Laser profilometers instead of calipers: LocoTech learned to predict train wheel wear

LocoTech has developed software for integrating data from digital profilometers into the "Network Schedule" management system, the company's press service told "Pervy Tekhnichesky". Now, the results of wheelset measurements are fed into a unified information system online – linked to each locomotive.

Laser profilometers will be introduced starting in 2025. They are more accurate than classic mechanical tools like calipers. Measuring the width of the flange and the rolling surface of the tires is critically important for traffic safety. Due to wear, the wheelset is re-profiled, and after several procedures, the tire requires replacement.

Accumulated statistics allow the system to predict the time until the next re-profiling and determine the causes of the previous one. If a difference in wheelset diameters is detected or the minimum tire diameter is reached, the system recommends replacement and calculates the remaining mileage.

In the coming years, LocoTech, together with RZD, will expand the use of digital measurements to all key depots. Mobile applications for data access are also planned.

Today, about 60 mobile profilometers have been acquired. They operate in the depots of Tynda, Chita, Tyumen, Liski, Timashevsk-Kavkazsky. RZD has purchased four stationary "Panopta" complexes for measuring wheelsets during movement – they are installed in Ust-Luga, Volgograd, Penza, and Krasnodar. The equipment is manufactured by the Belarusian company "Riftek", with 90 percent of components from Russia and Belarus. Data integration has laid the foundation for the transition to predictive maintenance – repair based on actual condition, rather than on a schedule.