Abstract
The work presented in this paper aims at investigating the ability of acoustic noise correlation technique for railway infrastructure health monitoring. The principle of this technique is based on impulse responses reconstruction by correlation of random noise propagated in the medium. Since wheel-rail interaction constitutes a source of such noise, correlation technique could be convenient for detection of rail defects using only passive sensors. Experiments have been carried out on a 2 m-long rail sample. Acoustic noise is generated in the sample at several positions. Direct comparison between an active emission-reception response and the estimated noise correlation function has confirmed the validity of the equivalence relation between them. The quality of the reconstruction is shown to be strongly related to the spatial distribution of the noise sources. High sensitivity of the noise-correlation functions to a local defect on the rail is also demonstrated. However, interpretation of the defect signature is more ambiguous than when using classical active responses. Application of a spatiotemporal Fourier transform on data recorded with variable sensor-defect distances has allowed overcoming this ambiguity.
Highlights
Transportation is an activity that involves significant risks due to the displacement speed of vehicles
The work presented in this paper aims at investigating the ability of acoustic noise correlation technique for railway infrastructure health monitoring
This paper presents a preliminary study for the application of noise correlation technique to reconstruct the active response between two acoustic receivers in a rail sample
Summary
Transportation is an activity that involves significant risks due to the displacement speed of vehicles. Existing technologies for finer local inspection and detection of early damage include: eddy current [3], fiber optic sensors [4] [5], and naturally ultrasound NDT using either contact or contact-less acoustic sensors [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]. Though efficient, these methods ordinarily require planning interventions depending on traffic. It is possible that unforeseen technical problems appear between two planned inspections with at the least enormously costly and, possibly, dramatic consequences
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
