Combining Train -"Weight in Motion" with Noise/vibration emission monitoring towards automated Acoustical Wheel Roughness estimation

In 2011 INFRABEL decided to invest in W.I.M - Weight-In-Motion monitoring systems. Initially the mean focus of the project was weighting of freight train wagons, load partition on the wagons, and detection and classification of wheel faults. Soon it was seen that integration of noise emission measurement (TEL) by adding one microphone at 7.5m from the track centre and acoustical wheel quality by adding one accelerometer on the rail had more than one advantage. The additional cost of the hardware was minor compared with global cost of an installation (track works, power and ICT-cost), and data captured by weighing sensors could directly be used as an input for the acoustical wheel roughness calculation modules and finally lead to automated real-time processing and estimation of individual wheel roughness data.Al ingredients for such a system were foreseen in the technical requirements of the tender (2011). Today, after soft fine-tuning, validation by means of high speed camera's, and clear definition of track and site requirements, we are able to count the number of composite ( K-LL) or cast iron breaking block running on the Belgian railway network.The "freight train breaking block retrofit" evolution ongoing in Europe is in Belgium daily monitored.