Detecting rail seat abrasion with automated equipment

摘要

Rail seat abrasion (RSA) commonly occurs in areas of high vertical axle loads and high lateral loads on sharp curves (due to high lateral curving forces) subject to high moisture in the form of rain and/or snow and contamination in the form of sand, rail grinding grit and other wind-blown materials.rnRSA is usually detected in its advanced stages. BNSF Railway and Transportation Technology Center, Inc., are working in a cooperative effort, as part of the Association of American Railroads' (AAR) Strategic Research Initiatives Program to improve tie/fastener performance, to find ways to detect it in its infancy so that railways can plan repairs early on and avoid high-priority emergency situations. Results from this cooperative effort suggest the measurement of rail shows promise as an indictor of RSA.