FEM Analysis for Constructing Rail Head Transverse Crack Detection System Using Guided Waves

Abstract

We performed simulations of ultrasonic wave propagation in cracked rails to investigate a method for detecting transverse cracks in the rail head using guided waves. The results show that 100-150 kHz input frequencies are suitable for detecting rail head cracks and that the peak intensity of the first few waves in the received signal waves decreases with the degree of cracking. Further investigation shows that transverse cracks greater than 20 mm that have grown below horizontal cracks can be detected by checking the intensity of the first three waves in the received waves at 100 kHz.