Acoustic Signatures Reveal Railway Bearing Defects

From Design News:

Engineers who design equipment with motors, transmissions, and bearings know the importance of detecting the onset of a failure and rectifying the problem quickly. Bearing failure can cause catastrophic damage to equipment. Imagine the results of a bearing failure on a railway car carrying your family.

A company called Track IQ has come up with a way to monitor acoustic signals from the bearings that support the weight of a railroad car on the outer axle of a wheelset. A wheelset comprises an axle that connects two flanged metal wheels that run on a track. The technique and system are called RailBAM (Railway Bearing Acoustic Monitor). According to Siemens, which distributes the RailBAM equipment, the monitor can detect damage to the wheelset bearings in trains sooner than other techniques, so railway operators can improve the reliability of rail transport and reduce maintenance costs.

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