Early Warnings for failing Train Axle Bearings based on Temperature

Peters, MFE, Netherlands Railways (NS)

By studying the temperature behavior of axle bearings both statistically and physically, the research and development (R&D) department of Netherlands Railways (NS) has successfully developed and implemented a health monitoring system for bearings. In an early stage of degradation, temperature deviations are detected and the level of severity of the degradation is identified through a decision tree. This method enables us to detect bearing failures one to three months earlier than any other method in use, in more than half of the cases. Different handling scenarios per type of temperature behavior have been designed in a way that minimizes impact on train service.