Using Wheel Temperature Detector Technology to Monitor Railcar Brake System Effectiveness

Details

• Creators:
  Robeda, Jim ; Sammon, Devin ; Madrill, Benjamin
• Corporate Creators:
  Transportation Technology Center, Inc.
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Railroad cars
  • Brakes
  • Braking
  • Car wheels (Railroads)
  • Temperature measuring instruments
  • Performance measurement
  • Detectors
  • Research Hub
  • Design
  • Railroads
  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT/FRA/ORD-13/50
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research and Development
• Abstract:
  Wheel temperature detector technology has been used extensively in the railroad industry for the past several decades. The technology has traditionally been used to identify wheels with elevated temperatures. There is currently a movement in the industry to detect railcars with ineffective brakes by using the technology to identify wheels that have lower than expected temperatures when a train is in a braking mode or condition. This report documents a study to determine the effectiveness of the technology in distinguishing between applied and nonapplied brakes when a train passes a wheel temperature detector with train brakes applied. The study used controlled testing as well as data from revenue service operations to investigate the effectiveness of the technology and to compare its capabilities with the current manual inspection process.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  DTFR53-00-C-00012
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/28273/dot_28273_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.18 MB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection ; Federal Railroad Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:c6503782c9d80c335bc3e4ce8e2054eb04244c09b19687a2abb3617d8baa9101