one or more of the quality numbers Q5, Qcp and Qj by using the following formulas:



and

the result of which is possibly combined with one or more of the results of the following formulas:









into a quality level that is compared with a predetermined target quality level, and it is decided to carry out predetermined maintenance activities when a predetermined maximum difference from said comparison is exceeded, to improve the quality level of said switch. Also a measuring vehicle is proposed provided with sensors to measure one or more of the following parameters of a switch: gauge, cant, gap width, vertical and horizontal irregularity.

Description

[0001] The invention is concerned with management of a railway (for train, streetcar or subway) and a measuring implement therefor. Particularly the invention is directed to management of switches.

[0002] For the purpose of management of a railway, knowledge is required about its quality. It is known that for determining said quality, objects of the railway are inspected on a regular basis. The invention offers the possibility to determine in an objective manner, on the basis of inspections, the quality of the railway, or parts, such as switches thereof, to optimaise the management, o.a. in terms of availability, safety and comfort.

[0003] Therefor the invention is defined in the independent claim(s). The dependent claims relate to advantagous developments of the invention.

[0004] In the enclosed drawing a prefered embodiment is shown of a measuring implement according to the invention. In bottom view a rigid, T-shaped frame of tube like section is shown, with at its three longitudinal ends wheel sets 1, 2, 3 (not shown in detail) with which the frame can be advanced over the track. In that connection the wheel sets 1 en 2 rest on the one and the wheel set 3 on the opposite rail bar. Ech wheel set consists of a supporting wheel resting on the rail bar and a side guide, bearing against the inner side of the rail bar head (about 14 mm below its top side) to avoid unintended sideways displacements. However, the frame can be shped differently in top view, such as U- or H-shaped, wherein in both cases there can be four wheel sets 1, 2, 3.

[0005] The wheel set 3 is in the direction (arrow A) crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the railway (arrow B) connected to the frame to be able to displace (which displacement is detected by a track width (gauge) sensor) en is urged towards one side (e.g. away from the wheel sets 1, 2) of the frame by spring pretension.

[0006] This wheel set 3 contains furthermore a check rail probe 4, made of a platen 6, mounted to pivot around an axis 5 normal to the plane of the drawing, kept in the extreme position shown in the drawing by a spring and pivoed in the direction of the arrow C by a passing check rail (which is detected by a gap width sensor).

[0007] Between the wheel sets 1 and 2, at least substantially immediately opposite wheel set 3, there is a side guide 7 corresponding to the wheel sets 1, 2, 3 and a check rail probe 4. The assembly of side guide 7 and check rail probe 4 is mounted to the frame to be displacable in the direction op the arrow A (which displacement is detected by a curve compensation sensor). This assembly is urged toward one side (e.g. away from the wheel set 3) of the frame by spring pretension.

[0008] A distance measuring sensor 8 is in line with the wheel sets 1, 2 mounted to the frame at least substantially opposite the wheel set 3 and above the rail bar head during operation for measuring the vertical irregularity of the rail bar. Also a angle twist meter (not shown) is mounted to the frame, with which the cant of the track can be measured. One of the wheel sets 1, 2, 3 is provided with an encoder such that the advancement of the measuring implement can be measured on the basis of revolutions of the wheel.

[0009] A push/pull rod (not shown) is mounted to the frame, with which an operator can advance the measuring implement along the railway. A panel is mounted to the pull/push rod with a logical unit with I/O (e.g. keyboard, display), connected to the several sensors as indicated above. A battery (not shown) is mounted to the frame and provides the power source for the logical unit and all components connected thereto. Thus, the logical unit can gather in an automatic manner data in dependency from the covered distance along the railway about: gauge, cant, gap width, vertical and horizontal irregularity. Preferably these five parameters are each time stored in a database in its memory after a predetermined distance is covered. The software also offers the opportunity for the operator to automatically store these five parameters at a random position along the railway through the logical unit by convenient positioning the frame along the track and operating the I/O (e.g. pressing one or more keys). It can be useful if the operator also enters information about the nature at said random position (e.g. weld, frog, critical point) into said database through the logical unit, e.g. by pressing a programmed key.

[0010] In connection with inspection of a switch it is prefered to measure the above five parameters for at least the following critical points: the points of the tongues; gap; heel; frog; check rail.

[0011] From one or more of the above five parameters, quality numbers can be derived, which are at this moment: Q5 (combined quality of 5 parameters), Qcp (combined quality of the parameters at all predetermined critical (characteristic) points) and Qj (qualitative dynamic behaviour of the switch relative to a reference), which can be calculated as follows (as a rule, the Q-values are between 0 and 10, wherein 10 presents the highest quality level):

wherein: g=gauge; c=cant; t=twist;
      v=vertical irregularity; h=horizontal irregularity
   Qg, Qc, Qt, Qv en Qh ("Qp") are each calculated as follows from the ratio of the number of measurements within tolerance (Nt) to the number of measurements (Nm):



wherein: Npcp = number of parameters within tolerance for all critical points; and Nmcp= number of measured parameters for all critical points.

wherein:
S= standard deviation; g= gauge; t= twist;
v= vertical irregularity; h= horizontal irregularity; Rj=2*reference track (e.g. 5,6 at speed 140 km/h)

[0012] It will be appreciated that for calculating Q5 and Qcp the measured five parameters are related to the applied relevant tolerances. Qj is however independent from the applied tolerances, and provides an indication of the dynamic influence of the switch on a passing train.

