Rail Mill Inspection System

The first Dapco Rail Inspection System was installed in 1982 at the Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Mill. Since then our continued research and development has yielded vast improvements in detectability, repeatability, reliability, and ease of operation. The Dapco RTS-300 In-Plant Rail Inspection System represents the third generation of instrumentation and can be positioned in-line at the rail finishing area. Testing is accomplished at line speeds in excess of 300 ft/min. Each rail is automatically tested, classified, and properly marked based on the test results. The operator monitors and controls the testing via a keyboard or touch sensitive color screen. Each rail is mapped on the screen in real time as it moves through the tester. At the end of the test a hardcopy printout is generated for each rail tested and at the same time the results can be transmitted to a rail tracking computer.

	Patented 2-dimensional decision making process to minimize false alarms
	Patented multiple array, multiple direction transducer wheel probes
	Patented dual-sensitivity capability for simultaneous multi-level defect classifications for different regions of the rail
	True to location color coded painting of indications on the rail
	Color graphics display unit with optional touch sensitive screen through which the operator can control the test process
	Automatic gain control and distance amplitude correction
	Remote pulser/receivers allow the electronics to be centrally located in a control room up to 150 feet from the sensors
	Continuous couplant check
	Distance-based firing at intervals from 0.019 inches (0.5 millimeter) gives a constant pulse density in the product regardless of speed
	Rapid conversions to different rail sizes both in English and Metric units of measure
	Patented rail size job definition storage capability for immediate parameter setups in both English and Metric units of measure
	Flexible evaluation methods by paint marking, product sorting, real time on-screen graphical display of test results and printed recordings of the test data
	Variable number of multi-directional wheel probes for maximum throughput with 5 probes standard to provide maximum coverage of the rail cross section
	No special water quality requirements with only small volumes needed
	A direct network connection to a plant's central computer system is available
	A standard Pentium personal computer is used for the operator control interface
	System is fully software driven, allowing for customization to each customer's unique requirements
	Statistics are maintained for the number of rails tested, accepted, rejected and defects found by orientation
	Built-in system self testing is provided in both an automatic and on-demand fashion for system hardware verification
	An optional analog strip-chart recorder output is available
	Built-in support for multiple languages including English (default) and Spanish, Italian, German with customer translations

As an added feature, asymmetry information can be simultaneously generated during normal inspection. The asymmetry package measures rail height, width of base, width of head, thickness of web near its center, and offset of head from the neutral axis. This information can generate a snapshot of the rail profile every six inches with continuous averages as well as standard deviations.