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Fault Diagnosis Model of the Diesel Locomotive Air Brake System Based on
Bayesian Network

Article · November 2010

DOI: 10.1109/LEITS.2010.5664969

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 Fault diagnosis model of the diesel locomotive air
brake system based on Bayesian network
Hu Lingling
School of electronic and information engineering
Beijing Jiaotong University
Beijing, China
08120360@bjtu.edu.cn
Abstract—Due to the configuration complexity of the diesel
locomotive air brake system, it is difficult to realize the fault
diagnosis on the brake system. In order to enhance fault
diagnosis efficiency for diesel locomotive air brake system with
uncertain fault, a fault diagnosis model based on Bayesian
network is proposed in this paper. According to a priori exact
probability or experts estimate that the probability, the classical
Expectation-Maximization algorithm calculates the joint fault
probability distribution and probability distribution of marginal
respectively. Based on joint tree algorithm, Bayesian network is
designed to infer the fault probabilities of components. The fault
location could be realized. The simulation results indicate that
the accurate fault probabilities could be calculated. Therefore,
this method is effective for uncertain fault.
Keywords-fault diagnosis; Bayesian network; uncertainty
inference; air brake system
I. INTRODUCTION
JZ7 air brake equipment used in diesel locomotive is a
complex pneumatic control system. Its valves are linked
together by their input/output variables. Different valves may
have same fault performance and a valve may have different
fault performances under different working conditions. The
information included in expert experiences and individual
component reliability could be employed to estimate the prior
probability for component fault, which can be used in fault
diagnosis [1]. The objective of fault diagnosis is to detect the
fault in real time, locate the fault unit, analyze the fault cause
and propose a solution to the fault. Based on Fault Tree
Analysis model, the fault diagnosis and decision-making
method provides a top-down process to analyze the system
reliability. However, this fault diagnosis model has some
limitations, including that the capacity of diagnose fault with
part information is low, the expression and fusion capability of
multi-source information is relatively weak [2-3].
Bayesian network (BN) is one of the most effective models
for uncertainty knowledge expression and reasoning, which
combines prior knowledge with observed data in qualitative
and quantitative analysis. As the diagnosis method of this
system, Bayesian network has following characteristics: (1)
Strong causal relationships between symptoms and reasons; (2)
978-1-4244-8778-3/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE
Zhang Santong
School of electronic and information engineering
Beijing Jiaotong University
Beijing, China
stzhang@bjtu.edu.cn
Incompletion and uncertainty represented by probabilities. (3)
Rigorous inference in the sense of Bayesian probability theory.
II. BAYESIAN NETWORK OVERVIEW
A. Bayesian network
Bayesian network is directed acyclic graph, its nodes
represent system variables and arcs represent probabilistic
dependencies. It is represented at two levels, qualitative and
quantitative [4-6]. At the qualitative level, there has a directed
acyclic graph in which nodes represent variables and arcs
describe the conditional independence relations embedded in
the model. At the quantitative level, the dependence relations
are expressed in term of conditional probability distributions
for each variable in the network. Suppose a data set ς is given,
which is defined by n variables ς={ ς 1 , ς 2 ,..., ς n }，each node
represents a variable, Γ represents a DAG (directed acyclic
graph), Λ is a set of directed links, Π is a set of conditional
probability distributions associated with every node, and a
model of Bayesian network is described as following:
Μ= (Γ, Π) = (ς, Λ, Π) (1)
According to Bayesian chain rule, Pa ( ς i ) is the set of
parents of the variable ς i , the joint probability distribution is:
n
P(ς ) = P(ς 1 , ς 2 ,..., ς n ) = ∏ P(ς i Pa (ς i )) (2)
i =1
B. Bayesian network learning
Bayesian network learning includes parameter learning and
structure learning. Usually, in fault diagnosis field, Bayesian
networks can be built according to the causal map of random
variables given by expert. Experts could not directly provide
numerical probabilities, so it is difficult to specify the
conditional probability tables of nodes in building Bayesian
network. Learning conditional probability tables through the
sample set is a solution to this problem. In this paper we will
estimate the conditional probabilities of nodes using
Expectation-Maximization algorithm [7].
C. Inference
Generally speaking, there are three types of inference:
causal inference, diagnostic inference and explaining inference.
Diagnostic inference is adopted in this system to calculate the
probabilities of child nodes (causes) given that of parent nodes
(symptoms). Joint tree method is the most common exact
inference algorithm. The joint tree can be used as the basis of a
message passing procedure that computes the probabilities of
all the nodes [8].
III. CONSTRUCTING BAYESIAN NETWORK OF DIESEL
LOCOMOTIVE AIR BRAKE SYSTEM FOR DIAGNOSIS
Fig.1. Bayesian network of diesel locomotive air brake system
A - diesel locomotive brake fault; E1 - brake cylinder pipe
pressure abnormity; E2 - exit of the second inverter valve
pressure abnormalities; E3 - application reservoir pressure
abnormity; E4 - exit of the first inverter valve pressure
abnormity; E5 - train tube pressure abnormity; E6 -
independent release tube pressure abnormity; E7 - Single-pipe
pressure abnormity;E8 - full control over pressure abnormity;
E9 - in both the tube pressure abnormity; E10 - the total duct
pressure abnormity; X1 - brake cylinder fault; X2- operating
valve fault; X3 - the second inverter valve fault; X4 -
distribution valve fault; X5 - independent release plunger valve
fault; X6-the first inverter valve fault; X7 - independent
adjusting valve fault; X8 - relay valve fault; X9 - Multi-
locomotive plunger valve fault; X10 - automatic brake valve
fault; X11 - booster fault; X12 - air compressor fault.

