Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Techniques Used In Rail Inspection

By Gwen Lowe


Catastrophic rail failures are considered one of the main factors that facilitate most of the railway transportation accidents. In reference to a recent research that was conducted to evaluate matters associated with railway transportation safety, one of the main causes of these failures is poor railway maintenance. However, people have developed different rail inspection technologies to aid reduce such problems.

One major developed techniques is the use of high-tech ultrasound devices. To detect faults on rails, these devices transmit short ultrasonic pulse waves with frequency range of one and fifteen to the center of the metal being inspected. The device also receives back such waves in form of amplitude signals, which show the intensity and the distance moved, by the waves.

The application of self-induced eddy currents is also a great way to detect faults in railways. This is achieved by distributing eddy currents on the surface of conductors, which in turn induces a magnetic field. Normally, the electrical conductivity strength of such metals depends on the strength of the magnetic field. Lower conductivity in the rails would mean the rails have faults hence need for repairs.

Another commonly used approach when examining railway faults is radiography technology. This practice works by transmitting electromagnetic waves especially x-rays into certain metals at very high speeds to aid in examining the interior structure of such metals. These rays would then come back to the device in form of an image. Afterwards, high-tech machines would be used to read the details of such images to determine whether there are faults.

Another popular technique utilized to detect flaws in rails is by use of magnetic particle inspection. This practice is used to inspect metals like nickel, iron and cobalt for faults. This works through the induction of a magnetic flux towards the surface of such metals. If the metal has discontinuity flaws, the magnetic flux would leak since air cannot contain the same magnetic area per volume like metals.

Railway inspection cars are installed with the suitable technologies and devices used to check rails for flaws. These cars come with probes and transducers, which are mainly designed, to aid in detecting mileage and other problems associated with railway sight. Many of these cars are designed to move at speeds higher than forty-eight kilometers an hour.

Another common way to detect faults on rails is by use of electromagnetic acoustic transducers. These are designed to work by passing electromagnet waves on conductors, which would then create certain waves. The obtained waves would be then read through certain devices to check for faults.

The main reason for people to travel by train is to have safe journeys. However, if these trains are moved through poorly maintained rail tracks, there may be cases of accidents. There are various methods, which have been developed to help people have easier time when detecting faults on railways. These methods are essential as they enable people to detect faults on certain railways to ensure the suitable measures can be taken.




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