Patent ID: 11947881
Assignee: LORAM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  B  E | IPC B  E  G

Claim 13:
14. A method for maintaining a train track, the method comprising:
modeling wear in a rail of the train track due to an estimated train traffic in order to provide maintenance recommendations for the train track by:
obtaining a train wheel profile of a train car;
providing two or more sets of maintenance parameters, each set of maintenance parameters including:
a rail profile with a crack profile;
grinding parameters;
lubrication properties; and
rail material properties;
wherein at least one pair of correspondence maintenance parameters in the two or more sets of maintenance parameters is different from one another;

for each of the at least two sets of maintenance parameters:
generating a contact model of an interaction between the rail profile and a wheel of a train based on the rail profile, the train wheel profile, and the estimated train traffic on the rail;
generating a wear model based on the material properties and/or lubrication properties;
generating a crack growth model based on the rail profile and the crack profile, wherein
the crack growth model includes generating a finite element model based on the rail material properties, wherein the finite element model describes a grain structure of the rail of the train track and represents polycrystalline properties of the rail of the train track, and wherein generating the finite element model includes generating a random microstructure instance using a tessellation and meshing the random microstructure instance with a convex polygon,
the finite element model includes a plurality of elements corresponding to portions of the grain structure of the rail, and
each element of the plurality of elements includes one or more functions defining a behavior of the rail material properties, wherein the rail material properties include a brittleness of the rail of the train track;

performing a wear simulation using the rail profile for a predetermined time period by:
running the contact model to produce a simulated loading on the rail, wherein the simulated loading represents a passage of the wheel of the train;
running the wear model to produce a simulated wear profile based on the simulated loading;
running the crack growth model using the rail profile, the crack profile, the finite element model and the simulated loading to produce a simulated crack growth profile for the predetermined time period, wherein running the crack growth model using the finite element model includes modeling stresses in the grain structure for the predetermined time period; and
generating an updated rail profile by modifying the rail profile by the simulated wear profile and the crack growth profile;

repeating the wear simulation iteratively by using, in each subsequent wear simulation, the updated rail profile generated during the previous wear simulation until a final updated rail profile exceeds a predetermined wear limit for the rail or the updated crack profile exceeds a predetermined crack growth fail limit, wherein the predetermined time period of the wear simulation is one month or less, and wherein the predetermined wear limit includes a wear fail limit; and
calculating a rail life time until the final rail profile exceeds the predetermined wear limit or the updated crack profile exceeds a predetermined crack growth fail limit, wherein the rail life time is at least one year;

comparing a cost value for each set of maintenance parameters, the cost value based on maintenance costs associated with the corresponding set of maintenance parameters;
selecting the set of maintenance parameters with the lowest cost value; and

removing a material from the rail using a grinding machine in accordance with the selected set of maintenance parameters.