System for analysis of the condition of the running gear of rail vehicles

A method for analyzing conditions of a running gear of rail vehicles in a rail measurement zone comprising the following steps:

• having a rail vehicle travel over the rail measurement zone;
• detecting forces and/or torques that act on the rail measurement zone when the rail vehicle travels over the rail measurement zone, by a number of force measurement devices;
• detecting sound waves occurring when the rail vehicle travels over the rail measurement zone, by a number of sonic measurement devices, wherein the sonic measurement devices are directional microphones having a certain directional characteristics that are mechanically uncoupled from the rail measurement zone;
• and
• analyzing electrical measurement signals supplied by the force measurement devices and the sonic measurement devices to draw inferences about the condition of the running gear of the rail vehicle therefrom, wherein the forces and/or torques in the rail measurement zone are detected and detection of the sound waves is performed concurrently,
• wherein the analyzing includes:
• correlating and superimposing the electrical measurement signals supplied by the force measurement devices and the sonic measurement devices;
• and
• analyzing the correlation between the electrical measurement signals supplied by the force measurement devices and the sonic measurement devices to thereby draw inferences about the condition of the running gear of the rail vehicle.