Testbed Railway

An infrastructure for test, development and implementation of Railway 4.0
- the Swedish Concept for Future Railway Research and Innovation

Testbed Railway

Currently, the railway system needs to embrace and get the best out of new technologies, innovations, and implementation of research results in a day-to-day management. However, it is highly important to address and study the implementation of technologies and new innovative solutions at the outset, to avoid lower than expected benefits to the stakeholders in terms of capacity and reliability.

To achieve a smooth implementation of new research and innovation, railway stakeholders, e.g. infrastructure managers and the railway industry, need to develop new methods to test new technologies and innovative solutions.

To achieve this, JVTC and the Division of Operations and Maintenance Engineering at Luleå University of Technology, have developed a framework called 'Railway 4.0', with a corresponding testbed called 'Testbed Railway'.

The framework and testbed aim to facilitate the establishment of the digitalized railway and enable decision-making through big data analytics. The tools also provide the opportunity to collect condition data, fault data and reliability data via a service-oriented and cloud-based solution.

Testbed Railway is a platform for transparent and reproducible testing of scientific theories, computational tools (such as Big Data Analytics) and new technologies. The goal of 'Testbed Railway' is to strengthen the adaptability and competitiveness of the railway industry by developing and providing a testbed for research and innovation in the railway industry, both nationally and internationally. The purpose of 'Testbed Railway' (Karim, 2016) is to enable Sweden to be a leader in railway research and innovation, which contributes to strengthening the industrial production of railway-related goods and services in Sweden. The Railway Testbed is run in collaboration with the eMaintenance Lab.

The testbed will facilitate real-time continuous monitoring of railway infrastructure and rolling stock using state-of-the-art technology. The corridor is equipped with state-of-the-art metrology and communication technologies for measuring, monitoring and storing data which is crucial for researchers at JVTC who have a strategic focus on developing maintenance models, tools and methods to facilitate accurate and timely decisions to ensure effective and efficient maintenance processing solutions.

Today, the testbed covers two track sections (about 5,000 km of railway), i.e. Malmbanan and Haparandabanan. These two track sections are instrumented so that both infrastructure and rolling stock can be monitored online and in real time. Monitoring data is used for maintenance analysis, i.e. descriptive, diagnostics, prognostics and prescriptive maintenance.

Railway 4.0 is the overall framework designed to facilitate the selection of concepts, technologies and methods aimed at developing the railway system, both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, Rail 4.0 focuses on disseminating experiences and knowledge to involved stakeholders (owners such as infrastructure, contractors, academia and consultants). Railway 4.0 provides the railway industry with improved opportunities to collaborate, interact, test and implement relevant research and development results in the areas of digitalized railway and eMaintenance. This in turn contributes to improved robustness and capacity of the railway system, as well as increased cost efficiency for operation and maintenance.

eMaintenance LAB

eMaintenance LAB provides digitalised infrastructure, platform and software as services, adapted to improve maintenance decision support.

Link to the eMaintenance LAB External link, opens in new window.

The eMaintenance LAB provides a platform for research and education in eMaintenance to enable enhanced decision-making in maintenance through digitalisation. The lab offers a set of services which can be utilised at various tiers, e.g. Infrastructure as a Services (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). The integrated services can smoothly be adapted to the context of different stakeholders, applications, and industries. Today, the eMaintenance LAB offers artefacts based on technologies, methodologies, and approaches such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, Cloud computing, Edge computing, and cyber security. The lab supports research and innovation (R&I) projects in aviation, mining, railway, energy, and process industry. To support a wide range of R&I projects and initiatives, the lab provides a combination of physical and virtual sites.

eMaintenance LAB, is located at the University in Luleå and a similar site developed for LKAB in Kiruna, Sweden. These sites are designed and developed to facilitate hands-on experiences in eMaintenance research. The lab provides a set of interconnected and integrated services grouped as architectural services, infrastructural services, and platform services. The provided tools are utilised in research, education, and innovation within operation and maintenance. Furthermore, eMaintenance LAB is used to encourage and strengthen the cooperation and collaboration between industrial and academia partners.

The Railway Cloud

The Railway Cloud powered by eMaintenance LAB is a platform that enables tools, data, and information aimed for Big Data Analytics related to railway system, including railway infrastructure and rolling stock. Today, this platform serves railway research projects with context-adapted
services.

CBM Lab

The Condition Based Maintenance Laboratory (CBM LAB) conducts research and training in condition monitoring through experimental testing.

The Condition Based Maintenance Laboratory (CBM LAB) carries out research and training in condition monitoring, experimental trials and product development. The laboratory, which focuses on condition monitoring of railway and mechanical equipment (switches, roller bearings, etc.), currently houses the following test equipment:

• Test rig for condition monitoring of cracks in switches.
• Test rig for condition monitoring of different sizes and types of gearboxes loaded with realistic torque and speed.
• Test rig for testing roller bearings where radial force is controlled by computer and where accelerations and temperatures are to be analyzed with smart algorithms.
• Equipment for measuring rail friction and wear resistance
• Ultrasonic, phased array and SAFT measurement equipment
• Water tank for measuring cracks with ultrasound
  Measuring trolley with current technology for detecting fasteners
• Level gauge for track position measurements
• Gauges according to the resistance measurement method
• Track profile meter and surface finometer
• Equipment for wireless transmission of measurement data from the railroad

Outside of CBMLAB, a complete, full-scale switch is also installed. It is 30 meters long and has been donated by Trafikverket. The switch will initially be used to study so-called gear drives. Furthermore, there is also a 30 m long railway track for detecting fasteners. In 2019, a boogie, a rotatable undercarriage for trains and rail cars, was delivered to perform tests on the university's full-scale switches and crossings lab.

Mining and civil engineering lab (MCE)

The largest laboratory at Luleå University of Technology and have a wide range of activities.

Link to the MCE Lab. External link, opens in new window.

Other equipment - Drones, robotics etc.

Equipment and measurement systems located in connection with the Railway Testbed.

At the Wheel Profile Measurement Station in Sunderbyn, a wheel profile measurement equipment has been installed. The equipment automatically detects passing wheel sets and fires laser-based units to measure the wheel profiles of trains at operational speed. By combining this information with RFID readings of the wagon identity, the research corridor can provide a unique opportunity for e.g. wheel maintenance optimisation on an individual wheel level.

A robotic dog and drones are part of tools and services provided by the eMaintenance LAB, which are aimed for research activities related to topics such as remote maintenance, condition monitoring, remote inspection, safety, and security.

Track Logger is a portable logger to be installed on any railway vehicle and that scans the rail for imperfections by using accelerometers on axle bearings. Equipment owned by Damill AB.

S&C Vision Logger is a camera surveillance system installed in the catenary system above special track components such as switches. Images in real time for condition monitoring check of snow conditions and to be used by the corrective maintenance personnel before driving out to the site to repair, in order to take the right spare parts, equipment and right personnel with right competence to repair the failure. In collaboration with Damill AB.

A Top-Of-Rail lubrication unit has been installed in the research corridor to perform research in the area of rail contact band friction management. The unit is powered by wind and solar energy and can be programmed to apply different amounts of fric­tion modifiers to investigate the effect on e.g. friction forces, wear, and noise & vibrations.