Abstract
Currently, there are two types of defect detection systems used to monitor the health of freight railcar bearings in service: wayside hot-box detection systems and trackside acoustic detection systems. These systems have proven to be inefficient in accurately determining bearing health, especially in the early stages of defect development. To that end, a prototype onboard bearing condition monitoring system has been developed and validated through extensive laboratory testing and a designated field test in 2015 at the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. in Pueblo, CO. The devised system can accurately and reliably characterize the health of bearings based on developed vibration thresholds and can identify defective tapered-roller bearing components with defect areas smaller than 12.9 cm2 while in service.
Highlights
The cargo load of each freight railcar is supported by the railcar’s suspension components: springs, dampers, axles, wheels, tapered-roller bearings, and side frames
To demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed onboard condition monitoring system, validation testing examples that were obtained from both laboratory and field testing at TTCI are given hereafter
A bearing with a defective outer ring that was tested in the laboratory is presented, whereas, in the second example, a bearing with a defective inner ring that was field tested at the TTCI rail tracks is examined
Summary
The cargo load of each freight railcar is supported by the railcar’s suspension components: springs, dampers, axles, wheels, tapered-roller bearings, and side frames. The tapered-roller bearing typically used in freight railcar service has three distinct fundamental components: rollers, inner rings (cones), and outer ring (cup). These components, shown, allow for near-frictionless operation under heavy loads and high speeds. Water-etch is the consequence of water entering the bearing through an orifice or broken seal and degrading the grease This grease degradation leads to increased metal-to-metal friction, which in turn causes the rolling surfaces of the bearing components to wear away at a faster rate due to the decreased effectiveness of the lubricant
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