Geometrical Degradation Analysis of Railway Turnouts Using Power Spectral Density

Abstract

This paper examines the application of power spectral density (PSD) in turnout geometrical degradation analysis. Power spectral density in the form of a continuous curve can show track irregularities through wavelength and amplitude. The longitudinal level parameter measurements of four turnouts from Swedish railways are selected. ProVal software is used for PSD implementation. The PSD curves of the actual measurements are compared to PSD standards programmed in MATLAB. The results show that PSD can demonstrate turnout geometrical condition by means of wavelength and spectral density, providing more information regarding the nature of faults in turnouts. It is also able to demonstrate the condition of turnout sections separately and determine which section needs corrective maintenance. Thus, using PSD helps identify the need for corrective maintenance more precisely; this type of maintenance is important because it deals with safety-related defects. The knowledge obtained by PSD is helpful when planning corrective maintenance activities to rectify geometrical faults in turnouts of a line, reducing the time and money spent on maintenance.