The inspection system described throughout this work is designed to inspect train wheels for cracks developed around the brake-mounting drill area. It presents three main advantages over conventional hand-operated single probe inspection systems: Full drill area coverage is guaranteed by the specific three-probe arrangement. A repetitive, operator-independent method for crack identification is provided. Wheel scans can be stored and reviewed, in order to check the evolution of possible cracks or other anomalies between inspections. This system is currently being used by ALSTOM in its Mataro facility in Barcelona, Spain, for the regular inspection of commuter train wheels. Useful feedback on system performance provided by ALSTOM operators has helped in identifying some system drawbacks, mainly related with system productivity, which is hindered by long inspection times. Currently the full inspection of a commuter train, comprising 8 axes (i.e. 16 wheels) requires two operators and takes up a complete working day. This time is mostly taken up by inspection preparation, i.e. lifting the axis, installing the probe assemblies on the wheel and adjusting the ultrasound parameters for each probe. Proper wheel inspection time i.e. the time taken up by turning the axis four turns and checking the inspection results can be limited to around 15 minutes. The reduction of this inspection times can be achieved by evolving the current portable prototype to a static system in which the probe subassemblies remain static and no time is lost in their installation. The design and construction of such a system is currently being considered by ALSTOM and GRUPO INTERLAB.
Ultrasonic inspection system for train wheels incorporating brake discs
Ultraschallprüfsystem für Eisenbahnräder mit eingebauten Bremsscheiben
2002
11 Seiten, 11 Bilder
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Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Datenträger
Englisch
Ultrasonic inspection system for train wheels incorporating brake discs
Tema Archiv | 2003
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