Elevate Controls offers full-cycle development of embedded controllers. Our consistent development process adapts to the unique requirements of your project and ensures a quality outcome every time. We use industry standard tool chains that ensure efficient use of resources, and design protect to allow for future variation and scalability.
Background
Rail hunting is a lateral oscillation phenomenon where train wheels alternately make and break contact with the inner track edges. Excessive rail hunting increases the risk of track wear, damage, and derailment. Factors including speed, track conditions, and wheel/track interaction play a significant role in determining hunting severity and, in turn, maximum allowable travel speeds.
Following a derailment on a critical rail corridor, a national network operator required a reliable, high-precision system to investigate whether rail hunting contributed to the incident. They turned to Elevate Controls to design a portable, autonomous, high-speed rail hunting detection system capable of long-term deployment in a remote, harsh environment.
The Challenge
The detection system was deployed in remote desert environments and needed to operate autonomously. The environment posed several technical constraints requiring out of the box thinking.
No on-site power, large day/night temperature swings, and extreme variation in natural lighting challenged power delivery and optical measurement fidelity.
Five scanning lasers collecting data at 2,000 samples per second across a 20-metre test section generated up to 8MB of data per train, requiring advanced acquisition and storage strategies.
The system had to be operational 24/7 for up to 12 months, triggering automatically on unpredictable train arrivals.
Only basic 3G connectivity was available at the site, requiring a fault-tolerant transmission method to transfer data to the analysis team located over 1,000 km away.
The Solution
Elevate Controls engineered an autonomous rail hunting detection system designed for long-term, unattended operation. It captured, stored, and transmitted real-time train wheel movement data accurately and reliably.
The designed system featured a range of innovations to overcome the challenges.
High-speed sensing and intelligent triggering
- The system’s core was a CompactRIO controller that acquired synchronised data from five Micro-Epsilon scanning lasers mounted along the track.
- Approach sensors placed 150 metres from the test section automatically triggered data capture as trains entered and exited the detection zone, eliminating the need for manual activation.
- Each train’s wheel position relative to the inner rail was recorded, identifying sinusoidal movement patterns and enabling pinpoint detection of rail hunting effects.
Ruggedised for harsh environments
- The electronics and optics were installed in sealed, weatherproof enclosures for long-term protection against dust, extreme temperatures, and environmental hazards.
- A solar-powered battery system sustained operation around the clock, managing the high-power requirements of the lasers and acquisition controller.
- Adaptive laser calibration software dynamically adjusts for ambient light conditions, enabling accurate measurements in intense sunlight and total darkness.
Fail-safe data handling and remote access
- Data was locally logged to an industrial-grade SSD, ensuring no loss during capture.
- A customised compression and transfer protocol sent captured data back to headquarters via limited 3G connectivity.
- Engineers accessed the system remotely to monitor performance, troubleshoot, and manage storage, minimising on-site maintenance.
Rapid deployment and long-term operation
- Over 12 months of continuous operation, the system captured each train that passed through the site, delivering repeatable data and uncovering patterns across specific rolling stock types.
The Outcome
The Elevate Controls rail hunting detection system delivered exceptional performance and operational insight, providing the client with a comprehensive data set to support post-incident analysis and long-term maintenance strategies.
Key outcomes included:
- Real-time measurement of wheel movement patterns allowed engineers to correlate data with track geometry, speed, and rolling stock configuration.
- The system enabled the isolation of specific locomotives and wagons exhibiting excessive rail hunting behaviour, which informed maintenance planning and asset tracking.
- Operated continuously without failure for a whole year in harsh, off-grid conditions. Delivered actionable insights that improved decision-making on train speeds, track maintenance, and infrastructure upgrades to prevent future derailments.
