An enhanced ultrasonic automatic detecting system for locomotive axles

摘要

An enhanced ultrasonic automatic detecting system has been established to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the flaw detecting process for locomotive axles. The mechanical, electrical and software systems are separately illustrated in this paper. All of the moving elements are automatically controlled by the synergistic operation of the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and the IPC (Industrial Personal Computer). In order to efficiently make use of the space and reduce the detecting time, detectors are grouped into two sets, and each set is detects half part of the axle. The ultrasonic excitation and the echo signals are transmitted and received by the two-channel ultrasonic transceiver. The ultrasonic echo signals are displayed in the main interface of the control software in real time and the suspected flaw echo signals are diagnosed according to the threshold criterion or DAC (Distance Amplitude Curve) criterion. And the equivalent flaw size could be calculated by using DAC criterion. Motion procedures, detecting parameters, flaw records, and operators' information are categorized and stored in the software's file system. Finally, the main technical indicators of the detecting system are listed.