Railway Freight Draft System Inspection - Successes, Gaps, Challenges, and Opportunities
Tracks
Transportation
| Wednesday, October 23, 2024 |
| 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
| 209/210 - Technical Session |
Details
The railway vehicle draft system is one of the most important components that allows the coupling of railcars and locomotives with the railcars. The most common type of draft system basically consists of couplers, knuckles, yokes, draft gears, and carrier plates. The draft systems in a railcar act like a shock absorber to cushion the expected impact forces due to coupling, and the tension and compression (draft and buff) introduced when the train starts and stops, as well as while operating. Railway draft system components are common wear items that must be routinely inspected to assure the safety and reliability of rail transportation. Periodic and timely inspections allow operators to detect wear, fatigue, and potential failures that could lead to accidents.
This presentation provides an overview of the freight railcar draft systems, how they are monitored and inspected in North American freight railroads and examines the current rules and standards relating to rejection criteria of found indications. Automated Machine Vision Systems (MVS) allow for the real-time health monitoring of the draft components, and some case examples will be presented. This presentation also demonstrates some of the challenges of locating indications in these parts and how to find indications in railcar couplers and yokes using magnetic particle testing (MT) and penetrant testing (PT) during inspection. Finally, this presentation wraps up with some of the opportunities for enhancing railway freight draft system inspection which can enhance precision, reduce human error, and improve overall efficiency in the maintenance of railway systems.
This presentation provides an overview of the freight railcar draft systems, how they are monitored and inspected in North American freight railroads and examines the current rules and standards relating to rejection criteria of found indications. Automated Machine Vision Systems (MVS) allow for the real-time health monitoring of the draft components, and some case examples will be presented. This presentation also demonstrates some of the challenges of locating indications in these parts and how to find indications in railcar couplers and yokes using magnetic particle testing (MT) and penetrant testing (PT) during inspection. Finally, this presentation wraps up with some of the opportunities for enhancing railway freight draft system inspection which can enhance precision, reduce human error, and improve overall efficiency in the maintenance of railway systems.
Speaker
Mr Brian Lindeman
Senior Engineer
MxV Rail
Railway Freight Draft System Inspection - Successes, Gaps, Challenges, and Opportunities
Presentation Description
The railway vehicle draft system is one of the most important components that allows the coupling of railcars and locomotives with the railcars. The most common type of draft system basically consists of couplers, knuckles, yokes, draft gears, and carrier plates. The draft systems in a railcar act like a shock absorber to cushion the expected impact forces due to coupling, and the tension and compression (draft and buff) introduced when the train starts and stops, as well as while operating. Railway draft system components are common wear items that must be routinely inspected to assure the safety and reliability of rail transportation. Periodic and timely inspections allow operators to detect wear, fatigue, and potential failures that could lead to accidents.
This presentation provides an overview of the freight railcar draft systems, how they are monitored and inspected in North American freight railroads and examines the current rules and standards relating to rejection criteria of found indications. Automated Machine Vision Systems (MVS) allow for the real-time health monitoring of the draft components, and some case examples will be presented. This presentation also demonstrates some of the challenges of locating indications in these parts and how to find indications in railcar couplers and yokes using magnetic particle testing (MT) and penetrant testing (PT) during inspection. Finally, this presentation wraps up with some of the opportunities for enhancing railway freight draft system inspection which can enhance precision, reduce human error, and improve overall efficiency in the maintenance of railway systems.
This presentation provides an overview of the freight railcar draft systems, how they are monitored and inspected in North American freight railroads and examines the current rules and standards relating to rejection criteria of found indications. Automated Machine Vision Systems (MVS) allow for the real-time health monitoring of the draft components, and some case examples will be presented. This presentation also demonstrates some of the challenges of locating indications in these parts and how to find indications in railcar couplers and yokes using magnetic particle testing (MT) and penetrant testing (PT) during inspection. Finally, this presentation wraps up with some of the opportunities for enhancing railway freight draft system inspection which can enhance precision, reduce human error, and improve overall efficiency in the maintenance of railway systems.
Biography
Brian Lindeman is the Senior Engineer for Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) at the MxV Rail, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology.
Mr. Lindeman has 30 years of NDE-related experience in rails, from the manufacturing of the rails to testing rails in the revenue environment. At MxV rail, he is responsible for all aspects of NDE testing on-site, and he currently provides technical support for several AAR and commercial-sponsored research, which include Rail Inspection Technology, Wheel/Axle Inspection Technology, and Technology Driven Train Inspections (TDTI), Tank Car NDE projects. He also supports various customers in testing new NDE methods at MxV Rail.
Brian Lindeman attained his NDT Level III certification in 2013 and is currently serving as a section officer with the ASNT Colorado Section.
