Abstract
Dispersion curves and wave structures for a railway rail were obtained with a semi-analytical finite element method. Since one portion of many modes obtained by the calculation are suitable modes for guided wave inspection, which are non-dispersive long propagating modes, dominant modes were obtained from wave structure data for the three sections of rail cross-section, head, web and bottom and for x, y and z directions. As a result, suitable modes for guided wave inspection are limited to A0, SH and Rayleigh-like modes vibrating locally at these sections.
