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ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCERS PREVENT DERAILMENTS In brief A South African-developed system that can effectively monitor the world’s ageing railway infrastructure is drawing international attention. The system has demonstrated an ability to detect breaks in continuously-welded railway tracks and thereby avoid expensive and lifethreatening derailments. The challenge The world’s railway infrastructure is ageing - many rail systems date from the first decade of the 19th century. Consequently, cracks in railway lines that can cause derailments occur more frequently. These derailments cost South Africa’s economy around R50 million per incident. Although several methods are currently employed on railway lines throughout the world to improve the reliability and the timeliness of detecting rail breaks, these are generally labour intensive, and are not always as effective as they might be. CSIR research Subcontracted by the Institute of Maritime Technology (IMT), the CSIR developed ultrasonic transducers that form an integral part of an Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detector system. It provides railway operators with the benefit of continuously monitoring rails for breaks without human intervention, contributing to the prevention of costly train derailments. The system is designed to operate from solar power. It requires little maintenance and is easy to install. The system is based on the following concept: Ultrasonic waves are transmitted along the rail between transmit and receive ‘stations’ which are placed alternately along the length of the rail. If the required ultrasonic signals are not received, an alarm is activated indicating Custom ultrasound transducer for rail break monitoring, attached to the Sishen-Saldanha heavy freight railway line. a broken rail. The entire rail can be monitored continuously and alerts the railway operator as to where a rail break has occurred. Outputs To date the research in guided wave ultrasound has produced four journal papers and several conference papers. A student on the project is studying towards an MEng at the University of Pretoria and has one paper in conference proceedings and a second conference presentation. Two Master’s students have been supported in their efforts to apply guided wave ultrasound to other industrial applications. Outcomes This is a world-first solution; the first and only alternative (to track circuits) broken rail detection system developed, produced and implemented on a large scale. It has been brought to an operational test level by IMT and is installed on sections of Transnet’s Coal line (460 km double track, from Ermelo to Richard’s Bay) and its heavy-duty iron ore Orex line (860 km, Sishen to Saldanha). The system’s uniqueness and effectiveness have also attracted considerable attention from the international railway community. The system has been tested at the Transport Technology Centre in Colorado, USA; on a test section in Kingston, Canada; on the subways of New York City and Hong Kong; and is currently being tested in Japan. Various changes have been made to the original design to ensure that the transducers survive in the extremely hostile environment in which they operate. A research group has been established at the CSIR that investigates the field of guided wave ultrasound. This group has developed unique capabilities for modelling and measuring the transduction and propagation of elastic waves in rails. These capabilities are currently being employed to develop an improved transducer for longer range guided wave 42
industry advanced manufacturing transmission and detection at lower cost. The transducer is being developed to operate on two welded rail lines in South Africa. In addition, the numerical models used are being coded in software and the development procedure is being documented so that transducers for other rail profi les, used internationally, can be easily developed in future. Impact During 2010, the system prevented two derailments, saving Transnet (and the South African economy) an estimated R100m. It continues to play a vital role in securing the country’s valuable coal and iron ore industries. Getting to grips Piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer: A device that converts an electrical signal into ultrasonic sound waves and vice versa. Piezoelectric materials have the property of changing size when a voltage is applied. Applying an alternating current across them can cause them to oscillate at very high frequencies, thus producing very high frequency (ultrasonic) sound waves. Smart structure or material: Smart structures and materials can sense changes in their environment and respond to them without human intervention. The sensing and actuation capabilities are linked by some sort of processing, which may be implemented electronically. For instance, sensors that are placed on bridges to monitor vibrations can transmit the information wirelessly, thereby eliminating the need for cabling. However, the sensors’ batteries need to be replaced periodically. Ways are now being sought to harvest energy from the bridge’s vibrations to recharge the battery so that no maintenance is required. International potential It is estimated that more than 60% of all rail worldwide is suitable for the system. This means that at least a total of 673 500 km is suitable and with a conservative estimate of 1.75 km per unit (a unit in this context is either a receiver or a transmitter) the total global market is estimated to be in the region of 385 000 units. The team’s ultimate goal is to develop a system that can detect cracks in railway lines even before breakages occur. Funding and collaborators The Institute of Maritime Technology (IMT) is a major collaborator on the project. While the system’s transducers were developed by the CSIR, the rest of the system was developed by the IMT and it is also the implementers of the technology. The initial development project and the production of the transducers were funded by Transnet through subcontracts via the IMT. CSIR parliamentary grant funding has been used to establish an R&D capability supporting future developments of this technology. 43 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
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CSIR. All subsidiary companies are
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CSIR Board Members (1 April 2010 -
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CSIR leadership team The CSIR manag
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Meetings 7 October 2010 24 March 20
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26 SUBSEQUENT EVENTS 26.1 Satellite
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Interests of the CSIR Net indebtnes
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169 2010 FIFA SOCCER WORLD CUP
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ACCESS Applied Centre for Climate a
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Printed on Hi-Q Titan Plus environm
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