New Methods of Rail Axle Inspection and Assessment

Three alternative methods of crack detection and corrosion assessment for railway axle inspection have been proposed in the WOLAXIM (Whole Life Rail Axle Assessment and Improvement) project. One method is for the exposed body of the axles (intended primarily for freight wagon or passenger trailing axles) and can be carried out automatically, as the vehicles pass an inspection station that could be installed in carriage sidings or marshalling yards. A second method is specifically for the hollow axles of high speed trains and aims to improve the speed of the inspection and improve crack detection reliability. This could be deployed while the train is in the depot overnight and without dismantling the wheel set. The third method is to improve the measurement of corrosion and therefore the sentencing of corroded axles. This will be linked to newly developed corrosion fatigue assessment models by reliability methods. This paper describes the main principles of these methods and gives some preliminary results.