Papers by Author: Andrzej Chudzikiewicz

Abstract: Condition monitoring and fault detection systems are becoming increasingly important in rail vehicles maintenance and operation, ensuring safety and reliability improvement. Light rail systems are not the main target for this trend, because of low operational speed and lower safety factors. Nevertheless public transport operators begin to pay a closer attention to the technical state monitoring of vehicle and track, in order to reduce maintenance cost and increase safety and ride comfort for passengers, which is an important challenge for public transport competitiveness in XXI century. The paper describes the main concept of the innovative on-board condition monitoring system for light rail vehicle and track. Functional requirements, assumptions and procedures are described, as well as the on-board data acquisition unit with necessary transducers, which number, function and technical parameters were optimized during the research phase of the project. The prototype of the presented system is now being tested in normal operating conditions.

Abstract: The improvement of traveller comfort and safety, in parallel to an increase of passenger train speed, is a reason to implement monitoring systems. These systems are more often used to monitor components of railway infrastructure and vehicles. Studies in this area must be preceded by identification and a complex analysis of the railway vehicle - track system. This allows us to recognise the dynamic properties of the system and then select the appropriate place to install sensors on board the vehicle. This paper presents the results of model studies and a prototype monitoring system which is installed on a passenger electric traction unit. This system is aimed, inter alia, at monitoring the state of train suspension and the detection of some particular track geometric irregularities.

Abstract: We shall discuss the problem of rail vehicle safety studies using simulation methods. The contemporary methods and criteria used for safety assessment of railway vehicles by railways Europe are shown, whereas special attention is paid to the criteria and research programs applied to the vehicle approval procedures in Poland. Taking advantage of these safety criteria and codes of practice, a number of computer simulations have been conducted in order to study the safety issues. Presented results of the computer simulations include a rail vehicle running on a tangent and curved track for different simulation parameters such as: running velocity, load level, condition of wheel profiles, track irregularities. The track irregularities represent different maintenance quality levels which are set according to UIC518 code. In this paper there has also been made a comparison between the results of computer simulation safety assessment studies and the measurements taken in real conditions during the safety tests of a Shimmns(s) type freight vehicle.