Design and development of wagon load monitoring system using fibre Bragg grating sensor

The railway transportation system aims at optimal performance, lower energy usage, longer service availability, and high safety levels. This can be achieved by using smart monitoring technologies that do not disrupt train operations and increase passenger comfort. Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors on rail allows real time conditional monitoring of train parameters such as speed, wagon weight, axle count of the trains. This paper presents a weigh-in-motion system using optical sensors, for 1:3 downscale train test rig, which measures the dynamic axle loads of the train and calculate the related static values. The response of the wheel-rail interaction is measured and signal is processed in MATLAB to produce a calibration coefficient, 536.1 kg/nm that directly reflects wagon load for different loaded and unloaded conditions of the laboratory train. The results show that fiber Bragg grating sensor which is electromagnetic immune system is a viable alternative to axle load detection systems with a sensitivity of 1.36 pm/mu epsilon. The technology improves the efficiency of maintenance management and monitoring the wagons over weight condition in real time to prevent train derailment.