Development of a universal NDE data interface for the rail industry
22/04/2024
Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods can be used to diagnose the condition of rail infrastructure and vehicles and thus help to optimise maintenance. In order to make different test methods usable in the same way and to be able to develop evaluation algorithms, a universal data interface is required for the integration of NDT systems into central and uniform data management. In preparation for the development of such an interface, the German Centre for Rail Traffic Research (DZSF) started a research project with project partners in November 2023 to create a feasibility study.
NDT procedures such as ultrasonic and eddy current testing make material defects and inhomogeneities in rail infrastructure and vehicles visible. With this information, maintenance can be planned more precisely and the structural design can be improved.
However, manufacturer-specific and therefore incompatible interfaces and data formats are currently used for NDT systems. This makes it more difficult to combine data from different systems and process them further. The aim is to create an open and universal data interface for the integration of NDT systems into central and uniform data management.
The feasibility study is intended to identify technical, regulatory and organisational challenges that need to be solved when implementing a universal NDT data interface. The end result should be a concrete concept for implementing such a universal interface, including an estimate of the implementation effort and the actors required for this. For this purpose, individual interviews are being carried out with the relevant stakeholders and, on this basis, expert workshops with the broad involvement of the railway sector are being held. The central questions of the preliminary study are which work steps need to be carried out to develop a universal NDT interface and which overarching framework conditions need to be created in order to reduce obstacles for stakeholders. The results of the feasibility study should flow directly into a follow-up project to implement an interface.
The NDEface-V research project is being carried out by a consortium consisting of Vrana GmbH, Rimsting, Arxes Engineering GmbH, Eberswalde, and Dimate GmbH, Bochum, under the leadership of the German Centre for Rail Traffic Research. It has received funding of €200,000 (approximately £171,000) in total from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) as part of the mFUND innovation initiative.
As part of the mFUND funding programme, the BMDV has been supporting research and development projects relating to data-based digital innovations for Mobility 4.0 since 2016. Project funding is supplemented by active professional networking between actors from politics, business, administration and research and the provision of open data on the mobile library.
