Wheel Data Management Systems
Managing wheel health is a constant process requiring a powerful rail car management utility. Hundreds of trains generate millions of wheel measurements everyday for Wheel Impact Load Detector (WILD), Hunting Truck Detector (HTD), Train Overload & Imbalance Detector (TOID) and Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) users. The amount of data collected is staggering and often difficult to manage. To properly manage a rail car fleet, as well as assess the long-term effects of impact forces on infrastructure, a centralized database is needed. In response, Salient offers the Wheel Data Management System (WDMS). The rail industry has learned that archiving every vehicle into a central database to track degraded performance is critical to optimizing fleet operations. As Salient's premier knowledge management tool, WDMS works in real-time to log data, sort it into meaningful data sets, and present actionable information to consumers in a clear and concise form.
Salient's automated, secure real-time database provides wide flexibility for any number of information needs. Client railroads use the fully integrated, web browser-based package to access data around-the-clock to plan just-in-time repair scheduling at the most economically viable locations. By tracking poor performance, WDMS enables users to optimize the control and disposition of effected rail cars and improve operating efficiencies. Depending on customer parameters, automated periodic and/or alarming reports are generated for engineering, dispatch, or managerial action.
Another benefit of WDMS includes extensive historical performance trend analysis of train operations. Post derailment analysis can be conducted by reviewing wheels that may have repeatedly exceeded acceptable performance thresholds. Reports can include a rail car's complete operational, maintenance, and impact alarm history. Additionally, any wayside equipment that calls out inspection information can be incorporated into WDMS for analysis and report presentation.
Salient currently provides real-time, tailored WDMS solutions to more than 20 railway companies around the globe.