RU2446971C2 - Method of track diagnostics - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to railway transport and may be used in complex diagnostics of track, for example, in rail detector cars. Proposed method consists in that measurement intervals are synchronised with rolling stock speed, interfering instruments are spaced apart and/or scattered in time, instantaneous measurement results of all instruments are delayed with due allowance for relative position and displacement speed so that said instruments are related to unique cross sections of the track, revealed defect is displayed in due time, current track section is displayed in 3D images as well as defects revealed in track transverse sections by all instruments. Fast decision about track conditions are made by one operator proceeding from analysis of produced image.

EFFECT: higher quality of diagnostics.

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Description

The invention relates to control and measuring devices for checking the condition of a railway track using a common screen for displaying several physical quantities and can be used in the complex diagnostics of rail tracks with various instruments, for example, in flaw detectors.

Railways are complex engineering and technical facilities with increased responsibility for transport safety. The objects of rail track control are:

- rails - for the presence of internal defects, damage to heads and wits, changes in the geometry of the rail track, etc .;

- sleepers - for their planting, destruction, etc .;

- the underlying cushion of the rail track - for density violations, the occurrence of scours, cavities, etc .;

- contact power supply network - for sagging wires, state of supporting elements, etc.

Ultrasonic, magnetic, laser, radar, optical, mechanical and other non-destructive testing methods and related instruments are used to control these elements. Each of the measuring instruments contains means for measuring, processing, storing and displaying the results. Monitoring the condition of rail tracks should not significantly affect the transportation, which leads to the need to create high-speed, universal measuring instruments that provide comprehensive monitoring of the condition of the rail track. Automatic diagnostic tools, as a rule, do not provide the required level of reliability, as a result of which there are high probabilities of “false alarms” and (or) skipping the defect. But today, the greatest reliability is provided by automated methods based on the interaction of measuring devices with the operator. There are two possible ways to evaluate the results:

- operational - allowing you to quickly detect defects in the measurement process and adequately respond to the critical condition of the rail track;

- laboratory - involving the preservation of the results of measurements of the rail track and their subsequent processing.

A known method for diagnosing a rail track [1], involving ultrasonic (ultrasound) inspection of rails, which consists in emitting ultrasound probing signals, receiving reflected signals, detecting defects, storing measurement results, displaying and analyzing them. For the operational analysis of sounding results, use:

1. A-scan - display of the time dependence of the amplitudes of the signals obtained during one sensing.

2. B-scan - displays the dependence of the amplitudes of signals reflected from defects obtained along the length of the rail.

3. Display of detected defects on the transverse and longitudinal sections of the rail.

The first two display methods are not visual, tiring to perceive and require highly skilled operator. The third method is more visual, but requires simultaneous observation of four rail projections when probing two rails simultaneously.

A known method for diagnosing a rail track [2], also involving the use of ultrasonic methods of flaw detection, using a multi-channel circuit, which further complicates the operational monitoring of the state of the rail track.

A common disadvantage of the methods [1] and [2] is the limited functionality for the diagnosis of the rail track - only ultrasonic inspection of the rails.

Closest to the claimed is a method for diagnosing a rail track [3], which consists in the fact that measuring instruments of different parameters of the rail track are installed on a vehicle that is moved along the rail track, the current position and speed of movement of the instruments are measured, the indicated parameters periodically measure the rail track parameters , detect defects and determine their coordinates relative to the corresponding device, save the measurement results, quickly and after the examination and track analyze them and make a decision on the status of the track.

The disadvantage of this method is that a variety of measuring devices mounted on a vehicle are considered separately. However, the measurement results have unity in location, mutual influence, speed of movement and objects of study. Taking this unity into account when installing, organizing measurements and analyzing the results will improve the quality of rail track diagnostics.

Combining multiple measuring equipment in a flaw detector car makes it possible to diagnose a rail track faster and cheaper. When installing and organizing the operation of measuring instruments, their mutual influence, in particular electromagnetic compatibility, should be taken into account. The frequency of measurement with instruments should be selected from the vehicle speed to achieve the required resolution. Operational monitoring of the condition of the rail track in the presence of a large number of heterogeneous measuring equipment requires either a large number of operators (in the method [3] it is assumed that there are 5 operators), or the decoding of the results has to be carried out after the measurement is completed, which reduces the efficiency of monitoring. In addition, defects in different elements of the railway are often connected with each other, and some defects are detected by different methods. Under these conditions, it is advisable to bring the measurement results of all sensors together, display and analyze them together.

