User:Faisal KCC

RAILECT
Information Framework Programme	FP7

Project Name	RAILECT Participants	OPTEL VERMON SPREE KCC TWI KTU NewRail Network Rail Start	Sep,2008 End	Dec, 2010 Website	http://www.railect.com

Purpose Railect’s purpose was to develop advanced ultrasonic techniques, sensors and systems to perform the volumetric examination of present and future aluminothermic rail welds. The RAILECT device provides the only financially and operationally means of detecting internal volumetric defects, including lack of fusion, shrinkage and porosity, in the welded joints that have no surface expression. The system developed during the project aimed to have the following features: A rapid clamp on system, automatic deployment of the probes, quick interpretation of data and rapid analysis, classification of welds with criteria for a go / no go decision. From 2009 to mid-2010 the project results included modelling activities of phased array ultrasonic beams within rail profiles, characterising defect signatures and structural tolerances. A light weight flexible housing prototype was produced in 2010 which attached several phased array transducers to the xyz rail profile. This accurately identified volumetric defects that were not visible to current inspection techniques. During 2010 phased array ultrasonic processing software also developed statistical and algorithmic methods to process phased array data images so that indications of defects within rail welds were detected and effectively sentenced. The images were post processed to reject background noise and to enhance the regions where flaws may be present. The engineer controlled defect detection software could identify the type and severity of defects by using filtering and golden image background subtraction methods.
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The project results have been patented in the US (Patent Application No. 61/446,790).

Case studies The ultrasonic wave interaction with porosity defects in welded rail head.
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Partners
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The project led by SMEs consisted of 8 partners from 5 member states, including 4 SMEs each representing a different EU country. The SMEs range from service providers to high technology equipment & software organisations. In addition there were 3 strong participants from the Research field and an Industrial end user, who has a strong and particular interest for rail welding.

SME Partners

Optel Optel Ltd was founded  in 1989 by a group of scientists, engineers, and technicians that had been working to develop new and innovative products, involving such diverse technologies as ultrasound, acoustic emission, analysis and processing, as well as acoustic and holographic imaging techniques.

Vermon Vermon (France) was established in 1984 with the objective of advancing the state of the art in ultrasonic phased array transducer design, and has become a world leader in 1-3 piezoelectric composite technology.

Spree Spree is an NDT service company employing about 20 people full-time, but with a fluctuating work force of temporarily employed technicians

KCC KCC is an authority in the field of high tech engineering research and specialise in ultrasonic technology and in the development of non-invasive systems. KCC has established for itself a leadership position in the area since 1997.

OTH Partners

Network Rail Network Rail Infrastructure Limited has responsibility for the management of the UK national rail infrastructure.

RTD Partners

TWI TWI is one of Europe's largest independent research and technology organisations. Based at Abington near Cambridge since 1946, TWI provides those in industry with technical support in welding, NDT and associated material joining technologies.

KTU Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) is the largest technical university in the Baltic States, and is the second largest institution of higher education of Lithuania.

NewRail The Centre for Railway Research - NewRail, is based at Newcastle University. It runs a range of innovative research projects in Europe and the UK, with strong links to Japan and Australia.

References
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The publications

ISSN 1392-2114 ULTRAGARSAS (ULTRASOUND), Vol. 65, No. 1, 2010.

The ultrasonic wave interaction with porosity defects in welded rail head.

ISSN 1392-2114 ULTRAGARSAS (ULTRASOUND), Vol. 65, No. 3, 2010.

Testing of the middle zone of the rail weld.

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