Railroads provide both efficiency and economy in passenger and freight transportation. Like other transportation models, howver, they are prone to various problems. Statistics show that over the course of this century, the average carload and trainload tonnage has increased significantly. There is also an increasing concentration of traffic on fewer main line tracks. The averae length of haul has also risen [1,2]. Unfortunately, these trends have not been offset with a proportional increase in the amount of new rail laid. Consequently, the stress on rails and fatigue related failures may continue to increase. With the new demands, it is important to assess the rail integrity by detecting rail defects nondestructively and speedily.
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