Patent ID: 11893322
Assignee: LORAM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  B  E | IPC B  E  G

Claim 17:
18. A method for maintaining a train track, the method comprising:
modeling wear in a rail of a train track due to an estimated train traffic by:
configuring a computer-based system to predict wear in the rail of the train track, the computer-based system comprising:
an input device operable to receive material properties of the rail, a rail profile of the rail, and a set of maintenance parameters, including at least one of a grinding profile for at least one grinding operation to be performed on the rail to produce artificial wear or an application of a friction modifier to be applied to the rail;
an output device operable to convey wear information relating to the rail;
memory operable to store the material properties of the rail, the rail profile of the rail, a train wheel profile of a wheel of a train car, and computer-executable instructions including wear prediction processes; and
a processor;

predicting wear in the rail with the computer-based system according to the wear prediction processes of the computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to predict wear in the rail by:
generating a contact model of the interaction between the rail and the train car based on the rail profile, the train wheel profile, and the estimated train traffic on the rail;
running the contact model to produce a simulated loading on the rail for a predetermined time period using the rail profile;
generating a wear model based on the material properties and/or properties of the friction modifier on the rail during the predetermined time;
running the wear model using the rail profile and the simulated loading from the contact model to produce a simulated wear profile of the rail for the predetermined time period;
generating an updated rail profile by modifying the rail profile by the simulated wear profile and/or the grinding profile, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to repeat iteratively with the updated rail profile and subsequent updated rail profiles for corresponding subsequent predetermined time periods the following steps until a final subsequent updated rail profile exceeds a predetermined wear limit for the rail:
running the contact model to produce a subsequent simulated loading, wherein the predetermined time period of the contact model is one month or less;
running the wear model to produce a subsequent simulated wear profile based on the subsequent simulated loading, wherein the predetermined time period of the wear model is one month or less; and
generating the subsequent updated rail profile by modifying the prior updated rail profile by the subsequent simulated wear profile and the grinding profile; and

calculating a wear time until the final subsequent updated rail profile is reached, wherein the wear time is at least one year;

wherein predicting wear in the rail includes calculating a corresponding wear time for each of a plurality of sets of maintenance parameters, the plurality of sets of maintenance parameters including a first set of maintenance parameters and a second set of maintenance parameters, a first wear time corresponding to the wear time until the final subsequent updated rail profile is reached based on the first set of maintenance parameters and a second wear time corresponding to the wear time until the final subsequent updated rail profile is reached based on the second set of maintenance parameters; and

maintenance-parameters-maintaining the rail according to one of the first set of maintenance parameters or the second set of maintenance parameters having the longest wear time.