Wheel Monitoring System (WMS)

Rethinking Wheel Monitoring:
Data-Driven. Predictive. Automated.

The Wheel Monitoring System automatically monitors the condition of wheels on rail vehicles, detecting wheel out-of-roundness and tread damage such as flats and polygonization. You benefit from: less noise, less wear, and fewer unscheduled maintenance stops.

Smart Maintenance

With the Wheel Monitoring System, predictive maintenance begins right on the track: The system automatically identifies passing vehicles, analyzes defects in their wheel treads, and provides precise condition indicators for each wheel. In addition to analyzing wheel out-of-roundness such as

polygonization (UIC B 169/DT 405 and EN 15313),
flat spots (EN 15313), and
acoustically relevant wheel roughness,

the system also includes the functionality of a

Wheel Impact Load Detector (WILD)

to acquire wheel-induced impact forces.

The results show:

damage to the wheel treads,
the distribution of wheel damage across the fleet, and
the temporal progression of this damage

as well as support operational decisions, such as

condition-based maintenance and
predictive maintenance.

By analyzing large amounts of data, damage patterns become visible and maintenance needs can be identified early on. This allows causes to be systematically identified, maintenance measures to be planned effectively, and unplanned downtime to be avoided. The typical consequences of wheel out-of-roundness, such as:

Increased noise: More than +10 dB due to flat spots and polygon formation
Mechanical stress: Increased wear on axles, bearings, and the superstructure
Safety risks, especially on high-speed trains, and
High maintenance costs: Unplanned interventions and high expenses.

can thus be reliably avoided.

Track measurement station and
Measurement unit
- Automatic measurement of all passing vehicles
- Vehicle identification
- Data compression
Data transfer
- Data transfer to database
Analysis unit and database
- Data analysis
- Storage of all data
Webapp WMSInfo
- Identification of wheel damage
- Condition-based maintenance

Wheel Monitoring System Application Areas

Active noise and vibration protection
Monitoring of vehicle fleets regarding the condition of the wheels of individual rail vehicles
Support for condition-based maintenance for wheel sets,
including modeling for damage cause detection
Early detection of wheel polygons and wheel flats
Trend Analysis for Fleet Management
Development of long-term fleet strategies and optimization of maintenance

Wheel Monitoring System | Benefits

Fully automated operation
Detection of wheel tread defects (e.g., flat spots in accordance with EN 15313), wheel out-of-roundness, and wheel tread polygonization in accordance with UIC B 169/DT 405 and EN 15313
Vehicle identification and assignment to individual wheels (wheel set detection)
Support in determining the optimum cutting depth for wheelset turning
Noise measurement module
Customized software with graphical user interface for condition data
Real-time data transmission via LTE, Ethernet, and fiber optics
Guaranteed support for at least 10 years

Intelligent Monitoring of each passing wheel

Technical Design

Installation in the track area is quick, robust, and non-invasive. Specifically designed WMS sensors measure the wheel tread condition of each passing wheel. A vehicle identification system registers the vehicles with their ID numbers. Optional microphones can record noise emissions to detect malfunctioning aggregates, for example.

Precise Results

As a track-side monitoring system that detects wheel irregularities during operation, the WMS determines the indicators for polygonization and flat spots for all wheels. The values displayed are proportional to the severity of the tread damage and can also be adapted to the user's requirements.

Option: Mobile Wheel Monitoring System

The mobile WMS offers all the advantages of a fully automated WMS at an attractive price with a shorter installation time. It is ideal for quickly assessing the quality of wheel tread conditions across the entire fleet.