Identification of Structural Defects in Rail Fastening Systems Using Flexural Wave Propagation

An experimental method based on flexural wave propagation is proposed for identification of structural damage in rail fastening systems. The vibration of a rail clamped and supported by viscoelastic pads is significantly influenced by dynamic support properties. Formation of a defect in the rail fastening system induces changes in the flexural wave propagation characteristics owning to the discontinuity in the structural properties. In this study, frequency-dependent support stiffness was measured to monitor this change by a transfer function method. The sensitivity of wave propagation on the defect was measured from the potential energy stored in a continuously supported rail. Further, the damage index was defined as a correlation coefficient between the change in the support stiffness and the sensitivity. The defect location was identified from the calculated damage index.