Case Study: the Impact of Defective Wheelset Tracking Position on Wheel Life

VLI SA manages approximately 8,000km of railway network in Brazil, and operates intermodal rolling stock. VLI has been monitoring the condition of bogies using a range of wayside monitoring technologies.

VLI has undertaken an analysis of specific bogie geometry metrics, principally the lateral position of wheelsets when at line speed, and symptomatic damages shown on the wheelsets and bogie components. This paper describes these findings and illustrates the inter-relationship between defective bogie geometry and the physical condition of components.