Digital switch 2 – Autonomous and continuous condition monitoring

The digitalisation and automation of condition monitoring and forecasting in the area of rail infrastructure is one of the decisive factors in maintaining and expanding the performance of the rail network in the long term while reducing maintenance and repair costs at the same time. DB Netz AG is therefore currently pursuing a consistent strategy with the aim of establishing predictive maintenance as a central component of asset management in technical and regulatory terms. As part of the Digital Switch 2 project, BREUER GmbH is working with various project participants to develop a sensor and analysis system for monitoring various fault conditions on the switch superstructure. The system to be developed is to be rolled out step by step on 650 operational points in the Deutsche Bahn network and tested and evaluated in practical operation over several years. In this context, the DLR Institute of Transportation Systems is responsible for the prototype development and testing of the necessary data analysis and diagnostic algorithms based on modern methods of digital signal analysis and artificial intelligence. BREUER Nachrichtentechnik GmbH is providing the sensor technology, which is primarily based on vibration measurements, and the data management.