SBIR Phase I: Long-Term Railcar-Mounted Wheel Bearing Monitors

The broader/commercial impact of this SBIR Phase I project is in improving the efficiency and safety of railroads by accelerating the commercialization of long-term railcar-mounted wheel bearing monitors. These devices can provide live temperature monitoring of railcar wheel bearings in transit, enabling railroads to proactively prevent derailments caused by overheating of bearings.

This technology could dramatically reduce the economic impact of damaged equipment and infrastructure: the 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio which inspired this innovation resulted in over $2 billion in damages. Furthermore, these devices can be deployed at a cost of at least two orders of magnitude lower than the cost of existing track-based defect detectors, providing railroads with a far better solution at a lower cost.

The potential benefits of this technology extend beyond railroad finances: many trains carry hazardous materials, and derailments run the risk of spilling carcinogens and other toxic substances, damaging ecosystems and harming nearby communities. This innovation can drastically lower the risk of these catastrophes.

The intellectual merit of this project stems from its goal of ascertaining the effectiveness of wheel bearing monitors deployed on railcars long-term. The primary innovation inherent in this project is the monitoring device, which will be designed to withstand the harsh environment of railroad use, update sensor readings over a cellular connection, and recharge in transit via a novel axial flux generator harvesting energy from the rotation of the railcar’s axle.

The research objectives revolve around quantifying sensor durability on a railcar truck, axial flux generator feasibility in railroad IoT devices, wireless sensor network reliability in a railroad environment, and digital temperature sensor accuracy and response time on a railcar wheel bearing. It is anticipated that the technical results of this research will conclusively demonstrate that wheel bearing monitors of this type are suitable for long-term deployment in a railroad environment.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.