Automated Concrete Crosstie Testing
(Room Sagamore 1)
19 Sep 17
10:30 AM
-
11:00 AM
Tracks:
AREMA Technical Sessions- Track
Currently concrete crosstie inspections are based on visual inspections of the exposed top surface and limited areas of the side and ends of crossties. Most of the crosstie is hidden from view by ballast and consequently serious defects that affect the integrity of the crosstie are not visible and can be missed. An Automated Concrete Tie Testing (ACTT-2) system has been developed as part of a Federal Railroad Research project. ACCT-2 provides a non-destructive, automated condition evaluation of the entire crosstie, providing railroads with a more complete tie assessment. This system uses microphone sensors and a “tapper” (rotating solenoid with a fixed ball) contact energy source to acquire impact velocity data at a rate of approximately 2 to 3 miles per hour (5000 to 8000 crossties per hour). Data acquisition software acquires, archives, analyzes and evaluates Surface/Rayleigh wave Velocity data and marks distressed crossties as the system rolls along the track. The end products are distressed crossties marked in the field and a data printout at the end of the day listing the location (distance from starting point that can be plotted on a map), the impact velocity data and rating for each crosstie tested. This paper will describe the science of the measurement, the tool development process, and the extensive field testing results.