Smart sensors placed alongside track use a host of technologies — such as infrared and lasers — to assess the strength and health of wheels and bearings as they travel across the nation’s rail network.
Overheated wheel bearings can lead to train derailments, so railroads use hotbox detectors to measure the temperature of bearings. When a bearing gets too hot, it can only safely travel another five to 100 miles.
CPKC uses acoustic bearing detectors to predict when bearings will overheat three months in advance of them actually overheating. These sensors use acoustic signatures to evaluate the sound bearings make.
By combining this data with the data collected by hotbox detectors, CPKC can find patterns in the acoustic bearing detector data that indicate when bearings could overheat. “By paying attention to the acoustic bearing detectors, we can make sure our bearings never get too hot,” says Kyle Mulligan, an AVP of Operations Technology at CPKC. “Technology makes us safer and more efficient. It protects our infrastructure.”
Want more information on American Standard Railroad? Click the link below to contact us.