Axle bearings may constitute a critical component with regards to safety due to the fact that they can present sudden failures. Hot box detectors are wayside devices that aim at identifying axle bearings with a high potential of failure. Therefore, it is important to place these sensors along the network in order to minimize the risk of axle bearing failures that could derive in train derailments.
How many and where to install these wayside devices depends on the requirements of each country and on the available investment capacity. However, there is no tool in the market that helps the Infrastructure Managers to prioritize locations for hot box detectors. In this context, the OPTIBOX tool that is presented in this article appears as useful and easy-to-use tool to guide Infrastructure Managers in the selection of the most appropriate locations for hot box detectors according to historical data of the line and its main relevant characteristics, such as speed, type of trains or volume of traffic.

Axle bearings ; Hot box detectors; railway monitoring