On-line multipoint measurements using the Kreuzer circuit in large-scale tests on a railway coach body of modular design

The article describes load tests carried out for this purpose on a railway coach body and the measurement of the load-dependent deformation.

The safety of railway coaches is of interest in all countries where rail travel takes place and therefore the requirements of the International Railway Union must be satisfied as defined in test specifications.

The article describes load tests carried out for this purpose on a railway coach body and the measurement of the load-dependent deformation. The measurement signals from force, displacement and pressure transducers and from 150 strain gages were evaluated in a PC connected on-line to computer-controlled multipoint instruments.
During the loading cycle the measurements from all the measuring points could be observed on the monitor, enabling decisions to be immediately taken regarding the on-going test sequence. The strain gages were configured in the Kreuzer circuit as single strain gages which avoided erroneous effects due to long lengths of lead.