A nondestructive instrumented wheelset system for contact forces measurements

Abstract

Wheel rail contact forces measurements play a critical role in the vehicle acceptance tests for derailment safety evaluations. The common approach of continuous measurements is an indirect method through measuring deformations of the wheelset by strain gauges. The conventional instrumented wheelset has drilled holes on the wheel web and axle for loads decoupling, higher sensitivity, and wiring for the slip ring. As the structural integrity is damaged, it is not suitable for long-term field tests respect to the wearing process of the wheels. This article introduced a implementation method of the nondestructive instrumented wheelset that the strain gauges are placed only on inside wheel web, and signal transmission is implemented by wireless telemetry device. The strain gauge positioning method based on strain gradient and waveform rectifying technique for vertical force identifications were highlighted in this article.