Railway Wheels Out-of-Roundness Measurement

HBK’s wayside-installed OOR module measures the deviations in railway wheel roundness from its ideal circular shape. These deviations can significantly impact performance, increase wear, and reduce overall efficiency, affecting both train operation and track conditions.

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Why measure OOR?

OOR – in the form of flat spots, polygonisations, and eccentricity – directly affects critical factors, including vibration, wear, and wheel-rail contact dynamics in general. Any deviations from the ideal roundness of a wheel can cause operational failures, increased damage, and premature part wear.

Measuring wheel roundness ensures that owners and operators of trains and train infrastructure can meet strict tolerances and ensures that the components function as intended. This prevents breakdowns and optimises the efficiency and reliability of the railway system.

Precision measurements for the rail industry

HBK’s OOR solution measures the roundness of train wheels, identifying and quantifying the problems and preventing future issues for the train and tracks.

Monitoring for early signs of a deviation means that thanks to predictive maintenance, engineers are always prepared to prevent major damage and resulting problems in rail operations.

This measurement solution is available both as a standalone system and as an integral part of a more comprehensive ARGOS® Wayside Train Measurement Systems. Our OOR module is suitable for all types of rail transport: from freight trains and high-speed trains to subways and trams.

Monitoring for earlier signs of deviation prevents further damage to the train wheels, enabling predictive maintenance for better performance, safety, and longevity.

Enhanced OOR measurement prevents breakdowns and operational failures, saving on the costs of reactive maintenance and replacement.

For ultimate flexibility, our OOR module can be installed either as a stand-alone system or as part of a greater ARGOS® system. Sensors are easy to install with clamp-on devices for rails.

Inside HBK’s OOR module

The ARGOS® OOR module, easily installed with a clamping device, measures the deviation from an ideally round wheel with unrivalled accuracy.

The module measures the wheel’s entire circumference where it makes direct contact with the railway track, recording when it exceeds certain limits or thresholds.

The wayside-installed sensors ensure that every wheel is measured with at least two crossings. In this way, enough data is collected for increased accuracy and reliable detection and confirmation of abnormal behavior.

Measurement speed from 50 to 250 km/h.
Resolution: 0.01 mm; measurement repeatability 0.05 mm as trend function, 0.1 mm as individual measurement
Flat spot: from 30 mm.
Polygonisation order: 2. bis 32. Order
Can be combined with ARGOS® WIM and RBM Straight modules (or with PROFILE for the OOR standalone module)

Contact our Field Sales Engineering, team for a non-binding needs analysis.

Webinar: How measuring wheel out-of-roundness can save money and reduce downtime

Find out how the ARGOS® OOR module has revolutionized railway infrastructure monitoring technology.

Content:

What is the ARGOS® OOR module
How its monitoring options can extend wheel life by 50%
How Machine Learning helps forecast wheel conditions up to three months in advance

What is ARGOS®?

ARGOS® systems provide accurate data to optimise your wayside train measurement systems (WTMS) maintenance strategies. Its modular concept enables the integration of one or more modules into the same system, thus ensuring optimised operating costs and a long-lasting fleet.

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