Latest Awards, Events, Products & Company News
Transmission Dynamics is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Alan Lowdon OBE onto its Wind Sector Advisory Board
Alan's appointment reflects Transmission Dynamics' commitment to advancing cutting-edge solutions and strengthening its position as a leader in industrial technology for the Wind Industry globally.
Transmission Dynamics Celebrates Success at the Dynamite Awards 2024
We are delighted to announce that Transmission Dynamics has been recognised at the Dynamite Awards 2024, winning the Remarkable Innovation (SME) award and receiving Highly Commended in the Project Excellence category.
Transmission Dynamics to unveil revolutionary freight monitoring solutions at InnoTrans 2024
We're set to launch our groundbreaking freight monitoring solutions at InnoTrans next week. These new technologies promise to advance freight intelligence by extending our proven ‘Trains with Brains®’ concepts to cargo applications, delivering unparalleled capabilities, enabling users to track and diagnose assets in real time.
Transforming Railways: RADAR Project Set to Redefine Infrastructure Management
The rail industry is heading towards a new era of efficient asset and infrastructure management. Winners of Innovate UK’s ‘Collaborative AI Solutions to Improve Productivity in Key Sectors’ competition, North East based SME Transmission Dynamics are set to address the pressing need of the global rail sector to monitor and resolve infrastructure issues more efficiently.
Enhancing Railway Safety and Reliability: A Testament to Cross-Industry Collaboration
At Transmission Dynamics, we recognise the importance of cross-industry collaboration in advancing safety measures and enhancing the reliability of railway operations. Our collaborative efforts have led to groundbreaking innovations that are revolutionising the way we monitor and manage railway infrastructure.During the recent storm Isha, our proprietary PANDAS-V® Overhead Line and Pantograph monitoring system, deployed on the Angel Trains/West Midlands Trains unit 350130, showcased its remarkable ability to significantly enhance the safety and reliability of the rail network. The system detected a tree branch resting on the Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) and sent an automatic alert to Network Rail, enabling swift response measures. Network Rail immediately despatched a response team to assess and remove the tree, ensuring the line remained safe for passengers and freight, minimising disruption.PANDAS-V® is a state-of-the-art system designed to detect and report OLE issues in real time. Combining wireless accelerometers with advanced camera technology for automatic video capture, and supported by cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning, the system allows for continuous monitoring of the OHL infrastructure. When an impact event is detected, the system sends an automatic email alert to the relevant staff, allowing them to take immediate action to resolve the issue. Developed through collaboration with various key stakeholders in the rail industry, this solution offers a proactive approach to identifying potential hazards and resolving them before they escalate.This incident is just one of many instances where our multi-award-winning system has proven the power and efficiency of cross-industry collaboration in ensuring passenger safety and reliability of railway services.
The Future of Remote Condition Monitoring for the Rail Industry: Innovate UK
Discover 'Trains with Brains' by Transmission Dynamics, revolutionising UK rail maintenance with Innovate UK's FOAK 2022 support.
Redefining Critical Bolting Installation and Monitoring Approaches
Bolts used in critical applications require frequent, precautionary maintenance regimes to ensure tension remains within the required range. This incurs significant operations and maintenance costs, increased downtime and safety risks. To address these challenges, Transmission Dynamics have embarked on an R&D project dealing with the ongoing issues with bolted joint integrity. This project, part-funded by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership, aims to investigate the reasons for lost bolt tensions during installation, re-tightening, and standard wind turbine operations.The use of hydraulic tensioners – do we get it right?Hydraulic tensioners are commonly used to address bolt tightening requirements on critical fastenings in wind turbine applications. However, there is a fundamental problem with this approach. Hydraulic tensioners typically grip part of the available thread and apply tension to the bolt. Simultaneously, the nut is tightened manually to eliminate clearance. Once the required bolt tension is achieved and the nut cancelled axial clearance, there is a common belief that after removing hydraulic pressure, the bolt tensions will be retained. Commonly, this requires overcompensation for the known loss of tension which occurs as the hydraulic pressure is reduced.Addressing common misconceptionsTransmission Dynamics’ engineers conducted a study at the Levenmouth demonstration turbine, where they installed six M64 bolts. A hydraulic tensioner was used in standard operation, alongside instrumented bolts equipped with BoltSense® LMF+ technology. Both sets of data were recorded simultaneously. Despite attempts to overcompensate for the target load of 1,680 kN, the instrumented bolts revealed under-tension as soon as the hydraulic pressure was released. This highlights the shortcomings of hydraulic tensioner methods. The results of this project will be disseminated globally to ensure critical aspects of bolted join integrity are properly handled and addressed.Advancements in Bolt Monitoring TechnologyTransmission Dynamics, in partnership with Copper State Bolt and Nut Company, has developed BoltSense®, a powerful bolt monitoring technology. One aspect of this technology includes an automated calibration rig which is critical for high-volume calibration of industrial fasteners. The entire technology has been developed in-house, and it’s changing the global landscape in tension monitoring in critical fastener applications.
