Predge Rolling Stock – Wheel Damage Prediction (WDP)

Wheel damages caused by rolling contact fatigue is a critical aspect in global railway operations. Due to the exponential growth of these damages, it is crucial to have reliable, up-to-date information to avoid the critical events these potential damages may cause.  
The question is: how?  

AI and machine learning

By keeping track of each individual wheel’s condition, and having an estimated life length of each wheel, many benefits can be achieved. The Wheel Damage Prediction (WDP) feature in the Predge Rolling Stock package from Predge is based on AI and Machine learning principles with hybrid models. The WDP utilizes information from wayside detectors measuring wheel impact forces. By synchronizing it with estimated and measured distance, weather data, and tuning the performance against the maintenance records, a full-scale picture can be presented to the users, such as operation centers and maintenance planners.

Avoid unpredicted stops along the track

Right now, the WDP feature is in full operation and is continuously analyzing around 10 000 wheelsets – providing failure predictions and estimated life lengths to the users. For example, the Norwegian railroad company CargoNet uses the feature to secure the 2000 kilometers long transportation of freight from Oslo to Narvik.  

“The Wheel Damage Prediction feature has given us the possibility to shunt out wagons preventively and thereby avoid stops along the track. It has also allowed us to plan maintenance activities regarding wheel damages on another level considering workshop capacity and spare part availability”

Erik Halland, Rolling Stock at CargoNet AS

What does the future hold?

Predge is continuously working with product development and feature upgrades. The next step with the WDP is to improve the ability to classify types of wheel damages. By close collaboration with maintenance workshops and high-quality documentation of damages, we aim at delivering high confidence damage-classification to our customers. Such as spalling, wheel flat and out of roundness, as well as severity. As soon as these improvements show sufficient performance, our customers will have access to this capability and how to make the most of it.

In the coming weeks more features such as WDP within the Rolling Stock™️ package will be introduced. Check out the product site to view the most recent updates.

Predge Rolling Stock – Wheel Damage Prediction