MEASURING TROLLEY FOR TRACK GEOMETRY "KRAB"

OttoDittmann GmbH
Eisenbahnmaterial
Walzwerkerzeugnisse
Import - Transit - Export
Haffkamp 12 D 23743 Groemitz
Fon: +49 4562 / 66 92
Fax: +49 4562 / 26 67 25
mail@gleisbaustoffe.de
www.gleisbaustoffe.de

The KRAB system has been designed to complete the larger and more sophisticated measuring cars, and it
is ideally to be used on secondary routes, sidings, switch points and for new track acceptance. The
measurement speed is limited to approx. 15 km/h. The trolley has a triangular bogie which is made from
steel and duralumin profiles. The trolley is provided by telescopic measuring axe. The electrically insulated
wheels have separate tyre and flange in order to remove different circumferential velocity. The wheel
surface treatment is executed in hard chrome. The trolley surface finish is yellow powder paint. On-board
computer has enough memory for at least 1000 km; its battery works 8 hours without charging. The trolley
has versatile adjustable nominal gauge in wide range as option (for example 14351668mm).
Trolley design

Geometric quantity to be measured

During the measuring running

the following track
parameters are scanned:

Vertical alignment -Top (waveband 1 25m)

Horizontal alignment ( waveband 1 25m)
Gauge
Gauge change per 1m

Resolution

Uncertainty

Range(2)

0.1 mm
0.1 mm
0.1 mm
0.1 mm

1 mm
1.5 mm
0.6 mm(1)
0.5 mm

-15 +12 mm
25 mm
-15 +55 mm
-

Cant (the relative value for twist calculation)

0.1 mm
1 mm (0.7(3) )
Cant ( the absolute value)
0.2 mm
2 mm (1.7(3 ))
180 mm
Twist
0.1 mm
1.4 mm (1(3) )
13 mm
Track distance
1 mm
1
no limits
(1) including effect of temperature, (2) range of the primary values, (3) with arm of quasi-twist

Transducers to be used
The trolley uses contact LVTD potential sensors combined with an
electronic pendulum device.
An IRC sensor is used for track length measuring. Especial attention
is awarded to the selection of asymmetrical chord length
alignment (horizontal versines)
of right rail
level (vertical versines) of right rail
gauge
cant
twist on base 0.975m
rail length
Back gauge (turnout application)

In real time the following derived geometric signals are computed:

twist for selectable length of chord
radius R
gauge change per 1m

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Krab 2006-06-30-english.doc

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On board computer
The real time processing of signals from the sensors is performed by the on-board computer
whereby the following items are warranted:
reading and scanning of signals given
above
on-line processing of the signals:
- anti-aliasing
- smoothing of long wave part
- optical and acoustical signalling when
the geometry data exceed the
selectable thresholds
display of numerical values of the
geometry data
entry of the geometry data into nonerasable storage of on-board computer
at the distance 0.25m. The measuring
distance is depending on memory
amount of the measuring computer
entry of the informational description of
the track section to be measured
entry so called events (mud spots in
The example of track geometry graph printed by assessment software
ballast, damaged sleepers etc.) with
exact position along the distance
Assessment of the collected data
After the measuring, the collected raw
geometry data are transferred from the onboard computer into any PC computer.
Sophisticated
assessment
software
computes so called actual geometry (with
unit transfer function) in the waveband
=125m
via
FFT
(Fast
Fourier
Transformation) technique. Thus the
following items are available:
actual alignment and level in waveband
=125m
separation of all geometric signal into
long wave (>25m) and short wave
(<25m) parts.
so called section assessment - statistic
evaluation of the track geometry based
on standard deviation and quality index
table of local failure sprinting of
geometrical lay and tables

The example of track quality assessment per 100m section

The basic technical data:

Mass:

65 kg basic duralumin version

working temperature: -555 C.

we reserve ourselves the right of technical changes

Krab 2006-06-30-english.doc