[0013] Besides measurement results for management, use can be made of results coming from visual inspection, expressed in the quality number Qv:

wherein:

D =

during inspection determined damage ratio number to object;

F =

weighing factor for object;

L =

constant (e.g. the maximum weighing factor);

Qv =

quality level.

[0014] Of each of the objects, such as rail bars, ballast, switches, crossings, bridges, welds, from which the railway segment is made, the individual damage image is determined by visual inspection and expressed in a damage ratio number (D), such as a damage përcentage. Furthermore a weighing factor (F) is predetermined for each object, e.g. varying between 0 and 10 or between 0% and 100%, such that L accounts for 10 or 100%, resp. For each object the damage index (DI) can now be calculated from the formula:

[0015] For the complete railway segment the damage level (W) can subsequently be calculated from the sum of the damage index of the seperate objects with the formula:

[0016] From the damage level (W) for the complete railway segment the quality level (Qv) can subsequently be calculated with the formula:

[0017] The thus calculated quality level can e.g. be compared with a predetermined target quality level, whereafter on the basis of said comparison a desicion is made, e.g. to carry out maintenance or replacement to one or more objects of the relevant railway to bring the railway at the desired quality level.

[0018] The calculated quality level can e.g. also be used to make a statement about the expected availability of the railway.

[0019] Particularly the in the calculation used weighing factor F, but possibly also other calculation parameters, have to be determined by trial and error. In that connection it is of importance to have an idea about the influence of a change of a parameter for an individual object to the result of the calculation of the complete railway segment. For the weighing factor F this influence per object (i) at both the damage level (W) as the quality level (Qv) can be calculated with the following formula:

[0020] The annexed table shows an example of the calculation of the quality level Qv for a switch, for which seven objects are defined.

Table

Object		damage image yes/no	damage %S	weigh F	damage index SI
Tongue movement	tongue left	wear/flaws	10	4	0.4
		surf.damage	20	1	0.2
	tongue right	wear/flaws	50	4	2
		surf.damage	10	1	0.1
Frog	point	wear/flaws	20	8	1.6
		surf.damage		2	0
Rail	left	wear/flaws	10	2	0.2
bars		surf.damage		0.5	0
	right	wear/flaws	10	2	0.2
		surf.damage		0.5	2
Mounting means		damage	30	3	0.9
Switch beams		damage	20	10	2
Ballast		damage	40	7	2.8
Wells		damage	10	5	0.5
Total				50	10.9
Total damage index		sum SI		10.9
Total weighing factors		sum F		50
Damage level W		W=sumSI/sumF*100%		21.80%
Quality level Q		Q=100%-W		78.2%
Quality number				7.8

[0021] In stead of Q₅ the combined quality of more or less parameters can be applied, to be calculated as follows:
Q_i..j=(1-0, 1*Qp_i)*(1-0, 1*Qp_..)*(.).(.)*(1-0, 1*Qp_j)*10, possibly to be replaced by: Q_i..j=(0,1*Q_pi)*(0,1*Qp_..)*(.).(.)*(0,1*Qp_j).

[0022] The invention is also based on a measuring vehicle of which one or more of the features of claim 2 is lacking.

Claims

1. Railway switch management, possibly using the measuring vehicle according to claim 2, wherein data obtained from the data base of the computer of the measuring implement are used to calculate one or more of the quality numbers Q5, Qcp and Qj by using the following formulas:



and

the result of which is possibly combined with one or more of the results of the following formulas:









into a quality level that is compared with a predetermined target quality level, and it is decided to carry out predetermined maintenance activities when a predetermined maximum difference from said comparison is exceeded, to improve the quality level of said switch.

2. Measuring vehicle, manually advanced and riding over railway, e.g. to be used with railway management according to claim 1, provided with sensors to measure one or more of the following parameters of a switch: gauge, cant, gap width, vertical and horizontal irregularity, wherein said measuring implement is provided with one or more of advancement measuring means, measure command means and a computer to which sensors, advancement measuring means and measure command means are connected, such that an operator can command the computer by acting on the measure command means to store the parameters detected by the sonsors in the switch at that particular moment in relation to the measured advancement of the measuring implement from a reference point into the relevant data base of the computer memory, for which the measuring implement is e.g. provided with a T-frame with at each longitudinal end a running wheel set (1, 2, 3) to ride over the railway, of which one (3) can be displaced crosswise (B) with respect to the advancement direction (A) against a reset force to actuate a gauge sensor at the T-frame and located immediately opposite a curve compensation sensor (7) at the T-frame half way between the other two wheel sets (1, 2), wherein the wheel set (3) and the sensor (7) are provided with a probe (6) which can pivot against a reset force around a during operation upward extending axis (5) to actuate a gap width sensor, while also half way between the wheel sets (1, 2) a distance sensor (8) is provided at the T-frame with which the distance to the rail bar there below can be measured to determine the vertical irregularity thereof, and the T-frame carries a angle twist meter, with which the cant of the track can be measured, while one of the wheel sets (1, 2, 3) is provided with an encoder such that the covered distance along the track can be measured on the basis of the revolutions of the running wheel, and also a bracket is mounted to to T-frame to push it forward.

Drawing