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E. Mayrhofer, M. Gröschl, M. Jech, T. Lebersorger, M. Scheerer, T. Wopelka:
"Akustische Emission als Methode zur Online-Detektion von Ermüdungsrissen an Eisenbahnschienen im Labormaßstab";
in: "Proc. 3. Tagung Innovation Messtechnik", Shaker Verlag, Aachen/D, 2013, ISBN: 978-3-8440-1817-2, S. 20 - 24.

In this work, the acoustic emission (AE) method is applied to the online monitoring of rails on
a laboratory scale. For this purpose, a test bench enabling t he reproduction of rolling contact fatigue (RCF) in
the wheel-rail contact was equipped with an acoustic emission measurement setup. In the course of the fatigue
tests, characteristic head check fatigue cracks develop which are well-known in literature. As a consequence,
rail specimens that have been fatigued as described above show a higher surface roughness than equivalent
specimens that are free of cracks. The results of the AE measurements reveal a good correlation between the
root mean square (RMS) of the AE signal and the surface roughness of rail specimens in the rolling contact
zone. This finding is an indication that the propagation of fatigue cracks in rails can be correlated with the
AE signal during the rolling movement. In this context, a disturbing effect of wear particles lying on t he rail
specimen can be excluded according to the currently known findings.

acoustic emission, rolling contact fatigue, crack propagation, wheel-rail contact, head checks