Rail Corrugation: A Software Tool for Detection and Analysis Using Wavelets

Abstract

Corrugation is an oscillatory wear of the rail and it is a consequence of the interaction between wheel and rail [1]. Rail corrugation usually appears in curves, but it may also arise in linear tracks. It usually appears in curves because of the friction between the rail and wheel due to curving [2]. The main objective of this master thesis is to develop new methods that can detect if there is corrugation in the rail and quantify it according to the frequency and amplitude of the signal. A program has been already developed at FCT-UNL enabling the detection of rail corrugation, RailScan V2.1. However, this application is outdated, so the aim is to update it and make it more efficient, building a brand-new RailScan V3.0. The implementation of the function Corrugram, a patent developed in FCT-UNL, was a huge evolution in RailScan. Corrugram is a new way to represent where and if corrugation is present in the rail. Another implementation was the norm EN 13231-3:2012, another method to analyze if rail corrugation is present. This norm was incorporated within RailScan V3.0, and it ensured compliance against the best international practice among rail corporations [3]. The remaining part of this thesis was to create a database with robust data, allowing the validation of both RailScan and Corrugram as powerful tools to quantify rail corrugation. The results proved that RailScan is a powerful tool to detect and locate rail corrugation and that the Corrugram is very simple, effective and useful in signal analysis.