It is highly desirable for many systems to identify when a component is operating outside of its usual designed range of behaviour, and therefore is in need of maintenance or replacement. For example, when blades on a wind turbine develop cracks, this must be detected and monitored; similarly rail track degrades over time, and visually inspecting extensive networks or regular use of complex measurement trains are major expenses.
PolyChord applies a variety of data-science techniques to analyse large amounts of data from low-cost accelerometers and other sensors, in order to identify outlier behaviour. This affordable and continuous condition-monitoring solution then raise alarms where major issues are identified, and provides a list of all issues, prioritised by their severity, to enable maintenance crews to effectively prioritise their workloads and resources.
Customer Case Study - PolyTrack
Many Tram & Light-Rail companies currently send their staff walking along long stretches of rail to try to spot track defects. This is inefficient and unsafe. Blanket tamping of track is also commonplace, which degrades the track, and reduces its lifetime.
PolyTrack provides affordable track and vehicle monitoring for Tram, Light Rail, and Heavy Rail - detecting faults and prioritizing maintenance needs. With PolyTrack’s cutting-edge data analysis, operators can proactively address track and vehicle issues, enhancing safety and reducing disruptions.
PolyTrack integrates cost-effective accelerometers and GPS sensors to continuously monitor track conditions and vehicle performance. Transferring a host of signal-processing techniques from academia, and integrating information from multiple passes over the same locations, this tool objectively identifies, ranks, and maps faults—like rough rides and track defects—based on severity. PolyTrack empowers maintenance teams with actionable insights and a clear prioritization system, all easily accessible through a secure web-based application.
The PolyTrack tool is in use by West Midlands Metro and Edinburgh Trams, and has been applied for London North-East Rail to investigate issues they were experiencing, that were likely caused by vehicle yaw (a see-sawing of the vehicle's nose and tail in the horizontal plane, i.e. left to right).