Rdso Presentation Sperry Rail India

Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood Company


Ultrasonic Testing of RailBob Crocker

Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood CompanyOverview

• Rail is an engineering structure like many others

• Strength and stiffness based on material properties and shape

• However, introduce a sharp tipped crack as a stress intensifier and all bets are off

• Huge holes have no effect as long as the radius is large




Network Rail Infrastructure

• Network Rail owns approximately 21,000 miles of track, therefore 42,000 miles of rail

• This comprises of approximately 16,000 miles • This comprises of approximately 16,000 miles of continuously welded rail (CWR) and 5,000 miles of jointed track, so millions of welds and bolted joints

• This includes approximately 35,000 switch and crossing (S&C) units.


The Facts of Life for a Railway

• Cracks can occur anywhere at any time• 42000 miles and 35000 S&C to cover• The only way to avoid cracks in railway rails is to stop running trains !


The Facts of Life for an NDT Man

• It is a peculiar irony which is often overlooked, even by the NDT community:– We can’t find a crack until it is there– We can’t find a crack until it is there

• Therefore the task is:– We have to find cracks between point of creation and before they cause the rail to break


Background• Hither Green disaster November 1967 • Section of rail at a bolted joint came away• Caused by cracks growing from bolt holes• Caused by cracks growing from bolt holes• Realisation that cracks too small to be detected by visual inspection could cause catastrophic failure

• Real NDT arrived


Ultrasonic inspection is used to locate and identify all the major defect types in rail.


Transverse DefectsTache Ovales


SquatsSquats

Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood CompanyGauge

Corner Cracking

Direction of Travel


Bolt Hole or “Star” Cracks


Web Defect – Bolt Hole Cracks

• Star Cracks


Welds

Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood CompanyNDT Philosophy

• Objective:– find everything– test it often– pre-emptive crack detection– pre-emptive crack detection– defect management to replace crisis recovery

• How:– comprehensive ultrasonic inspection


• The Worlds First Company to Provide the Railways with a Rail Flaw Detection Service

• Worlds Largest Rail Inspection Company

Sperry Rail InternationalWho are we ?

• Over 65 Years Experience in Rail Flaw Detection• An Expanding Fleet of over 120 vehicles

The Only Company Totally Focused to Rail Flaw Detection


Sperry Rail International -We’ve been around awhile

Sperry has been inspecting rail since 1928 using a combination of magnetic induction and ultrasonics.

Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood CompanyCustomer Base

• Europe North America– Network Rail (UK) Amtrak– LUL (UK) BNSF – Sweden CSX – Norway Norfolk Southern – Norway Norfolk Southern – Germany Canadian Pacific – Estonia Canadian National– Finland New York Subway– Switzerland – Spain

• India • China• Australia


Ultrasonic inspection is used to locate and identify all the major defect types in rail.


Horizontal Defects(0 Degree)

A B EDC

A B C D E

Ultrasonic beams are transmitted into the rail at a number of angles. Each angle is chosen to enable detection of specific defect types. This illustration shows a 0 or “Zero” degree probe angle which sends a beam verticlaly downwards through the rail. Sound reflects from the bottom of the rail(good) or from cracks (bad). The lower rectangles show the flaw detector display which an operator interprets to identify and classify from the various defects.


Transverse DefectsTache Ovales

(0 and 70 Degree)A B A B

A B A B

This illustration shows the probe angle of 70 degrees which is designed specifically to detect transverse, or tache ovale, defects in the rail head. Sound is directed into the rail so it is normal to orientation of the defect to give maximum reflection. The zero degree probe may also give an indication by exception if the defect blocks the path of the sound to and from the foot of the rail.


Hole-in-the-Web Defects(37 Degree)

EC DA B

A B C D E

This illustration shows the 37 degree probes which are designed to examine holes in the web. The main holes are bolt holes but there are many others in practice all of which can give rise to cracking. Cracks are almost always generated at 45 degrees to the vertical, or they can be horizontal. Once again this is determined by the stress regime. The combination of two 37 degree probes and the zero degree probe will locate a crack in any orientation.


Sperry Roller Search Unit (RSU)

Sperry has develop a wheel containing nine separate ultrasonic probes: one zero degree probe three forward looking 70 degree probes three reverse looking 70 degree probes one forward looking 37 degree probe one reverse looking 37 degree probe The assembly is known as a Roller Search Unit or RSU

Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood CompanyRSU on Rail

The RSU is held in a frame on the vehicle and is pressed in to contact with the rail surface.

Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood CompanyRSU Mounting

Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood CompanySperry UTU 2


Sperry 200 Rail BoundNon Stop Inspection Vehicle

This vehicle is used to test rail in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It can test both rails simultaneously at speeds up to 40 mph. All data is recorded by on-board systems.


Sperry UTU 5

Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood CompanySperry Land Rover


Cometi


Service Loco


Sperry Walking Stick


The Usual Pose


Testing in Norway


Testing in Norway


Sperry in India

Organisation - Equipment


Rail Inspection Process

• Vehicle runs along a route selected by the railway organisation and gathers data about features (“suspects”) in the rail

• The data is analysed according to defined standards• Reports are sent out to staff “on ground” via internet.• They verify “suspects” to confirm them as “defects” using walking sticks to defined standards.

• Verification Reports are transmitted back via internet• Verified data used to compile run-on-run analysis


Route Verification• All our data is tagged with a satellite location (GPS)

• We take the list of satellite locations recorded at 5 • We take the list of satellite locations recorded at 5 second intervals and superimpose them on a detailed map of the network

• This has the intended route marked on it and we can see where we were diverted off route


Which Track ?


Route Verification

This illustration shows the presentation of the data from all the probes on the vehicle. The left rail in in the upper part of the display and the right in the lower. This example shows a bolt hole crack. The superimposed sketch shows the origin of the various signals seen on the B-scan. Pattern recognition algorithms on the train will identify this as a bolt hole crack but at present the computer-based recognition systems are always backed up by a further expert system called a “human being” ! The location of the origin of this ultrasonic response is stored with the B-scan so that the railway owner or maintenance contractor can be directed to action it.


Data Analysis• We use 9 probes on each rail • We store the ultrasonic response from every probe every 5mm interval along the rail

• We construct a side view of the rail using the ultrasonic data. This is called the B-scandata. This is called the B-scan

• We can scroll through every test using the stored records.• The analyser is trained to look for characteristic patterns in the data and the process is aided by machine-based algorithms

• Most suspects produce a response on more than one of the probes which increases confidence in the data because every probe is independent of every other probe


B-scan Analysis



B-scan Presentation Tache Ovale



B-scan Presentation Star Crack



B-scan Presentation Squat



B-scan Presentation Vertical Longitudinal Split



B-scan Presentation Presentation Twin View


Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood CompanyVerification

•Verification carried out by NR personnel

•Staff directed to the site of a suspect using the railway mileage and GPS in the reports

•They use a Sperry walking stick and hand-held probes to confirm the suspect as a defect (or not)

•Procedures have been established to ensure •Procedures have been established to ensure uniformity of reporting

•Often track features give an ultrasonic response but are not a defect. These are entered into the “features” database to create an inventory of track features.

•All this information is fed back to the analyser on the next inspection run


Defect Database


B-scan Presentation Presentation Twin View



RepeatedObjects


Analysis – Run-on-Run View

• Gives the user an overview of tests of a section of track over a period of time

• Provides a visual • Provides a visual indication of the location and severity of suspects and defects

• Indicates gaps in testing


The Integrated Process Compliant Track Analysis

1. B-Scan Analysis2. Route Validation3. Suspect Reporting4. Verification Feedback5. Verification Validation6. Twin View Analysis7. RMO Identification

Start

Create BaseTrack Map

Pre-ComplianceProcess

x3 7. RMO Identification8. BMO Identification9. Compliance Rev Meeting10. NARMO Identification11. BMO / RMO Growth Analysis

NR / SperryDefect Audit

3 AuditsOK

CompliantTrack

End

YES

NO

x3Min

Verification only of new indications orIndications that are growing / changing


Data becomes InformationThe Integrated Approachto Defect Management

Track InspFreq

Test ProcStandards

RailManagement

BindersDetection Standards

CalibrationLocation

Standards

InspectionProcess

Reporting /Verification

RailDatabase

Management

Sperry Rail InternationalA Rockwood CompanySummary

• Frequent, comprehensive ultrasonic inspection of the whole rail cross-section of plain line, welds and joints.welds and joints.

• Population of a Defect Database that turns data into Management Information

• Pro-active defect management, rather than reactive crisis recovery


Number Of Broken Rails

600

800

1000

Number Of

This is what it is all really about

“The lowest number of broken rails in the UK railway’s history”

0

200

400

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004Year

Number OfBroken Rails

Documents

Rdso Presentation Sperry Rail India