Evaluation of the Size and Type of Flaws in a Railhead

The relevance of being able to detect flaws beneath horizontal exfoliations in rails with simultaneous measurement of crack parameters has been shown. Based on the performed research, the authors proposed a new method for revealing transverse cracks (including beneath surface damages) in railheads and evaluating their parameters. The method is based on a multichannel implementation of ultrasonic through-transmission inspection and on processing of the results of layerwise scanning of a tested rail section. Pilot field tests with a new defectoscope that implements the proposed method have shown that the device is capable of revealing the above flaws in railheads, with the measurement error not exceeding 15%.