The Agence d'Essai Ferroviaire provides test engineering services - planning and implementation of experiments and tests - for rolling stock. The AEF provides its customers with test engineering services where a large part of the added value is design activities based on the knowledge of measurement in the railway industry. To date, 140 people are trained, 65% of methods are validated and 13% are about to be validated. The persons in charge of testing are autonomous and use works on uncertainty as tools for controlling and eventually improving their methods. The services are based on skills and technical resources developed in different technical fields, for example in measurement uncertainties. In order to satisfy the requirements of ISO 17025 about uncertainty in measurement, an 'uncertainty' project of great width has been implemented. In 2002, a major problem emerged which involved all AEF test scopes: a new requirement is added to the NF ISO 17025 standard, a requirement that needs to be satisfied in order to maintain or obtain the COFRAC accreditation for each test. In fact, test laboratories must estimate measurement uncertainties relating to each test that is subject to accreditation. This requirement involves providing a numerical uncertainty value associated with test results based on a recognized methodology. The AEF controls over 300 different tests, over 70 of them are accredited. The NF ISO 17025 requirement is therefore a major project for AEF. The uncertainty project in the field of railway tests is a large scale project with the primary goal of estimating measurement uncertainty of COFRAC tests. The direction and implementation of this project have led to an implication from all the measurement players in this methodology. We are then able to obtain a numeric value of the uncertainty as well as to control the scales of influence and the ability to improve the test method. The uncertainty project is destined to continue for the purpose of retaining skills in uncertainties in order to: - keep calculations updated, - carry out the methodology for non-COFRAC tests, - carry out the methodology for new tests for new accreditations. It is now considered as its own process. The undeniable contribution of this methodology is to: control the different parameters of the test method, possibly improve the method, adapt maximum tolerated errors of verifications or calibration uncertainties of measurement equipment, and then better define our requirements concerning our metrologic connections and better control associated costs. In the future, the direction will be to: declare a compliance by considering the risks taken (based on the associated uncertainty), possibly adapt the current specifications and understand those to come, sensitize clients to the notion of uncertainties.
Giving early ideas to tests: Uncertainty project implementation in the field of railway testing
2009
13 Seiten, 5 Bilder
Conference paper
English
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