GE Inspection Technologies

Ultrasonics
70020EH Date: June 2004

Application Solutions Detection of cracks in axles below the shrinkage t of wheels and brakes

Category

Rail
Material Steel

Fig. 1: Axle face

Application
The detection of cracks shall be carried out in the mounted condition. Only the two front faces of the axle are therefore accessible for ultrasonic testing.

Your solution
The possibility of inclined beaming was tested at rst. However, it was then found out that the shrinkage ts of the wheels, brake discs, and drives are acoustically transparent, and that the so-called corner reector effect does not therefore work. Finally, the straight-beam scanning mode shown in Figure 2 was tested and enabled reliable detection of all cracks in the critical zones below the shrinkage ts. The test covering the entire circumference is carried out by means of a rotating scanner. The probe holder is shown in Figure 3. The test results are recorded in the form of a B-scan. Figure 4 shows such a Bscan recorded on a test object containing articial aws. The motor control, the data acquisition, and the B-scan generation are carried out by means of the software UltraMAP.

How you benet

Ensure a high quality rating Reduce eld failures and potential liability Save money by eliminating destructive testing Save money by improving your process

What you need

Flaw Detector: USD 15 Probe: Straight-beam probe with special holder Software: UltraMAP Accessories: Rotation system

GE Inspection Technologies

Ultrasonics

Straight-beam probe Crack

Rotation Shrinkage t Fig. 2: Test set-up Fig. 3: Rotation device

Fig. 4: B-scan over the circumference

Contact our global Application Centers for solutions to your inspection problems
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