Design of an innovative and self-adaptive-smart algorithm to investigate the structural integrity of a rail track using Rayleigh waves emitted and sensed by a fully non-contact laser transduction system

Masurkar, Faeez; Rostami, Javad; Tse, Peter W.

doi:10.1016/j.apacoust.2020.107354

Cited by 9 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Figure 1 shows an image of the head check pattern at the end of the experiment, i.e., after 310,000 wheel passes. Note that in contrast to the experiments performed by Masurkar et al [7], where "the specimens were initially polished in order to remove any unwanted rust which would affect the propagation of Rayleigh wave", the aim of the present study was to investigate rails with a typical RCF damage pattern and close to service conditions; therefore, the rail was deliberately left unpolished, retaining any existing rust or wear particles.…”

Section: Generation Of Head Checks In a 1:1 Wheel-rail Test Setupmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Possible techniques for the excitation of surface acoustic waves are electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT) [5], piezoelectric transducers equipped with wedge or comb adaptors [6], or pulsed laser beams [3]. Masurkar et al recently published a paper dealing with the location of surface and sub-surface defects in rail tracks, using Rayleigh waves excited and measured via a non-contacting approach [7]. The main differences between their work and the work presented here will be discussed in the corresponding section on specimen and measurement setup.…”

Section: Surface Acoustic Waves For Crack Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the aim of the present study was to test the ability to detect head checks using the SAW pitch-catch setup with transducers attached to the rail, i.e., aiming at wayside condition monitoring, the authors chose piezoelectric comb transducers in a pitch-catch setup. These transducers are widely used in nondestructive guided wave examinations, and are characterized by easy operation, low cost, and high sensitivity [7][8][9]. For signal excitation and measurement, the readily available commercial system gampt GS200 [9] was used.…”

Section: Pitch-catch Setup For the Excitation And Measurement Of Quas...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent publication, Masurkar et al gave an overview on the advantages and disadvantages of contact and non-contact methods to excite and measure Rayleigh waves [7]; however, the literature cited therein only covers non-contact setups. As the aim of the present study was to test the ability to detect head checks using the SAW pitch-catch setup with transducers attached to the rail, i.e., aiming at wayside condition monitoring, the authors chose piezoelectric comb transducers in a pitch-catch setup.…”

Section: Pitch-catch Setup For the Excitation And Measurement Of Quas...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of Surface Acoustic Waves for Crack Detection on Railway Track Components—Laboratory Tests

et al. 2022

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The present work investigates the technical feasibility of a condition monitoring setup aiming at the detection of gauge corner cracks (aka head checks) in pearlitic railway rails, using a wayside (i.e., stationary) setup with surface acoustic waves (SAW) as its detection principle. The experimental SAW setup consists of a pitch-catch setup using piezo transducers equipped with comb adaptors to excite and measure narrowband Rayleigh waves with a center frequency of 1 MHz. SAW experiments were performed on a rail subjected to cyclic loading in a 1:1 wheel–rail test rig yielding the specific rolling contact fatigue, i.e., head checks. Elastodynamic finite integration technique (EFIT) simulations were performed to analyze the surface and bulk wave propagation in the rail and to predict the signals at specific receiver positions. SAW transmission and reflection scenarios at cracks were analyzed numerically via modelled variations of gauge corner crack configurations according to number of cracks (0–3) and depth (0, 0.5 mm and 1 mm). The numerical and the experimental results each show a clear correlation between the appearance and intensity of head check damage and the wave attenuation in transmission mode.

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Section: Generation Of Head Checks In a 1:1 Wheel-rail Test Setupmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Surface Acoustic Waves For Crack Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pitch-catch Setup For the Excitation And Measurement Of Quas...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pitch-catch Setup For the Excitation And Measurement Of Quas...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of Surface Acoustic Waves for Crack Detection on Railway Track Components—Laboratory Tests

et al. 2022

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“…Systems with both laser excitation and laser reception were also proposed for general application use [16,17]. Recently, a device inspection configuration consisting of laser excitation and sensing through a 3D camera was proposed [18]. Using laser-based technology needs, however, some care for, at high-power level of the laser irradiation, the railroad surface may be ablated and plasma formed, causing melting and plastic deformation of the surface and even crack formation [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inspection of transverse flaws for railways using phased array ultrasonic technique

Benzeroual¹,

Khamlichi²,

Zakriti³

2021

IRASE

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Rail monitoring is an important activity which aims to preserve the safety and availability of railways. According to statistics, the primary cause of railway accidents is due to transverse defects that occur in the rail head. These special defects develop generally in a plane orthogonal to the rail running direction. The detection of these defects is a priority to increase the safety of rail transportation. Rail control monitoring techniques mostly rely on infrared thermography, eddy currents, air-coupled acoustic sensors, and ultrasounds. The present research studies the rail diagnosis by means of a non-contact device. The focus is on ultrasonic based methods where excitation is generated by thermal elastic coupling following laser irradiation of the rail head. For the reception of echoes, a special ultrasound sensor was used. In order to sense defects, phased array elements, which use multiple transducers and electronic time delays, are used to increase and to focalise the signal intensity. Flaws that have a moderate extension are better detected by the proposed method than with laser irradiation consisting of a single spot.

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Estimating the Reliability of the Inspection System Employed for Detecting Defects in Rail Track Using Ultrasonic Guided Waves

Khalil,

Masurkar,

Abdul-Ameer

2024

Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering

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This work focuses on the implementation of a data-based method to determine the inspection system reliability in terms of detecting different types of damages in rail tracks using ultrasonic-guided Rayleigh waves and a probability of detection (POD) technique. In this study, the reliability is tested against a surface crack (SC) and sub-surface damage – a through-side thickness hole (TSTH). The guided Rayleigh waves are generated using a custom-designed sensor that excites Rayleigh surface waves in the specimen and the propagating waves are sensed on the rail track surface. The wedge shape design of the sensor helps to excite a specific ultrasonic mode in the sample thereby hindering the ultrasonic energy of other coupled guided waves that can propagate simultaneously and the wedge angle is determined according to Snell’s law relying on the wave velocity of Rayleigh wave and bulk longitudinal wave. The guided wave responses as a function of varying severity of defects are obtained through a simulation study after the verification of the obtained guided wave responses with the help of an experimental study. A damage index (DI) is defined depending on defect size that gives the trend of damage severity from the captured ultrasonic responses and for monitoring defects in the rail track. This DI is eventually fed into the POD model to determine the probability of defect detection which in turn helps determine the inspection system reliability. The POD method also helps to study the critical design parameters that could affect or improve crack detection results.Purpose – To determine the reliability of inspection system deployed for interrogating health status of rail track.Methodology – Employing the Probability of detection technique for determining how reliable the inspection system is in detecting the health status of the rail track specimen using the ultrasonic guided waves.Findings – It has been found that the proposed inspection system is >90% reliable in detecting defects.Implications – This methodology can help maintenance engineers to make an informed decision on their developed technique for investigating the health status of the rail track sample.Originality/ value – 13%.

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Design of an innovative and self-adaptive-smart algorithm to investigate the structural integrity of a rail track using Rayleigh waves emitted and sensed by a fully non-contact laser transduction system

Cited by 9 publications

References 25 publications

Use of Surface Acoustic Waves for Crack Detection on Railway Track Components—Laboratory Tests

Use of Surface Acoustic Waves for Crack Detection on Railway Track Components—Laboratory Tests

Inspection of transverse flaws for railways using phased array ultrasonic technique

Estimating the Reliability of the Inspection System Employed for Detecting Defects in Rail Track Using Ultrasonic Guided Waves

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