The ability of the proposed method is most simply tracked on a multichannel ultrasonic flaw detector [2], Fig.1. To reduce the mutual influence and design features of the meter, electro-acoustic transducers (EAP) located on the surface of the roll, Fig. 1-1, which are essentially independent devices, are sent in different directions - in the direction of travel, in the opposite direction, perpendicular to the rolling surface, etc. d. As a result, for example, the hole of the bolted connection of the rails will first be detected by the front ultrasonic transducer directed along the direction of travel in position a, after reflection from the bottom of the rail, then this object will be detected by the same ultrasonic transducer in position b. Then the corresponding ultrasonic converters will detect reflections c, d and e. With the usual method of processing, displaying and analyzing, the measurement results refer to different points in time, and the operator receives the image of FIGS. 1-2, from which it is difficult to understand that the detected reflectors belong to the same object. The inventive method assumes that all measurement results are delayed so that the detected reflectors are reduced to one cross section of the rail. Thus, the reflection sources a, b, c, d and e will be combined, Fig.1-3, which will make it easy to determine the nature of the reflection source.

Note that combining the measurement results with electro-acoustic transducers requires taking into account the speed of their movement. The speed of movement also affects the frequency of rail soundings in order to provide the required diagnostic resolution.

The problem solved by the claimed method is to improve the quality of rail track diagnostics due to the appropriate organization of the joint work of measuring instruments and combining the results obtained from different instruments, displaying them in a convenient form and joint analysis.

Significant differences of the proposed method are the following:

synchronization of measurement periods with instruments with the vehicle speed allows you to achieve the required resolution for each of the devices, as well as to eliminate excessive measurements at low speeds.

In the prototype, the issue of measurement synchronization is not considered.

Diversity spatially and (or) over the time of operation of the devices allows to exclude or reduce their mutual influence. Spatial separation involves the installation of instruments and corresponding sensors at distances or directions that reduce their influence on each other. For example, in ultrasonic flaw detectors, the directions of piezoelectric transducers are chosen so as to exclude (reduce) the interference and diffraction of ultrasonic signals. Georadars, magnetic and ultrasonic meters can significantly influence each other, so in addition to spatial diversity, to solve the problem of electromagnetic compatibility, one has to resort to temporal diversity of sounding moments due to the corresponding centralized synchronization.

The prototype does not address device compatibility issues.

The delay in the instantaneous measurement results of all devices, taking into account the relative position and speed of movement of the devices so that they belong to the same cross sections of the rail track, allows you to obtain information about defects found in the specified section by all devices. The spatial combination of this information allows you to analyze the integrated information about the defects and identify the relationship between them.

In the prototype, the issue of joint analysis of information about defects is not considered.

Operational alarm about defect detection, for example, sound, allows you to attract the attention of the operator to the event, since long-term monitoring of the measurement results leads to rapid fatigue of the operator and the possibility of skipping the defect.

In the prototype there is no such possibility.

The display in the form of a 3D image of the current section of the rail track and defects detected in its cross sections by all devices allows you to combine all the measurement results into an image that the operator understands.

In the prototype, it is assumed that the operator controls the measurement results of each device individually.

The operational decision on the state of the rail track is made by one operator based on the analysis of the specified image.

The prototype assumes the use of 5 operators.

Thus, the claimed method involves centralized management of a set of measuring instruments and joint processing of the results compared to the prototype and provides a higher quality of rail track diagnostics.

The inventive method is illustrated by the following graphic materials:

Figure 1 - scheme of object detection during ultrasound sounding of the rail, where EAP - electro-acoustic transducers of multichannel ultrasonic flaw detector 1.

Figure 2 is a structural diagram of a device that implements the inventive method, where:

1 - multichannel ultrasonic flaw detector,

2 - magnetic meter of rail defects,

3 - subsurface ground penetrating radar,

4 - current position sensor,

5 - transmitting and receiving devices,

6 - server

7 - storage device,

8 - monitor.

Fig.2-3d image of a section of rail, where

9 - defect detected by ultrasonic flaw detector,

10 - subsurface ravine detected by ground penetrating radar.