A. Constructing Bayesian network In the above model, the Bayesian network of diesel
locomotive air brake system consists of 23 nodes. X i
JZ7 air brake equipment is a complex Pneumatic
transmission system. It is mainly comprised of automatic brake represents leaf node, Ei represents middle node. These nodes
valve, independent brake valve, relay valve, distribution valve, of the Bayesian network chosen associate with the component
inverter valve and operating valve. There are three types of the states whose values are fault and work. The complicated causal
air pressure control and transmission of the air brake relationships between the different fault modes are interpreted
equipment: The automatic brake valve controls the whole train through this approach.
(locomotive and vehicles) brake and release; Independent
brake valve controls locomotive brake and release; The prior probabilities of the state of the component nodes
Independent brake valve controls locomotive independent correspond to the prior component fault probabilities, which
release when vehicle keeps braking [1]. can generally be calculated by quantifying component
reliability. This basic information usually is supplied by the
There are a great number of valves that may potentially be component manufacturers and experienced operators.
faulty. Brake cylinder is the final implementation of the brake
equipment, other valves transmit signal and power. If a valve is
not working properly, it would lead to brake cylinder pressure TABLE I. PRIOR CONDITIONAL PROBABILITY TABLE FOR LEAF NODES
abnormal, ultimately, the brake is fault; while once every valve Node fault work
is working properly, brake cylinder pressure is normal.
X1 0.15 0.85
Because the brake cylinder exists mechanical fault, the brake
fault could be divided into two parts, namely, brake cylinder air X2 0.15 0.85
pressure abnormity and brake cylinder Mechanical fault. To X3 0.1 0.9
conclude, brake cylinder fault——the brake ultimate fault
result of the system, is regarded as root node. To ease the X4 0.1 0.9
analysis this brake system can be naturally arranged into a X5 0.05 0.95
hierarchy. The upper-level systems are organized by several
systems, and these systems are comprised of many subsystems, X6 0.05 0.95
and so forth. In this method, the Bayesian network is obtained X7 0.4 0.6
(see Fig.1).
X8 0.05 0.95

X9 0.05 0.95

X10 0.05 0.95

X11 0.05 0.95

X12 0.05 0.95

B. Parameter learning
The expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is an
iterative approximation algorithm for computing the
maximum likelihood (ML) estimate of missing data problems.
Due to the uncertainty features of probability distributions, the
EM algorithm is chosen to estimate the prior probabilities. The
results are better to approximate the exact values.(see Table
II). is the largest. The inference results are identical with the prior
probabilities. It is useful for finding potential fault causes while
TABLE II. CONDITIONAL PROBABILITY TABLE FOR LEAF NODES AFTER avoiding the incorrectness problems inherent in traditional
PARAMETER LEARNING methods. Learning is ever-lasting process. In practical
Node fault work applications, according to the new samples we can adjust the
X1 0.28 0.72 Bayesian network (include the structure and the conditional
probability table) through learning it again in order to improve
X2 0.11 0.89 its capability and accuracy of diagnosis.
X3 0.08 0.92

X4 0.12 0.88 IV. CONCLUSIONS

X5 0.07 0.93
The use of Bayesian network model for fault diagnosis of
diesel locomotive air brake system has been proposed. The
X6 0.05 0.95 operation principle, structural characteristics and working
X7 0.39 0.61
conditions of the JZ7 air brake system are utilized to build the
formal fault knowledge representation model which provides
X8 0.07 0.93 an organizational support to the management of available
X9 0.01 0.99
knowledge on the fault characteristics. Due to the features of
knowledge source, the EM is chosen to estimate the prior
X10 0.03 0.97 probabilities of the network nodes. Then diagnostic Bayesian
X11 0.12 0.88 networks are generated for different fault events through the
causal reasoning process. The effectiveness of the proposed
X12 0.09 0.91 method is demonstrated by its ability to incorporate
information and its strong diagnostic ability with various fault
C. Inference types.
The purpose of inference is to calculate and to order simple
and multiple diagnoses for the system modeled by a Bayesian ACKNOWLEDGMENT
network. Junction tree inference algorithm is adopted in the air
brake system. The posterior fault probabilities of all This work is supported by the National Nature Science
components are obtained by inference in the Bayesian network Foundation (Grant No. 60776831) of China.
of the system, with the observations entered as evidence. Given
that A happens, we need to know the probabilities of possible REFERENCES
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