Russia Develops a Digital Twin of a Train’s Braking System
The system is designed to increase speed, safety, and the efficiency of train operations.
At Irkutsk State Transport University, researchers have learned how to model and predict the performance of a train’s braking system in real time, according to Russia’s Federal Agency for Railway Transport.
A System Built Around Three Modules
As Pavel Ivanov, head of the university’s Technology Transfer Center, explained, the digital twin of the braking system is specialized software installed on the onboard computer of a freight locomotive. System parameters are fed in via virtual sensors.
One module, Sovetnik Mashinista (Driver Advisor), forecasts different trip scenarios. Based on parameters set by the locomotive driver, it builds a mathematical model of the freight train’s motion. A diagnostics module, meanwhile, uses virtual sensors to transmit data to the digital twin, enabling the early detection of faults.
The technology has been tested during runs on Ermak-series electric locomotives on the East Siberian Railway.
