FY15 Supplemental to RAIL DEFECT DETECTION PROTOTYPE: AIR-COUPLED RAIL INSPECTION IMPROVEMENTS FOR DEPLOYMENT

his grant amendment will provide additional funding and time for further prototype improvements based on the lessons learned from the TTC field test. Specifically, the testing speed will be increased to levels comparable with conventional ultrasonic rail inspections, in the range of 10-15 mph, and a better solution than heavy water spray will be found to minimize rail-wheel interaction noise. In addition, the coverage of the system will be increased from the current middle and gage side of the railhead to include the field side of the rail head. The additional work under this amendment includes a second field test of the air-coupled system, at sustained speeds, in the fall of 2015 and a third test/demonstration to industry in spring/summer of 2016. It is expected that, with the success of these planned field tests, technology acceptance and deployment will readily follow, to further the FRA mission of US railroad safety.