A pragmatic approach to the condition monitoring of hydraulic level crossing barriers

This study started with a full failure mode and effects analysis covering the 13 required functions of a barrier machine, the respective modes in which failure can occur, and, finally, their effects and the maintenance tasks they necessitate. Voltage, current, displacement, and pressure signals were then monitored at barriers on five sites in the UK, and both upper and lower thresholds were calculated for the purpose of condition monitoring and fault detection. The approach was found to detect around one-third of the total failures.