Bombardier achieves 8 times faster validation of wagon ride and safety with nCode GlyphWorks

The Bombardier Derby Test Facility undertaking a vehicle sway test on an Electrostar® train. The sway test validates computer model calculations for dynamic vehicle movements on curved track.

Manual data analysis was time-consuming

The next step is removing the extreme high and low values from each time history outside the range of plus or minus three standard deviations from the mean (from the 0.15% percentile value to the 99.85% percentile value). Then comes a cumulative frequency analysis that determines how many times each acceleration value occurs at each frequency. A further statistical analysis of the statistically processed data is then performed in Microsoft Excel to determine the absolute maximum and minimum, mean, and standard deviation of each time history. These values are then compared to the values in the BS EN 14363 standard to determine whether or not the wagon complies with the standard.

A large amount of time was once required to analyze the 80 different time histories when following the required five different processes. It took about 2 hours to process each of the time histories using retired nCode software, nSoftE, and Microsoft Excel for a total of about 160 hours, or four weeks. This does not include the time required to select the specific time histories involving curved or straight track since they are selected manually. Checks of the data were required at each stage of the manual process to ensure the quality of the resulting data against the required standard.

Bombardier Transportation has upgraded to GlyphWorks software as its platform to automate test data analysis because of its visual approach to logical construction of flows that eliminates the need to write code or learn a programming language.