PEC thermography for imaging multiple cracks from rolling contact fatigue

With the development and operation of high speed trains, condition based maintenance becomes an important approach for the improvement of reliability and safety of rail transportation. This paper reports a feasibility study using pulsed eddy current thermography for imaging multiple cracks caused by rolling contact fatigue (RCF). After reviewing rail track inspection and RCF cracks, a PEC thermography system is introduced and applied to the imaging of multiple rolling contact fatigue cracks. Potential on-line inspection for rail track is also discussed.