Ultrasonic Tomography for Three-Dimensional Imaging of Internal Rail Flaws: Proof-of-principle Numerical Simulations

摘要

This paper describes proof-of-principle numerical simulations that demonstrate the technology ofUltrasonic Tomography for 3-D imaging of internal rail flaws. There is a need to develop newtechnologies that are able to quantify the internal rail flaws so as to ensure increased safety ofrail transportation and reduced rail maintenance costs. In this work, the technique of UltrasonicTomography was applied to the detection of a 5% Head Area (H.A.) Transverse Defect in therailhead. Finite Element models of ultrasonic tomographic arrays on a flawed rail were built,followed by an algorithm designed to perform the tomographic imaging of the internal rail flawin 3-D. The results show excellent 3-D imaging performance. The work confirms the potential ofthe Ultrasonic Tomography technique for the quantitative verification of internal rail flaws.