Wheel Profile Measurement System
Made in India for India
Indian railways maintain a network of over 67000 kilometers across the country. We, at S.P.A.C.E, aim to provide an extra layer of security to this fourth largest railway network in the world. With Wheel Profile Measurement System (WPMS), we implement a non-contact monitoring system specialized for the Indian environment which periodically records the health of a wheel in a rail yard and subsequently across the track spread of over 1 lakh kilometers.
Overview
WPMS consists of an array of sensors that detect the direction and speed of the train. Once a train is detected, the shutters open and the air purge system is activated. The trigger sensors detect individual wheelsets which are scanned by eight cameras and sixteen lasers, this enables a robust and redundant operation. Captured image data is used to generate detailed profiles for each wheel.
Debris and dust protection
Our laser profilometers are housed in an IP68 enclosure which protects them from debris, dust, and rain. Each profilometer has an operational temperature from -10c to 85c. The enclosures are equipped with shutters for additional protection. When the shutters are disengaged eight centrifugal fans force air through the system which prevents debris from falling in and cleans the profilometers.
On-site processing
Data is captured and processed onsite. This ensures rapid analysis of wheel profiles, generation of reports, and fault alarms. Our wayside system is equipped with two industrial PCs, this ensures that the system is robust and has built-in redundancy. The wayside system is further connected via 4G or fiber to our cloud server which stores and displays cataloged data.
Profile fault detection
A comprehensive profile is generated for each wheel. Each profile consists of 2000 points which allow us to measure several health markers such as Flange height, flange thickness, flange slope, root wear, rim thickness, wheel width, and wheel diameter. We achieve an accuracy of 0.5mm at 40kmph.