Infrastructure Owners
Vehicle dynamics software has traditionally been used to address vehicle dynamics issues. But modern software packages such as VAMPIRE® Pro have a wealth of applications relating directly to the design & management of railway infrastructure:
- they can help optimise factors affecting wheel / rail wear, and track component life
- they can be used as a key part of the design process for Switches & Crossings (i.e. points)
- they can help understand the cause(s) of derailments and to develop effective means of preventing re-occurance
- they can be used as a tool to better target track maintenance while reducing overall derailment risk
In the UK, simulation has been an effective tool for developing and enhancing the UK’s vehicle acceptance standards for derailment, to design switches that will work with significantly higher axle loads, whilst providing enhanced maintainability and increased life and to predict wear rates and the development of Rolling Contact Fatigue in both wheels or rails.
Dynamics can help infrastructure owners to maximise track life and help to manage the cost of infrastructure maintenance in a number of ways such as:
- the optimisation of wheel and rail profiles which can pay dividends in terms of reduced track damage (as well as resulting in extended wheel life)
- a key component of strategic models to establish the financial impact of changes to the wheel / rail interface
- a key analysis tool to predict wheel wear & Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) for a range of service vehicles over entire routes