Spring
A railway spring decouples the car body from the bogie, wheelsets and track, and wears under high forces. Sensors record its load during operation, so maintenance can be planned by actual condition rather than at fixed intervals.
Spring at a glance
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Verified projects featuring Spring
Railway spring: measure loads during operation
In the solution example, Trelleborg's ConeX3 system continuously measures all incoming movements and deformations. Contactless sensors record static and dynamic loads as well as temperature. A microcontroller processes the signals and passes them via CAN bus to the smartRAIL IoT device from optiMEAS. A dedicated Trelleborg module calculates the deformation of the spring from this data. Only these key values are sent via cellular network or Wi-Fi to optiCLOUD, which visualises them and allows remote firmware updates. GPS makes it possible to assign high loads to specific points on the line.
The example comes from transport and logistics. Trelleborg Industrial Antivibration Solutions manufactures vibration-damping rail components and launched the project with optiMEAS because fixed maintenance intervals bring vehicles into the depot that could still have kept running. There, the car body is lifted off and all wear parts are replaced. In the ongoing field trial, the system collects raw data to develop models of the service life of the spring and adjacent components. Podcast episode #35 explains how optiMEAS and Trelleborg turn components themselves into sensors.
Podcast episodes featuring Spring
Railway springs: frequently asked questions
How can the load on a spring be measured in operation?
Contactless sensors record static and dynamic loads directly on the component, along with temperature. In Trelleborg's ConeX3 system, the sensors continuously capture all incoming movements and deformations. A calculation module on the smartRAIL IoT device derives the deformation of the spring from these readings. The result is a picture of the actual load in the field rather than an assumption from the maintenance plan.
How does spring data help with bogie maintenance?
The data shows whether a vehicle really needs maintenance or can keep running. Until now, maintenance intervals have been fixed: in the depot, the car body is lifted off and all wear parts are replaced. Real-time data from ConeX3 provides the basis for condition-based maintenance. According to optiMEAS, replacement intervals and service can also be optimised this way.
Why do springs in rail vehicles wear?
Springs and other vibration-damping components are permanently exposed to high forces that cause wear. For rubber components, the limited service life of the material adds to this, as it ages further due to climate and dirt. These parts decouple the car body from the bogie, wheelsets and track. That is why vehicles are regularly taken out of service for maintenance.
Can the service life of a rubber spring be predicted?
That is the aim of the ongoing field trial by Trelleborg and optiMEAS. The system records as much raw data as possible, analyses signal patterns and detects deviations. From this, models of the service life of the spring and adjacent components such as dampers, couplings and bogie frames are to be developed. Podcast episode #35 explains that service life can be calculated from the actual load in the field.
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