THE APPLICATION OF PHASED ARRAY ULTRASONIC TECHNIQUES FOR INSPECTION OF RAILWAY AXLES FROM THEIR END FACE

As part of the development of a non destructive testing (NDT) system combining complementary inspection techniques, an inspection system based on phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) for detection of transverse cracking in solid railway axles is being developed. This paper presents the initial study, which includes the PAUT experimental setup and the initial results obtained after testing the system on railway axle blocks. The inspection of solid axles from their axle end face is investigated.