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7/29/2016

Exacter Inc.: Predictive maintenance sensors for subways and electric rail systems

Exacter Inc. and the University of Akron have partnered to develop predictive maintenance sensors aimed at preventing failures on subways and electric rail systems.

The sensors were designed to detect and pinpoint deteriorated electrical equipment such as insulators and cables "before they fail catastrophically," officials said in a joint press release. The sensors use radio frequency emissions from deteriorated insulation and equipment to analyze the condition of the systems and are installed on trains and other critical parts of the system.

When an emission meets the criteria for maintenance action, an alert is sent to maintenance teams.

A significant reliability and safety issue facing transit authorities is the failure of underground cables and conductors that interconnect the railway system and railway distribution system. These are a critical part of the infrastructure and are currently impossible to test on a regular basis. 

In response to this problem, the company and the university have developed sensors that continuously evaluate the condition of cable insulation to avoid electrical faults and fires. The sensors pinpoint cables that will fail.

"If you are working to improve the reliability of the rail or subway system electrical infrastructure, we invite your collaboration," said John Lauletta, chief executive officer of Exacter and commercialization leader of the University of Akron Technology Partnership. "We have sensors that are ready to install and test on your rail cars and cables. We also have the flexibility to have our research and development teams customize some of the sensor designs to meet specific challenges or problems."