The high utilisation of rail networks around the world and the consequent decrease in available maintenance opportunities combined with the continuous need to optimise operating and maintenance costs has led the drive for a new philosophy of maintenance and faultfinding that relies increasingly on remote performance monitoring technology applied to a range of infrastructure assets, especially those identified in the highest risk categories such as equipment for level crossings and points. The purpose of this paper, as told through the experience of Balfour Beatty Rail's Engineering Technology Solutions (BBR ETS) business, based in Derby, UK, is to demonstrate why the most effective way forward for the modern, digital railway is to develop smarter RCM analysis tools. Although BB Rail ETS have been involved in a range of RCM projects this paper concentrates on the development of Points Condition Monitoring (PCM) and a comprehensive Points Monitoring System (PMS). This paper concludes that RCM, and PCM in particular, will mature when the missing link of feedback from the arm to the brain that provides useful experience to a human operator of mechanical points is digitised by intelligent monitoring of electrically powered point machines.
展开▼