Revolutionising Wind Turbine Structural Monitoring
Scalable, non-destructive, and continuous structural monitoring of wind turbine towers and jacket structures will reduce operations and maintenance costs and extend asset life.The Operations and Maintenance (O&M) wind energy market is becoming increasingly competitive as operators strive to reduce costs. O&M costs represent 30% of the Levelised Cost of Energy, and the installation of larger turbines offshore is expected to increase these costs. With up to 90% of expenditures resulting from inspections, it is crucial to minimise them to ensure the industry’s long-term growth and affordability.Transmission Dynamics has developed a cutting-edge ultrasonics guided wave pulser receiver system, SonicEcho, which offers non-intrusive structural surveying of wind turbine jacket structures, towers, and monopiles. The system employs Guided Wave Technology to scan a wide area from a single position. Operators have full control over the direction of the ultrasonic wave propagation, allowing them to quickly scan areas of interest from long range and remotely access the results. This provides advance warning of developing structural defects such as cracks, perforations, and thinning due to corrosion, enabling preventative maintenance and eliminating the need for unnecessary and costly precautionary inspections.The system’s robust and flexible 70 kHz EMATs (Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers) can be attached to painted or unpainted surfaces using adhesive. They emit guided waves and detect the response as the wave reflects off any imperfections or faults. These waves can travel around bends and other geometries, making it possible to inspect regions of structures that would otherwise be inaccessible.Modular transducers can be tiled together to cover larger diameter structures, allowing for longer range scanning and better data quality. The ultrasonic waves are generated using the low-cost, lightweight, low-power, IP68 Pulser/Receiver Unit. Inspections are automated, and test parameters fully customisable. The data is acquired and processed remotely with automated reports sent to the customer.The unit is designed to be in operations for the asset lifespan without requiring maintenance. Due to low-cost, the pulser receiver units can be permanently mounted and left unattended.
Transmission Dynamics Partnership with ZF Transforms Global Rail Gearbox Maintenance
Following the recent signing of a strategic contract between ZF and Transmission Dynamics, the Smart Oil Plug® is to be integrated into ZF’s comprehensive connect@rail condition monitoring platform by transmitting data to the telematics gateway. This wireless, sensor-based solution enables real-time monitoring and analysis of gearbox health and behaviour in railway vehicles. ZF’s connect@rail portfolio offers digital solutions for the railway industry that enable remote monitoring and predictive maintenance of fleets and rail infrastructure. Using advanced sensor technology and cloud-based data analysis tools, efficiency, reliability, and safety in rail transportation are thus further increased.Transmission Dynamics’ Founder and CEO Jarek Rosinski stated “We are delighted to see this game changing technology being launched globally by ZF. Following close collaboration over recent years we are confident that with ZF’s market-leading gearbox expertise and global network this technology will reach its full potential.”As a global technology leader, ZF offers a wide range of connectivity solutions enabling the Next Generation of Mobility. These solutions range from automated mobility concepts, cloud-based applications for fleets through to an open transaction network for vehicles and service providers.Marco Neubold, Head of Business Line Industrial Aftermarket explains: “Smart Oil Plug is set to be a game changer for global train operators in the coming years. Market data shows that the rail sector is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. This, combined with an increasing emphasis on greener, more efficient solutions where downtime is a serious and costly concern, means the rail aftermarket stakeholders will reap significant benefits from this product offer.”Already used by some of the largest railway companies, this innovative product is easy to use and simple to install under expert supervision. It offers a holistic view of gearbox health through real-time wireless remote condition monitoring. Already transforming maintenance practices, it consists of a single on-board transceiver – which contains a SIM card – and a Smart Oil Plug which replaces the original oil plug within the gearbox. It can be seamlessly adapted to any rail application.Accurate data measurements are taken for temperature, oil debris, and vibration. This information is transmitted via Bluetooth to a transceiver and then to the cloud for analysis. Automated reporting with text message or email alerts is generated for exceptions. It also provides early detection of a host of issues to help minimize unplanned down time and allow maintenance to be arranged at a time to suit the operator.This innovative product can help rail sector operators optimise uptime for most driven applications. ZF estimates that the product could apply to a growing global population of driven railway applications, increasing from approximately 300,000 currently to over 340,000 by 2027. During the pilot phase – carried out by ZF since 2021 – rail providers achieved an average of 30% reduction in maintenance budgets by using the Smart Oil Plug.