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            Feasibility of Special Trackwork Inspection Using Ultrasonics
      

      
  Document Series
              Research Results


      
  Author
          Federal Railroad Administration


      
Report Number
              RR 22-25

  Office
              RDI-22


      Subject
                    Track


      
  Keywords
              Special trackwork, frogs, crossing diamond, nondestructive evaluation, NDE, ultrasonic testing, UT, microstructure, microhardness, coarse grain, track, test sample


      

      
      
              
                  
      
              
  Document
              Feasibility of Trackwork Ultrasonic.pdf (472.73 KB)

      
              The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) co-sponsored Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) on a trackwork inspection effort scheduled for completion in September 2022. This research demonstrated the potential for the low-frequency ultrasonic testing (UT) nondestructive evaluation (NDE) method to characterize internal flaws in crossing. First, TTCI fabricated a test sample from the crossing diamond that contained drilled holes (reflectors) at different depths. Second, microstructural analysis and microhardness measurements characterized its microstructural and material properties. And third, researchers applied a low-frequency UT method to detect the reflectors in the test sample.
      
            
      
      
              Last updated: Friday, September 30, 2022 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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