Objective
Railway maintenance is a costly activity that can be improved by faster inspection of assets. If the speed of inspection of the railhead can be increased the potential cost savings are significant. Current NDT solutions implement hand held devices that effectively scan at walking pace. EMAT devices have been utilised to demonstrate that a non-contact solution that can be mounted to a vehicle is feasible. Technical development is therefore required to increase the scanning area and increase the speed of processing to inspect the entire railhead. RIFLEX will develop a system that can inspect the entire contour of the railhead using a multiple, flexible EMAT transducers that conform to the shape of the railhead. Two devices will be used in a complimentary configuration; the first generating an acoustic wave across a short distance on the railhead and the second collecting the resulting signal. An optical focussing system will ensure that a minimum gap between the rail and transducer is maintained to ensure that the transducer remains coupled to the railhead.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
FP7-SME-2013
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
BSG-SME - Research for SMEsCoordinator
CB21 6AL Cambridge
United Kingdom