Development of a Non-contact Remote Ultrasonic System for the Non-destructive Inspection of Railroad Tracks

主要研究者：Francesco Lanza di斯卡莱亚，加州大学圣地亚哥分校NSF提案# 0084249“用于铁路轨道无损检测的非接触式远程超声系统的开发“项目摘要该提案旨在开发用于铁路轨道无损评价的新一代超声系统。 该方法利用了非接触式和远程超声检测领域的新发展，即激光超声和气体（空气）耦合超声，为钢轨检测提供了比现有方法更强大、更有效的工具。这个为期三年的项目将分三个阶段进行，包括以下活动：1）开发检测方法，2）评估检测系统的缺陷检测能力，3）确定系统的现场检测潜力。非接触和远程传感系统的发展，预计将显着提高超声波检测的有效性，为钢轨检测。 光纤技术的实施将增强定位超声探头的灵活性。 反过来，这将允许检查测试轨道的几乎任何位置。 激光超声波发生的独特功能，在同时产生不同的波模式和宽频率内容的激励方面，将允许针对各种缺陷类型，尺寸和位置。 除了有助于确保国家现有铁路的安全和结构健全外，这项研究还将产生更广泛的影响。 它将为更好地理解和使用非接触式超声波技术提供根本性的进步，用于许多先进的检测应用。 这些应用的几个例子包括在制造过程中对材料进行任何类型的过程控制，在极端温度下对部件进行检查，以及在真空环境（如太空）中进行检查。

PI: Francesco Lanza di Scalea, University of California, San DiegoNSF Proposal # 0084249"Development of a Non-contact Remote Ultrasonic System for the Non-destructive Inspection of Railroad Tracks"Project AbstractThis proposal is aimed at the development of a new-generation ultrasonic system for the nondestructive evaluation of railroad tracks in-service. The proposed approach makes use of new developments in the areas of non-contact and remote ultrasonic testing, namely laser ultrasonics and gas(air)-coupled ultrasonics, to provide a more powerful and efficient tool for rail inspection than currently available methods. The three-year project will be performed in three-phases that include the following activities: 1) development of the inspection approach, 2) assessment of the inspection system capability for defect detection and 3) determination of the system potential for field inspection. The development of a non-contact and remote sensoring system is expected to dramatically increase the effectiveness of ultrasonic testing for rail inspection. The implementation of fiberoptic technology will enhance the flexibility in positioning the ultrasonic probes. In turn, this will allow for the inspection of virtually any locations of the test rail. The unique features of laser ultrasound generation, in terms of simultaneous production of different wave modes and excitation of a broad frequency content, will allow to target a variety of defect types, sizes and positions. Besides contributing to ensuring the safety and structural soundness of the Nation's existing railroads, the research will have a broader impact. It will provide fundamental advances toward a better understanding and use of non-contact ultrasonic technologies for a number of advanced inspection applications. A few examples of these applications include any type of process control of materials during manufacturing, inspection of components at extreme temperatures and inspection in vacuum environments such as in space.