The Handbook of RAMS in Railway Systems: Theory and Practice addresses the complexity in today's railway systems, which use computers and electromechanical components to increase efficiency while ensuring a high level of safety. RAM (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability) addresses the specifications and standards that manufacturers and operators have to meet. Modeling, implementation, and assessment of RAM and safety requires the integration of railway engineering systems; mathematical and statistical methods; standards compliance; and financial/economic factors. This Handbook brings together a group of experts to present RAM and safety in a modern, comprehensive manner.
The Handbook of RAMS in Railway Systems: Theory and Practice addresses the complexity in today's railway systems, which use computers and electromechanical components to increase efficiency while ensuring a high level of safety. RAM (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability) addresses the specifications and standards that manufacturers and operators have to meet. Modeling, implementation, and assessment of RAM and safety requires the integration of railway engineering systems; mathematical and statistical methods; standards compliance; and financial/economic factors. This Handbook brings together a group of experts to present RAM and safety in a modern, comprehensive manner.
A proper quality of a track and other infrastructure objects represents a basic requirement for train safety and punctuality. Most of the physical systems and their components deteriorate over time. This affects performance and may lead to failures. Albert Einstein said, “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” Only if we understand how the whole system works, taking into account its imperfections and how they influence its quality and performance will we be able to learn the rules of the game and “play better.” The book provides the readers with the necessary functional knowledge of track behaviour and comprehensively covers the function of the various track components, their interaction as elements of the track system, as well as the interaction of the track with railway vehicles. By presenting important tools for a deep understanding of track-behaviour this book aims to be a reference guide for infrastructure managers and to help them to find ways improving track quality for optimum long-term behaviour.
The track structure, rails, switches and crossings account for more than 50% of maintenance and renewal costs for the rail industry. To improve the competitiveness of rail transportation, the cost-efficiency of these areas needs to be addressed. This is the background to INNOTRACK, an integrated research project funded by the European Commission's 6th research framework programme. Running from September 2006 to December 2009, INNOTRACK has developed a multitude of innovative solutions in the areas of track substructure, rails & welds, and switches & crossings. The solutions have been assessed from technical, logistics and life cycle cost point of views.
Light rail trains (LRT) are an important part of public transport but due to perceived high life-cycle costs are not always considered suitable. Life cycle cost reduction might be achieved through a knowledge-based maintenance management rather than just on experience. This work develops limits of maintenance and renewal of LRT systems based on vehicle reactions to the current track quality through measured data, multibody simulations and track geometry indices. An approach based on knowledge would lead to a track condition which allows a safe, comfortable, and under an appropriate maintenance strategy, economically profitable operation.
This book introduces readers to the key provisions of the URRAN-based technical asset management system - a methodology for managing resources and risks by analyzing and ensuring the required levels of reliability and safety in Russia’s railway transport facilities. It describes the architecture of the URRAN information system’s unified corporate platform (UCP URRAN) and its subsystems for infrastructure facilities and rolling stock complexes. It also highlights the UCP URRAN’s prospects for development, especially in the application of artificial intelligence to predict dangerous events in railway transport operation. The book is chiefly intended for specialists engaged in practical work on the technical maintenance of railway transport facilities. It can also be used as a reference guide for students and researchers at railway universities or professionals who are dealing with problems in technical asset management in other industries.
This textbook covers the very wide spectrum of all aspects of railway engineering for all engineering disciplines, in a 'broad brush' way giving a good overall knowledge of what is involved in planning, designing, constructing and maintaining a railway. It covers all types of railway systems including light rail and metro as well as main line. The first edition has proved very popular both with students new to railways and with practicing engineers who need to work in this newly expanding area.In the second edition, the illustrations have been improved and brought up to date, particularly with the introduction of 30 colour pages which include many newly taken photographs. The text has been reviewed for present day accuracy and, where necessary, has been modified or expanded to include reference to recent trends or developments. New topics include automatic train control, level crossings, dot matrix indicators, measures for the mobility impaired, reinforced earth structures, air conditioning, etc. Recent railway experience, both technical and political, has also been reflected in the commentary.
An authoritative guide to the most recent advances in statistical methods for quantifying reliability Statistical Methods for Reliability Data, Second Edition (SMRD2) is an essential guide to the most widely used and recently developed statistical methods for reliability data analysis and reliability test planning. Written by three experts in the area, SMRD2 updates and extends the long- established statistical techniques and shows how to apply powerful graphical, numerical, and simulation-based methods to a range of applications in reliability. SMRD2 is a comprehensive resource that describes maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods for solving practical problems that arise in product reliability and similar areas of application. SMRD2 illustrates methods with numerous applications and all the data sets are available on the book’s website. Also, SMRD2 contains an extensive collection of exercises that will enhance its use as a course textbook. The SMRD2's website contains valuable resources, including R packages, Stan model codes, presentation slides, technical notes, information about commercial software for reliability data analysis, and csv files for the 93 data sets used in the book's examples and exercises. The importance of statistical methods in the area of engineering reliability continues to grow and SMRD2 offers an updated guide for, exploring, modeling, and drawing conclusions from reliability data. SMRD2 features: Contains a wealth of information on modern methods and techniques for reliability data analysis Offers discussions on the practical problem-solving power of various Bayesian inference methods Provides examples of Bayesian data analysis performed using the R interface to the Stan system based on Stan models that are available on the book's website Includes helpful technical-problem and data-analysis exercise sets at the end of every chapter Presents illustrative computer graphics that highlight data, results of analyses, and technical concepts Written for engineers and statisticians in industry and academia, Statistical Methods for Reliability Data, Second Edition offers an authoritative guide to this important topic.
This book surveys reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) analyses of various engineering systems. It highlights their role throughout the lifecycle of engineering systems and explains how RAMS activities contribute to their efficient and economic design and operation. The book discusses a variety of examples and applications of RAMS analysis, including: • software products; • electrical and electronic engineering systems; • mechanical engineering systems; • nuclear power plants; • chemical and process plants and • railway systems. The wide-ranging nature of the applications discussed highlights the multidisciplinary nature of complex engineering systems. The book provides a quick reference to the latest advances and terminology in various engineering fields, assisting students and researchers in the areas of reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety engineering.
This book aims to give the readers a background about the reliability and safety engineering methods as well as discuss the importance of physical asset optimization and asset management during the operational phase applied for railway industry. The book starts describing the basic concept of reliability and safety engineering, RAMS and LCC program and process. In addition, the big challenges of the RAMS and LCC program implementation as well as the reliability pitfalls are also listed in the first chapter. The further chapters describe in detail the most importance methods applied in the RAMS and LCC program such as Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM), Quantitative Accelerated Life Test (QALT), High Accelerated Life Test (HALT), Life Time Data Analysis (LDA), Reliability, Availability, Maintainability Analysis (RAM), Human Reliability Analysis (HRA), Integrated Logistic Support (ILS), risk analysis methods and asset management. In each chapter some case studies are presented to clarify the theoretical concepts. I hope you enjoy it and its enable you to put in practice some of the methods described here in your daily professional activities in railway industry.