GE offers under-railcar ultrasonic wheel inspection

The new WheelStar-UFPE from GE Measurement & Control is described as “a purpose-built, automated ultrasonic inspection system that allows for comprehensive non-destructive examination of railcar wheels during maintenance without the need to remove the wheelset from the railcar.”

The WheelStar-UFPE “combines GE’s industry-leading ultrasonic instrumentation platform with high-end mechanics to enable railway maintenance workshops to optimize productivity while achieving full traceability of results,” says Matthias Schwabe, product manager at GE Measurement & Control. “Technicians are guided through the inspection process by application software that is specifically developed and workflow-orientated. Automatic defect recognition (ADR) provides immediate identification of any surface or volumetric flaws in the wheel under inspection.”

During operation, a remotely controlled, battery-powered trolley carrying all the mechanics and ultrasonics as well as an integrated programmable logic controller (PLC), travels below the railcar and is positioned under the wheelset. This is then automatically lifted and the wheels are rotated before the ultrasonic probes are located on the face and tread of the wheel being inspected. “To ensure comprehensive and rapid scanning, a combination of eight phased array and six conventional probes is employed,” explains Schwabe. “Transmission and receiving of the probes is controlled by GE’s USIP|xx electronics platform, which also processes the inspection data at very high speed to offer fast online inspection with exceptional probability of detection (POD). The inspection data is transmitted using WiFi to the operator center.”

“WheelStar’s software is designed for ease of operation,” says Schwabe. “It provides a guided workflow, which is structured to the task in hand and displays a full A-scan capture within its projected view of results. Operator training and inspection are simple, automated and fast, reducing costs and the risk of error. Combined with the ADR feature of the system, this means greater reliability and a reduction in the number of costly and time-consuming false calls.”

“Rail operators all over the world conduct inspection of train wheels at regular intervals, primarily during the night shift to avoid traffic disruptions,” adds Schwabe. “Consequently, it’s important that the procedure be both fast and reliable. WheelStar can carry out a full wheel inspection in less than 90 seconds, including analysis and recording of results for traceability.”

GE says WheelStar is supported globally, with comprehensive after-sales service and training.