Trains are used to move people and goods from one place to another. Many railroads are heavily used and old and this makes it important for them to be inspected to enhance safety. The process in which railroads are examined for any flaws that may lead to catastrophic accidents is known as rail track inspection. Railroad defects may occur as a result of various effects including shear stresses, dynamic effects, thermal stresses, residual stresses and rail or wheel contact stresses.
Tongue lipping, gauge corner cracking and squats are the defects that result from contact stresses or contact failure. Corrosion, seams, transverse fissures, inclusions and wheal burn are other kinds of surface and internal defects. The presence of water and other liquids on railway tracks may result into crack propagation.
Defects can be found on various parts of a railroad including the web, head, switchblades, foot, bolt holes and welds. Most flaws occur in the head but the entire rail has to be inspected. Many different methods are used to detect defects in rails. The most popular method is ultrasound. The other methods used are radiography, magnetic flux leakage, magnetic particle inspection, electromagnetic acoustic transducer and eddy current inspection.
Engineers use inspection techniques in different ways. They may use probes and transducers in a handheld setup or a hand pushed trolley. They use probes and transducers when inspecting a precise location or a small section of the rail. They often use these devices to follow up on areas that rail inspection cars have been used to inspect.
Railroad inspections devices that are held by hand are convenient for inspecting railways that are heavily utilized because removing them is relatively easy. However, using them is not practical when inspecting thousands of miles of railroad tracks. In such a case, it is better to utilize railroad inspection cars.
The cars used to inspect railways utilize multiple non destructive testing methods. Ultrasound and induction testing methods can be utilized in cars that operate at testing speeds of more than thirty miles per hour. These cars have high speed computers that use advanced programs to recognize patterns. They are also equipped with workbenches, tool cabinets and storage space.
Engineers also use specialized laser scanners to inspect railroad. In most cases, they use these devices to measure the rail gauge. Once they identify potential problems, they hire work crews to fix the problems. Notification is given to all trains that are using the railway that it is being rectified. Speed limits and special warnings are also given to train crews.
In order for the repairs to be carried out efficiently, train traffic is rerouted in the affected area. In a situation where extensive repairs such as crossing repair, tie replacement or switch repair needs to be done, train traffic may be stopped. Engineers may examine the railroad inspections that have been carried out recently to find out whether there was a pre existing problem that could have caused the derailing of a train. If a certain problem occurs in a given stretch of track repeatedly, special inspections are performed to evaluate the problem and look for a solution.
Tongue lipping, gauge corner cracking and squats are the defects that result from contact stresses or contact failure. Corrosion, seams, transverse fissures, inclusions and wheal burn are other kinds of surface and internal defects. The presence of water and other liquids on railway tracks may result into crack propagation.
Defects can be found on various parts of a railroad including the web, head, switchblades, foot, bolt holes and welds. Most flaws occur in the head but the entire rail has to be inspected. Many different methods are used to detect defects in rails. The most popular method is ultrasound. The other methods used are radiography, magnetic flux leakage, magnetic particle inspection, electromagnetic acoustic transducer and eddy current inspection.
Engineers use inspection techniques in different ways. They may use probes and transducers in a handheld setup or a hand pushed trolley. They use probes and transducers when inspecting a precise location or a small section of the rail. They often use these devices to follow up on areas that rail inspection cars have been used to inspect.
Railroad inspections devices that are held by hand are convenient for inspecting railways that are heavily utilized because removing them is relatively easy. However, using them is not practical when inspecting thousands of miles of railroad tracks. In such a case, it is better to utilize railroad inspection cars.
The cars used to inspect railways utilize multiple non destructive testing methods. Ultrasound and induction testing methods can be utilized in cars that operate at testing speeds of more than thirty miles per hour. These cars have high speed computers that use advanced programs to recognize patterns. They are also equipped with workbenches, tool cabinets and storage space.
Engineers also use specialized laser scanners to inspect railroad. In most cases, they use these devices to measure the rail gauge. Once they identify potential problems, they hire work crews to fix the problems. Notification is given to all trains that are using the railway that it is being rectified. Speed limits and special warnings are also given to train crews.
In order for the repairs to be carried out efficiently, train traffic is rerouted in the affected area. In a situation where extensive repairs such as crossing repair, tie replacement or switch repair needs to be done, train traffic may be stopped. Engineers may examine the railroad inspections that have been carried out recently to find out whether there was a pre existing problem that could have caused the derailing of a train. If a certain problem occurs in a given stretch of track repeatedly, special inspections are performed to evaluate the problem and look for a solution.
About the Author:
You can visit www.railservicesllc.com for more helpful information about The Role Of Rail Track Inspection And How It Is Performed.
No comments:
Post a Comment