Apparatus and method for wear detection of railroad vehicle wheels
AssigneeBNSF Railway Company
InventorsHark Braren, Erik Karl Frohberg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A railroad wheel impact load detection test panel includes a secondary instrumentation rail proximate a field side of a primary or running rail of a section of railroad track, and elevated a prescribed distance so that the wheels of a rail car traverse the instrumentation rail within the test panel. The instrumentation rail includes an optical strain gauge to sense the wheel impact load. The sensed impact data is correlated with wheel damage signatures to identify wheels to be restored or replaced before failure occurs.
Claims18
A railroad wheel impact load detection test panel, comprising:
- a section of a railroad track having first and second primary rails;
- a first secondary rail and a second secondary rail, each having a first end and a second end and disposed proximate a field side of each primary rail of the railroad track such that its running surface is elevated by a predetermined increment relative to the running surface of the primary rail;
- and
- a sensor disposed on the bottom surface of each secondary rail at a predetermined location;
- wherein
- the secondary rail includes an elevation transition ramp disposed at each first and second end thereof.
A railroad wheel impact load detection test panel, comprising:
- a section of a railroad track having first and second primary rails;
- at least one secondary rail, having a first end and a second end and disposed proximate a field side of either primary rail of the railroad track such that its running surface is elevated by a predetermined increment relative to the running surface of the primary rail;
- and
- a sensor disposed on the bottom surface of the at least one secondary rail at a predetermined location;
- wherein
- the at least one secondary rail includes an elevation transition ramp disposed at each first and second end thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.