DEVELOPMENT OF A PROTOTYPE EMAT SYSTEM FOR INSPECTION OF RAILS

This is the Final Report of the First Phase of an investigation of the application of Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMAT's) to detect flaws in railroad rails. EMAT's generate ultrasonic beams in rails and receive return signals without surface contact and without liquid couplant. This work used samples of flawed rails and laboratory EMAT equipment to verify that EMAT technology can detect critical rail flaws. Sperry Rail Service assisted in defining operating requirements for an operational inspection system. A preliminary determination of EMAT operating parameters for optimum flaw detection was made. This work demonstrated that virtually all of the critical rail flaws can be detected in the laboratory by EMAT's with a sensitivity comparable to that obtained with conventional piezoelectric transducers.

• Record URL:
  https://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/14972
• Corporate Authors:

  Rockwell International

  Albuquerque Development Laboratory
  Albuquerque, NM  United States  87106

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Alers, G
  • McLauchlan, D
  • Maiseri, H
  • Lee, R
• Publication Date: 1980-9

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 77 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Defects; Detection and identification; Eddy currents; Inspection; Inspection cars; Laboratory tests; Rail (Railroads); Transducers; Ultrasonic tests
• Uncontrolled Terms: Rail flaw detection
• Old TRIS Terms: Eddy current inspection
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00325716
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA/ORD-80/45 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FR-9143
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 18 1981 12:00AM