Remote Condition Monitoring for Point Machine
Availability of point machine is an essential requirement for railway transport. Point machine maintenance is routinely undertaken at fixed intervals and point related failures are time-consuming and most expensive disruptions. Periodic maintenance is not necessarily adequate. Real-time condition monitoring of point machines enables predictive maintenance and eliminates disruptions to rail services.
- Increases availability of point machine.
- Meantime to repair is reduced as insight into the failure is provided by a remote condition monitoring system.
- Reduces maintenance cost and the repair is done the first time right.
- Increases point machine life and safety of time movements.
- By understanding the error, the maintenance time will be reduced based on the state of equipment.
- Real-time condition monitoring data send to remote area or Control room without going to shut in critical condition.
- Based on RCM data the failures will predicted before it occurs.
- Equipment is attended by the Technician before it fails.
- Maintenance of inventory can be customized on need basis, reducing the cost of unused inventory
Obstruction
Point obstructed between switch and stock rails
Power supply failure
Power Supply not extended to point machine
Friction clutch problem
Sufficient force not applied to switch rails due to faulty friction clutch
Detection failure
Detection could not take place due to External power supply failure
Inadequate Spring
Not able to apply sufficient pressure on the closed switch rail
Carbon brushes worn out
Point machine unable to draw uniform current
- Point machine current
- Point operating voltage at location and station equipment room
- Point operating relays
- Point detection relays
- Crank handle relays
- Point detection voltage at station equipment room
- Point operating voltage at station equipment room
- Point operating supply leakage – through potential free contact of Earth Leakage Detector
- Point detection supply leakage – through potential free contact of Earth Leakage Detector