Senceive, which provides wireless condition monitoring technology for infrastructure protection and asset management, has partnered with the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO) at its centre in the West Midlands.
BCIMO operates the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre (VLRNIC), a unique centre for rail innovation in Dudley. In 2023, Senceive began using the world-class facility to test its sensor technology in a real-world environment.
The wireless condition monitoring specialist aimed to evaluate current and new technologies, test products in new applications, train staff in the use of new products, and demonstrate products to new clients.
Senceive has been utilising the VLRNIC’s Rail Development & Test Site for this testing activity, and its Meeting & Event Spaces for training and demonstrations. The centre’s combined offering enables companies to develop, test, commercialise, and demonstrate current and future rail technologies in a single location.
It has also been awarded licence exemption from the Office of Rail and Road, meaning that organisations can avoid the challenges and costs associated with testing products on the main line railway and in several different locations.
Senceive has installed a range of its sensor products along the Rail Development and Test Site’s 2.2km rail test track, including on the track bed, embankments, and 870m tunnel. Test and monitoring studies undertaken include assessments of:
• Track geometry, looking at changes such as cant (the amount by which one rail is raised above the other rail) and twist (the difference of the track cant between one point of measurement and another along the track)
• Track buckle (where the rail expands and starts to curve horizontally). Network Rail is currently working with Senceive on a research project examining the impact of rising temperatures/increased stress on rails and how this affects the likelihood of track buckle. The aim is to improve track buckle detection using automated methods to supplement the current approach which is reliant on watchmen observing track movement.
• Stability of earthwork slopes.
• The maximum range from sensor node to communications gateway. A 1km range has been established which means that key elements of the monitoring package can be setup well away from the track, in places that are safer and easier to access and may provide a stronger cellular network signal.
Discussing Senceive’s partnership with BCIMO, Dominic Kisz, Head of Product Management at Senceive, said: “Monitoring technology has evolved significantly over the last 20-25 years; it used to be an insurance policy, whereas now asset managers are using it proactively to manage their assets.
“Our products are being used on several major projects to safely monitor high-risk assets, providing rich data to inform decision making and mitigate risks. In Sussex and Wessex alone, Network Rail have more than 40km of track being monitored, so the scale of monitoring technology rollout is rapidly scaling up.
“There is a movement towards installing sensors at the design stage, creating ‘intelligent infrastructure’ as a better way to extend asset life. We are excited about promoting an understanding of the wider value of this
Dominic added: “We have a growing roadmap of innovation requiring development, test and demonstration activity and the VLRNIC provides the perfect location for this. We’ve been both impressed and really pleased since setting out on this journey with BCIMO. They have been very accommodating to our requests and across our business; all who’ve attended have been thoroughly impressed with the facility. We really see a long-term partnership with the team and want to continue to build on this.”
Since 2005, Senceive has been bringing intelligent wireless condition monitoring to the rail, mining, infrastructure, and construction industries. It both designs and manufactures solutions, as well as investing in research and development. This approach involves nurturing a culture of continuous improvement and invention to ensure that possibilities for intelligent monitoring are harnessed and customer problems are solved.
In the rail sector, wireless condition monitoring can be used to help the industry better understand the attributes and performance of its assets so it can make better decisions, thereby improving the running and efficiency of the railways. Assets include track, earthworks and embankments, and tunnels, bridges, and other structures
For more information on wireless condition monitoring visit the Senceive website.
For more information on the VLRNIC please visit the BCIMO website or contact BCIMO to make an enquiry.
