Vehicle-Track-Interaction Measurements as a Basis for Continuous Infrastructure Monitoring (CIM) and for the Development of Digital Twins

Abstract

Measurement systems on regular scheduled trains to record the vehicle-track-interaction, opens up new possibilities for the railways. On the one hand for the railway companies and on the other hand for the rail infrastructure companies. These systems reduce investment costs and increase the actuality of the recorded data. The quality of the railway infrastructure is evaluated from the measured vehicle-trackinteraction. Such systems are in operation at Deutsche Bahn AG since 2004. The quality of the infrastructure is continuously monitored, repair works can be planned in a targeted manner and the quality and sustainability of repair works can be checked. With the support of this system, the quality and reliability of railway operations can be increased significantly. The data of the vehicle-track-interaction is also used for the development of digital twins for vehicles and infrastructure. In this way, the stress on individual components in the area of the chassis can be determined. This enables simulation models to be verified.