Based on well established principles of thermal inspection, SIRIS for Rail™ automates the process of evaluating railroad wheels and bearings for evidence of anomalous operation. Whether a wheel is too hot or too cold compared to other wheels on a train can be a significant indication of problems with brakes. Furthemore, using an 2D area infrared sensor for measuring the temperature of wheel bearings overcomes one of the major causes of false alarms by traditional hot box detectors.
Key Features and Benefits
- Can be directly integrated into either of IEM’s WISE™ in-ground/wayside inspection systems thereby reducing overall infrastructure development costs
- Compares temperatures of all wheels so that relative temperature differences are used to evaluate condition
- Able to detect hot brakes in humping operations that are known to contribute to problem of “short rollers.”
- Can detect cold wheels indicating poorly functioning or inoperative brakes in situations when brakes are expected
- Monitors bearing temperatures and can detect when bearings are overheating before they are subject to immediate failure.
- Automated evaluation eliminates need for any operator involvement. Only wheels/bearings with detectable problems are flagged for direct attention.
The slow speed version of SIRIS for Rail is currently available and ready for operation. Our high speed version is in advanced development and is expected to be deployed as part of WISE SuperSite.
