DIN EN 15437-2:2012-12

Failed wheelset bearings on rolling stock create a hazard to the safe operation of the railway. If a bearing fails while rolling stock is in service there is the potential for a catastrophic event. A catastrophic event may result in fatalities, severe damage to rolling stock and/or the infrastructure and a risk that rolling stock may derail and/or a fire may develop. One indication that a bearing is about to fail is a rise in the heat generated by the bearing. Bearings that are about to fail may, therefore, be detected by monitoring their temperature to identify an unacceptable rise. This part of EN 15437 covers the monitoring of axlebox bearing temperature by on-board monitoring systems. According to the application, these may be considered to be basic systems or advanced systems. In most cases, rolling stock axleboxes continue to be monitored by trackside Hot AxleBox Detectors [HABD] which is the subject of Part 1 of EN 15437. The monitoring system is fitted on the rolling stock and is able to function autonomously from trackside monitoring systems which are ground-based. In contrast to trackside monitoring systems, the detection characteristic may be adapted to the particular vehicle design, such that the alarm levels employed can be configured depending on the bearing properties, sensor arrangement, vehicle type, network characteristics, etcetera. The use of on-board monitoring may also provide a solution for overcoming constraints related to bogie design or other aspects of vehicle design or operation which may prevent effective monitoring by means of the trackside monitoring systems. Other devices which apply functionally equivalent alternatives (for example, based on the principle of vibration monitoring) may be available and normalized elsewhere, such as in other parts of this series of European Standards.