Zetica’s Advanced Rail Radar (ZARR) solution to augment inspection trains
Zetica’s Advanced Rail Radar (ZARR) system comprises high frequency (2GHz) and low frequency (400MHz) antennas controlled by an intelligent data capture system (ZRDAS). Antennas can be mounted in any suitable space beneath a rail-bound vehicle, including within the bogies (trucks).
ZARR provides the following unique features and benefits:
- Network wide assessment of ballast fouling to assist in the planning of capital maintenance programs (e.g. ballast cleaning, shoulder cleaning & stone blowing).
- Monitoring the growth of ballast pockets over time. This facilitates preventative maintenance to be carried out on structures susceptible to settlement.
- Measurement of subtle changes in moisture build up within trackbed pre- and post- rainfall events. These changes, combined with Zetica’s unique GPR-derived free draining layer (FDL) metric, highlight trackbed with poor drainage and facilitates preventative maintenance work to be carried out.
- Quality control (QC) of trackbed maintenance work to confirm the extent and quality of the work carried out. This helps to improve the performance of maintenance teams.
- Diagnosis of track geometry exceptions caused by subsurface trackbed faults such as ballast pockets, fouled ballast, mud spots and wet beds. This reduces delay times finding the root cause of problems and optimises the effectiveness of the repair.
