Application of new front-end electronics for non-destructive testing of railroad wheel sets

Abstract

For more than 6 years, the automated ultrasonic and eddy-current systems for the inspection of railroad wheel sets, developed by Fraunhofer IZFP and Fraunhofer TEG, have been field-hardened through daily operation at various maintenance facilities of the Deutsche Bahn (DB). The testing stations are equipped with IZFP's multi-channel electronics, a modular PC integrated system operating inside 19" rack-mounted industrial computers. Special requirements for new installations of stationary systems (AURA) and underfloor testing stations (UFPE) called for the development of state-of-the-art miniaturized front-end ultrasonic and eddy-current test instrumentation. This innovation offers new dimensions for the concept and design of such systems, including features providing effortless maintenance of the inspection systems. Due to the small size of the electronic modules they can be placed in close proximity to the transducer assembly. High-speed networking techniques ensure the transfer of all the acquired digital ultrasonic and eddy-current data from the frontend modules to the workstation responsible for data acquisition and analysis. The new front-end technology is applied for the testing stations of the latest generation. One example is a system installed at the DB plant Krefeld, specifically designed for the ultrasonic testing of ICE train drive wheels. The transducer assembly for wheel rim and disk inspection includes hot-swap modules with integrated UT front-end modules adapted to inspect specific wheel disk configurations. A second example represents testing equipment operating at the Süddeutsche Rail Service GmbH, Kaiserslautern. Ultrasonic and eddy-current front-end modules are responsible for the inspection of the wheel rim of disassembled wheel sets of freight cars. In addition to the wheel rim the solid axle is inspected in the same test stand using GE's Phased Array system. Miniaturized front-end modules are also advantageous for the inspection with the wheel sets installed at the train. The concept of such an underfloor testing system is outlined

Ultrasonic flaw detection of discontinuous defects in magnesium alloy materials

“…The reason is that the longitudinal wave flaw detection mainly finds a defect which is parallel or slightly inclined to the detection surface, while the transverse wave flaw detection mainly finds a defect which is perpendicular to the detection surface or largely inclined to the detection surface, showing that defects of different orientations may be missed when using a single waveform for detection [16,17,18] . The defects inside the workpiece, its size, shape, depth, inclination angle, surface roughness, internal filling, and amount are unknown [19,20] . For the sake of locating and quantifying the defects accurately, it is necessary to measure it in different test surfaces.…”

Applicability Evaluation of Surface and Sub-Surface Defects for Railway Wheel Material Using Induced Alternating Current Potential Drops

“…By designing the EMAT angle so that it can be adjusted in order to ensure that it comes into contact with wheel treads, the researchers accurately detected defects on the surface. For the detection of the defects inside wheels for railway vehicles, the ultrasonic test method is used, and for more accurate defect detection, the array method is applied [10][11][12]. In addition, to detect surface defects, a hybrid method combining the eddy current and laser methods is used [13][14][15].…”

Analysis of Flaw Detection Sensitivity of Phased Array Ultrasonics in Austenitic Steel Welds According to Inspection Conditions

“…PAUT can obtain the images of the inside of a specimen in real time through linear/electronic scan, enabling high-speed electronic scanning within the length range of the PA probe, as well as sectorial scan (S-scan), which can create the required sectorial beam using a PA probe [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Consequently, this technique has been applied in various areas, such as power plants [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], railways [ 10 , 11 , 12 ], aerospace [ 13 , 14 , 15 ], and construction [ 16 , 17 ]. In particular, power plants constitute a significant application field of PAUT, which is applied in ISI for the welded joints of power plant containers or other facilities.…”