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Non-contact rail flaw detection system: First field test
Conference proceeding

Non-contact rail flaw detection system: First field test

Piervincenzo Rizzo, Stefano Coccia, Francesco Lanza di Scalea, Ivan Bartoli and Mahmood Fateh
SENSORS AND SMART STRUCTURES TECHNOLOGIES FOR CIVIL, MECHANICAL, AND AEROSPACE SYSTEMS 2007, PTS 1 AND 2, v 6529(1), pp 65293W-65293W-11
01 Jan 2007

Abstract

Computer Science Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence Engineering Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Remote Sensing Science & Technology Technology
Researchers at UCSD, with the initial support of NSF and the current support of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), have been working on a flaw detection prototype for rails that uses non-contact ultrasonic probing and robust data processing algorithms to provide high speed and high reliability defect detection in these structures. Besides the obvious advantages of non-contact probing, the prototype uses ultrasonic guided waves able to detect and quantify transverse cracks in the rail head, notoriously the most dangerous of all rail track defects. This paper will report on the first field test which was conducted in Gettysburg, PA in March 2006 with the technical support of ENSCO, Inc. Good results were obtained for the detection of both surface-breaking and internal cracks ranging in size from 2% cross-sectional head area (H.A.) reduction to 80% H.A. reduction.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Engineering, Aerospace
Engineering, Civil
Engineering, Mechanical
Remote Sensing
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