USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Locating and Sizing Rail Head Defects for Rail Head Repair Welds Using Phased Array Ultrasonics

Document Series:
Research Results
Author:
  • Federal Railroad Administration
Report Number
RR 20-16
Office
RDI-21
Subject:
Track
Keywords:
Phased array ultrasound, PAUT, transverse defect, TD, rail head repair, weld repair
Document
Rail Head Repair Welds-A.pdf (723.18 KB)

The study revealed that it is possible to locate defects in the rail head within the desired precision if a recognizable feature such as a bolt hole, rail end, or weld are nearby; that is, the method presented provides an accurate distance from a known datum to within approximately ±0.5 inch.


Last updated: Friday, September 4, 2020