VAE - Points Technology for Railways, Underground Railways and Tramways

VAE is the world market leader in turnout technology for railways, underground railways and tramways. VAE is system provider within the switch area and in system-inherent monitoring - securing and drive units and competent engineering and service partner for planning, establishment and operation.

The company achieves optimum product standards in 20 factories in Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia. This corporate siting policy ensures proximity to customers and an optimised response to the specific requirements of railway organisations and track operators as well as providing broad experience of all loading and speed conditions.

TURNOUTS, LAYOUTS COMPONENTS

The VAE group designs and manufactures complete layouts, turnouts and turnout components such as crossings and switch devices, crossovers, double slips, etc. according to international standards or specific customer requirements. For every application, including high-speed, heavy haul, urban and commuting transport, in all available rail profiles and required gauges.

Worldwide, more than 150 technical experts are employed in engineering departments to guarantee optimised designs, perfect geometry and outstanding customised solutions. Numerous patents and a high level of know-how ensure the very best standards for all VAE turnouts.

INTELLIGENT PLUG-AND-PLAY TURNOUT SYSTEMS

The new system concept for turnouts:

Traditional supply and in-track assemblies require: Availability of assembling places in the proximity of the installation site as well as long installation times and thus long closed track. Traditional setting and detecting units can not be pre-mounted and delivered as a complete system. Especially in the case of wide-curve turnouts with their many drive positions, which often require a large amount of space and are difficult to adjust.

Our innovative solution is the HYDROSTAR Hydraulic Setting System which can drive up to twelve adjustment positions via a hydraulic drive system.

The Hydraulic Setting Device HYDROSTAR can be pre-assembled, adjusted and tested in the workshop and and plug-and-play delivered to the track. The tracklaying of the pre-assembled turnout can be done in a very short time. Easy, quick and low maintenance of the system causes low LCC, high safety and reliability of the turnout.

HYDROSTAR is an integrated modular solution for each required function of the system:

• Integrated in a Hollow Sleeper, makes machine tamping of switch device possible
• Encapsulated Locking (SPHEROLOCK-principle)
• Hydraulic Transmitting (HYDROLINK-principle, replaces mechanical connection rods)
• Electronic Detection by VAE IS 2000

With the additional Electronic remote turnout monitoring system VAE ROADMASTER 2000 the so called intelligent turnout becomes reality: Contactless inductive and strain gauge sensors measure, monitor and report the condition of the turnout's critical items.

The VAE ROADMASTER 2000 Turnout Monitoring System continuously measures the operating status of a set of turnouts and communicates this data to a monitoring centre. Whole railway stations and even entire stretches of rail track can be monitored centrally in this manner. Condition based planning of maintenance helps to increase safety and availability of track, the productivity of the railway company and to optimise the use of spare parts.

ENGINEERING AND OPTIMISATION OF TURNOUT GEOMETRY

Optimized switch geometry, tangential design:

• Layout Geometry (e.g. circular, spirals, patented asymmetric clothoids)
• Kinematic Gauge Optimization KGO (patented) for special applications (self-steering-effect)
• Wheel Contact Geometry (Delta-Kappa, constant rolling radius difference for different wheel positions)

Switch Geometry optimization by use of:

• Multibody-dynamic vehicle simulation as mass-spring-damper-system and track with variable sections
• Computer Aided Design
• Finite Element analysis