Vibration Analysis of a Railcar/Rail System using Inertial Sensors Mounted on Axle Boxes

Measurements acquired from the inertial sensors installed on axle boxes of a railcar do not describe just the rail flaws; these measurements also contain signals caused by the wheel defects, hanging sleepers, and other periodic effects. It is necessary to separate the part of the signal related to the defect from what is caused by other effects in order to more accurately determine the defect's parameters. The vibration analysis of the system must be performed for this purpose. The article is devoted to the influence of parametric, periodic, and random excitation on the car-rail oscillatory system.