Comprehensive diagnostics of EMU-trains in depot

The adopted system of maintenance and repair, relied on the resources of skilled labour force and a substantial reserve of equipment reliability for a long time, in the late twentieth century became ineffective. Numerous manual controls and diagnostics devices, existing in the technological arsenal of depot, due to low reliability of the obtained results, due to the implementation of ineffective ways of control by elements, low automation of the process of diagnosis, did not provide a way of equipment condition monitoring in the necessary volume and quality. As a result, the intensity of faults and failures of rolling stock has increased dramatically.

To change the situation revolutionary became possible only by using the automatic diagnostic systems for different types of rolling stock equipment.

The DYNAMICS SPC accumulated experience in condition monitoring and diagnostics of hazardous production facilities of various industry and transport branches has allowed to make a list of requirements and create the unique software-hardware complex – the COMPACS^®-EXPRESS-TR3.

The comprehensive system for train unit diagnostics is an innovative research and designed for detailed, complex condition assessment of the main train subsystems with interactive operation at pre-repair and after-repair testing. Among the train subsystems, to be diagnosed with the system there are the control circuits, electro-pneumatic brake circuits, power circuit, heating circuit and auxiliary machinery circuits, including their electrical insulation, pneumatic system, wheel-motor units and the current collectors. As the statistics shows the subsystems’ data and the machinery included in them are most strongly influenced by the "human factor" during the repair and by external factors during operation. According to the statistics, not less than 85% of all damages and almost 80% of the cost for the maintenance and repair of rolling stock is depending on this equipment.

An effective principle of each unit diagnostics with maximum involvement of EMU-units standard equipment in the testing process is implemented and successfully approved by the system. As a consequence, it provides the autonomy and automation of the diagnostic process.

During the tests performed in the automatic emulation of various operational modes of the electric train machinery, the system determines the quantitative characteristics of the parameters and processes used as informative diagnostic features: vibration, signal spectra, voltage, current, resistance, pressure, force, time intervals, number of impulses and displays them on the monitor screen. In accordance with the programmed algorithm, a built-in automatic expert system displays purposeful instructions to the personnel for their further action in the form of text expert messages and provides a high-quality display of diagnostic signs based on the multi-colored icons, the color of which corresponds to the particular danger level of the machinery condition.

With the help of the present innovative research, for the first time for depots it became possible to:

• reliably and efficiently detect failures and hidden defects of machinery, which decrease performance index and lead to the increase in power consumption of the train in general;
• discover parts and machines which impair operational condition of electric machines and high-voltage switching devices;
• use full resource of assemblies and machines with saving of their maintainability, consequently reducing the necessity in groundless repairs;
• provide purposeful work of the maintenance staff aimed at elimination of the present defects and their root-causes;
• reduce the labor intensity of the train control and set-up;
• almost completely eliminate the faults in operation and unplanned repairs, due to reduction of the main cause – unsatisfactory quality of the repairs in depots.

The implementation of the innovative systems for the comprehensive condition diagnostics of the train units in such amount is carried out for the first time in Russia and surpasses the global level. It has a high economic and social impact, and is a powerful tool for increase of safety and uninterruptedness of railway transport operation. It creates prerequisites for fast reconstruction of the repair system on safe resource-saving basis.

Kostyukov V.N., Kostyukov Al.V., Kazarin D.V. Comprehensive diagnostics of EMU-trains in depot // Eurasia News (Evrazia Vesti), Sept. 2012, p.30

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