Application of phased array ultrasonic technology for nondestructive testing of railway wheels

A scheme is proposed to realize nondestructive testing (NDT) of railway wheels based on phased array ultrasonic testing technology in order to ensure the safe operation and high-speed of railway transport, and achieve accurate determine the defects of railway wheels. A phased array ultrasonic NDT system for wheels was designed. The system includes four main parts: system management software, probe moving and scanning parts, ultrasonic signal acquisition and imaging. A testing scheme for wheels was designed aiming at the configuration of railroad wheels and the distribution of defects in them. The wheels safety testing experiments were carried out on model wheels with artificial defects. Results of experiments demonstrate that the testing methods are more accurate in examining the depth and the location of defects in the wheels, and this system can obtain the defects status of wheels with higher sensitivity, higher facilitation and less affection by environmental factors.