The mobile optical profile measurement provider NEXTSENSE is offering a new add-on for its CALIPRI measurement devices.
The practical ‘equivalent conicity’ software module automatically evaluates the operating behavior of rail vehicles and therefore assists operators of freight wagons with introducing promising brake pads made of composite material. NEXTSENSE is therefore taking an important step towards achieving national noise reduction objectives.
An additional software function automatically provides in the field what was previously mostly calculated by engineering consultancies or specialist institutes in a very laborious process.
The new add-on can be used to determine the equivalent conicity of the wheel-rail contact as soon as a CALIPRI profile measurement device has been used to perform non-contact wheel or rail profile measurement. This allows operators of freight wagons to directly observe the impact of new types of brake pads on the operating behavior of their trains.
Since preventing noise emissions is currently one of the most important tasks in goods transport, the brake pads on many wagons are currently being converted to modern brake pads made of composite material, which promise long-term improvement in terms of noise pollution.
The innovative mixture of materials used in the ‘LL brake pads’ is intended to dampen the noise heard during braking procedures to just under half, compared with traditional cast iron brake pads.
However, one expected disadvantage of the brake pads affectionately referred to as ‘whisper brakes’ is the increased wear on the wheel profiles. In preparation for the roll-out of LL brake pads, operators of freight wagons are therefore increasingly relying on a simple way of examining wear behavior – for example by determining the equivalent conicity.
NEXTSENSE, a Styrian measurement technology specialist, provides an efficient possibility for examining the impact of new brake pads on mileage.
“The major advantage for our customers is that our CALIPRI add-on displays the conicity value, in addition to the wheel profile values, directly on site,” states Clemens Gasser, managing director of NEXTSENSE GmbH. The measurement device displays the contact graphs for both sides of the rail, the rolling radii difference and the calculated conicity value on the user’s tablet.
Gasser describes the acceleration of the process in more detail: “This allows our customers to make an immediate decision as to whether the wheel-set needs to be removed or not. This means that no valuable time is lost.”
Based on laser light section technology, the CALIPRI measurement devices record profiles within seconds and evaluate them immediately. The ‘Calipri principle’ developed and patented by NEXTSENSE, a Graz-based manufacturer of measurement technology, automatically corrects rotations and tilts of the measurement device, therefore ensuring measurement results that are independent of the user.
The different software modules, for example for wheel profiles, brake disks and rails, allow customised configuration of this compact measurement device, which is now also capable of determining equivalent conicity. With this development, NEXTSENSE is underlining the multifunctionality of its CALIPRI measurement devices.