POWERVE®

Testing and validation specialists often hold the belief that portable weighing solutions cannot rival the performance of fixed stationary systems, particularly when it comes to the precise measurement of the static distribution of vertical forces on wheels and wheelsets (QF0s), rather than mere “commercial weight” purposes. This belief, however, has been upended by the introduction of the POWERVE® solution.
With POWERVE®, transporting rolling stock to a fixed weighing system is no longer necessary. Instead, POWERVE® can be brought directly to the rolling stock site. This lightweight, portable weighing solution delivers outstanding accuracy and repeatability, comparable to the finest fixed weighing systems available, while revolutionizing and optimizing the measurement process.
Easily transportable, even by airplane, POWERVE® eliminates the costs associated with moving rolling stock to the nearest certified fixed weighing site, while still providing certified results. It represents a paradigm shift in wheel contact force measuring systems.
POWERVE® is the only hand-portable industrial solution that has achieved certified compliance with EN 15654-2:2019. It performs certified and direct measurements of QF0s at the wheel/rail tread level, overcoming the limitations and uncertainties associated with measurements taken from other commonly used points, such as the wheel flange or axle-box level.
While portable weighing systems have existed for over 30 years, none have matched the accuracy and performance levels of fixed stationary weighing solutions while offering hand-portable convenience—until now. POWERVE® stands as the premier certified equipment for demonstrating correct wheel load distribution of any rolling stock, fully compliant with EN 15654-2 and LOC&PAS TSI requirements. The equipment’s compliance with EN 15654-2:2019 and EN 50215 standards, along with its operational safety, has been certified by ITALCERTIFER, a leading NoBo and railway laboratory in Italy. This certification is an official validation from a third-party accredited entity, not merely a self-declaration.
POWERVE® enables certified, highly reproducible measurements that are fully traceable and compliant with EN 15654-2:2019. These measurements are independent of operator adjustments and provide digital results as proof of vehicle balance before operating on track infrastructures. This disruptive solution enhances operational safety, optimizes maintenance processes, and increases the sustainability of the railway industry through the innovative approaches unlocked by POWERVE®—truly a Copernican revolution!

Why Choose POWERVE®?

• Unmatched Accuracy and Repeatability: POWERVE® offers performance comparable to the best fixed stationary weighing systems, ensuring precise and reliable measurements.
• Portability and Convenience: No more transporting rolling stock to fixed weighing sites. Bring POWERVE® directly to your location, saving time and costs.
• Certified Compliance: POWERVE® is the only hand-portable solution with certified compliance to EN 15654-2:2019 & EN 50215, certified by ITALCERTIFER.
• Versatility: Ideal for vehicle authorization, testing, validation, maintenance, and safety investigations, and for all the applications requiring EN 15654-2 reference values of the QF0s.
• Digital and Traceable: Provides certified, highly reproducible measurements, fully traceable and compliant with EN 15654-2:2019 standards. Remotely accessible and analyzable.

Join the Revolution Today!

POWERVE® is transforming how the railway industry performs wheel load distribution measurements. It’s not just a tool; it’s a game-changer. With POWERVE®, you can:

• Improve safety
• Reduce operational costs
• Increase efficiency
• Ensure compliance

Revolutionary Features:

• Portable and lightweight, yet as accurate as fixed systems.
• Direct measurements of QF0s at the wheel/rail tread level.
• Automatic checks to eliminate human error during the whole measurement process.

SWAN

SWAN is characterised as a track wayside system capable of monitoring the wheels of a train as it passes. For this purpose, SWAN recognises the specific train and individual wheel so that measurements are associated with each of the wheels in different transits. In this way, SWAN is able to make comparisons for each of the wheels over time. The system measures the vibration produced by the complete rolling of each wheel on the track and extracts a synthetic parameter called Quality Wheel Index (QWI). This parameter is indicative of:

• the level of uniformity of the wheel tread circumference;
• certain mechanical aspects of the wheel connection with the mechanical parts of the bogie;
• the running dynamics in terms of wheel-rail interaction

The characteristics of:

• high spatial resolution in the measurement of a wheel on the entire tread circumference;
• high repeatability of the measurement;

allow to obtain particularly useful information useful for both condition-based and, in some cases, predictive maintenance improvement to:

• safety;
• operation optimization.

Thanks to its unique features, SWAN allows to detect wheelflats, polygonization, ovalization at early stage and to monitor its evolution overtime. This allows to execute optimized reprofiling activities, on-condition and predictive maintenance based, allowing to extend wheel lifespan!

OCTOPUS®

OCTOPUS® is a sophisticated vibration monitoring technology measured on the wheel axle-boxes of two consecutive bogies of a rolling stock. Vibrations are produced during train operation by the wheel-rail interaction and are a function of multiple factors related to:

• the quality of the rail;
• the quality of the wheel and bogie;
• the running dynamics.

The OCTOPUS system is able to:

• associate the measured vibration footprint with the point on the track infrastructure with great accuracy;
• obtain high repeatability and reproducibility of the measurement;
• compare the evolution over time of the accelerometer footprint measured at a particular point on the track infrastructure.

These features allow the system to monitor a possible degradation of one or more of its influencing elements.
OCTOPUS does not properly represent a diagnostic system both because there are no existing standards and threshold values to refer to and because the factors on which the measurement depends are multiple and difficult to classify.
OCTOPUS identifies ongoing degradation conditions and follows their evolution over time in order to decide on the need for in-depth and corrective maintenance.
OCTOPUS requires minimal maintenance and can therefore be used in regular operating trains services that continuously run on the same routes so as to provide the operator with a valuable maintenance support.