Development and Testing of a Stuck Brake Detector for Wayside Inspection of Railroad Cars

摘要

Stuck brakes and unreleased hand brakes can cause the wheels of moving trains to overheat and develop thermal cracks. A method of detecting stuck brakes by direct measurement of rail forces is described. An alarm criterion for longitudinal rail forces is discussed. The design and calibration characteristics of sensors capable of sufficient accuracy are described. An automatic signal processor and a voice synthesized reporting device for unattended operation are described. Laboratory and field test results are presented indicating the successful detection of stuck brakes with a projected false alarm rate of less than one per ten thousand axles. Suggestions for improving the durability of the prototype for long term service are given.