Railway wheel defect dynamic inspection system based on ultrasonic technology

As one of the key components of the railway transportation, the condition of the railway wheels is very important, especially in the field of heavy haul and high speed application. Ultrasonic inspection technology is periodically used for wheel defect detecting in wheel manufacture and different maintenance levels. An ultrasonic technology and system for wheel defect dynamic inspection is described in this paper. Special designed track work, ultrasonic probe arrangement and system composition is given in detail. The wheel defects in wheel rim can be detected when the train is passing by the system with a low and stable speed. The defects detection requirement for Chinese CRH train and Locomotive can be achieved and the system based on this technology is applied now.