Consider the possibility of implementing the proposed method on the example of rail track diagnostics using a flaw detector car, containing, FIG. 2, a multi-channel ultrasonic flaw detector 1, a magnetic rail meter 2, a subsurface ground penetrating radar 3 and a current position sensor 4 with corresponding transceiver devices (PPU) 5. Each diagnostic device aims at measuring the corresponding parameters of the railway and is created by the appropriate organization or group of specialists who solve the problem of autonomous The behavior of the corresponding measurements, assessment of the state of a predetermined parameter detection, imaging and diagnosis of the defect. To solve this problem, they have their own technical means of measuring, evaluating and displaying results. The objective of the proposed method is to ensure their integrated use. Each of the measuring devices 1, 2 and 3 involves the generation of sounding signals, receiving and processing the received responses, and contains a computer. All computers through a serial interface are connected to a server 5, equipped with an external storage device 6 with a database of the railway track and a monitor 7. The database contains information about the geometry of the rail track, the location of joints, arrows, etc., as well as non-critical defects detected in previous measurements. Electro-acoustic transducers (PPU 5) of a multichannel ultrasonic flaw detector 1 are installed in the rear part of the flaw detector car in a suspended unit. The coils of the magnetic meter 2 (PPU 5) are located on the axis of the wheels of the flaw detector car in its front part. Antennas of subsurface GPR 3 (PPU 5) are located in front of the flaw detector car. This arrangement of the PUF 5 is selected based on electromagnetic compatibility, i.e. reduce their mutual influence. During installation, the parameters of the relative position of the control panel are measured 5. The current position sensor 4 contains GPS equipment and a track meter “from the wheel” with the corresponding control panels 5. The GPS equipment performs preliminary determination of the position of the flaw detector car. The exact binding is done periodically in the server 5, for example, by detecting by the electromagnetic meter 2 characteristic points, in particular bolted joints of the rails, and their comparison with the database of the rail track. Between the exact bindings, the position measurement is made “from the wheel”. According to the current position in server 5, the speed of the flaw detector carriage is calculated.

When moving the flaw detector car in the server 5, determine the frequency of formation of sounding signals in each of the measuring devices 1-3 based on the requirements for their resolution and speed of movement of the flaw detector car. In the server 6 form the start signals of the corresponding measuring devices, taking into account the possibility of mutual influence of the probing or response signals. Each of the measuring devices 1-3 according to the signal from the server 6 generates sounding signals, receives and processes the received responses. In this case, rail track defects are detected and their coordinates are determined relative to the corresponding control units 5. The received information, including the signals received by each control unit 5, is transmitted to server 6, where it is stored, and information about defects is linked to the absolute coordinates of the track and connected with cross sections of a rail track. Thus, defect information is delayed in the server. Data on defects detected on a section of the rail track by all meters is formed after the end of work on this section by all measuring devices 1-3. If there is a defect, an audible signal is generated that draws the operator's attention to the display device. Information about the defects is displayed on the monitor 7, which allows you to observe the 3D image, figure 3, the current two-strand section of the rail track with the mark of defects detected by all measuring devices. The screen can also display coordinates, defect characteristics and other information. Figure 3 shows that a crack 8 in the rail head, detected by an ultrasonic flaw detector, can be caused by a hole 9 in the rail cushion. Thus, the claimed method allows one operator to quickly observe, evaluate the detected defects and establish the relationship between them.

Thus, the inventive method allows online operation by one operator to monitor, analyze and evaluate the condition of the rail track, which improves the quality of diagnostics, and therefore, the safety of railways.

Information sources

1. Markov A.A., Shpagin D.A. Ultrasonic flaw detection of rails. 2nd ed. reslave. and add. - St. Petersburg: Education and Culture, 2008.

2. Patent RU 2227911. Method of multichannel ultrasonic inspection of rails.

3. RU 2066645. MOBILE CONTROL-COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC COMPLEX.

Claims (1)

A method for diagnosing a rail track, namely, that the measuring instruments for rail parameters are mounted on a vehicle that is moved along the rail, measuring the current position and speed of movement of the instruments, which periodically measure rail parameters, detect defects and determine their coordinates relative to the corresponding device , save the measurement results, promptly and after the end of the examination of the section of the rail track, analyze them and decide on the condition and a rail track, characterized in that the measurement periods with the instruments are synchronized with the vehicle speed, spatially and / or interrelated instruments are spaced apart by the operating time, they delay the instantaneous measurement results of all devices taking into account the relative position and speed of the devices so that they relate to the same cross sections of the rail track, they promptly signal the detection of a defect, display in the form of a 3D image the current section of the rail track and defects, o found in its cross sections by all devices, an operational decision on the state of the rail track is made by one operator based on the analysis of the specified image.

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