Civil Engineering

Railroad authorities all over the world are interested in improving the efficiency of their rail defect detection systems. This field of structural health monitoring of railroad tracks is currently limited by the measurement technique which involves a relatively old technology that produces imperfect reliability of defect detection and limited inspection speed. Optomet laser Doppler vibrometry is being evaluated to overcome drawbacks of conventional rail testing. Ultrasonic waves are propagated through the railroad track and interact with a defect. These waves are measured by the Optomet laser Doppler vibrometer, which has exceptional sensitivity and signal strength, which is critical to obtaining data free from noise and drop outs on rusted and optically uncooperative surfaces where surface treatment is not possible. The goal of the research is to develop a reliable defect detection system that can be operated from regular passenger cars travelling at normal speeds.