Institute for Maritime Technology

A division of Armscor Business Pty Ltd

ULTRASONIC BROKEN RAIL DETECTOR DESCRIPTION

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Institute for Maritime Technology
A division of Armscor Business Pty Ltd
ULTRASONIC BROKEN RAIL DETECTOR DESCRIPTION

BROKEN RAIL DETECTION OVERVIEW

Many methods are employed to improve the reliability and the timeliness of detecting
rail breaks on the lines of railways throughout the world. Some of the most effective
methods are:

• Patrolmen – Employed to inspect the railway line at a given inspection frequency.

• Ultrasonic and Magnetic scanning – Sophisticated detectors are usually mounted

on motorized rail vehicles to scan the rail for defect-growth to enable initiation of
proactive maintenance tasks before a catastrophic event occurs. Some railways
also employ manually operated systems to reduce the period between scans.

• Track circuits – Track circuits provide a varying degree of broken rail detection
depending on the configuration employed. In cases where only one rail is used as
a “Signal Rail”, broken rail detection is not guaranteed on the other rail especially
where this is employed as an electric traction return conductor.

• Train personnel – Reporting detection (experiencing) of a broken rail.

All of these detection methods are intermittent resulting in extended periods during
which a rail break can occur and be undetected.

The introduction of advanced train control systems, such as Positive Train Control,
may make the need for wayside signals (and track circuits) redundant, thus the need
for alternative technologies for detecting broken rails.

ULTRASONIC BROKEN RAIL DETECTOR UNIQUE FEATURES AND BENEFITS

The Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detector system is the first and only alternative (to track
circuits) broken rail detection system developed, produced and implemented on a
large scale.

By investing in an Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detector system railway operators will have
the benefit of monitoring rails continuously for broken rails without human intervention.
This investment will contribute to ensure that the client does not suffer losses as a
result of train derailments.
Institute for Maritime Technology
A division of Armscor Business Pty Ltd
ULTRASONIC BROKEN RAIL DETECTOR DESCRIPTION

Benefits to the client are:

• Continuous monitoring of rails for broken rails without human intervention.

• Increased operational efficiency of the railway line.
• Client will know where the break occurs (with a 1km resolution).

The system is designed to operate from solar power. It is not maintenance intensive,
requires no rail modification other than rail bonding for lightning and surge protection,
and is easy to install.

Typical Wayside Installation

Institute for Maritime Technology
A division of Armscor Business Pty Ltd
ULTRASONIC BROKEN RAIL DETECTOR DESCRIPTION

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

(a) General

The Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detector system is designed to reliably detect breaks in
continuously welded rails. The operation of the system is based on a simple transmit-
receive confirmation protocol. An acoustic signal is generated and inserted in the rail
at one location (transmitter), propagates along the rail, and is received at a remote
location (receiver). The integrity of the rail between the transmitter and receiver is
confirmed as long as an acceptable signal is received. Should the rail develop a
clean break between the transmitter and receiver, the inserted signal will not be
received resulting in the generation of an alarm.

The Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detector consists of the following major components:

• Receiver Unit with associated power source, cabling and rail mounted
Transducers

• Transmitters Unit with associated power source, cabling and rail mounted
Transducers

• Communication system to allow remote monitoring

(b) Principal of Operation

High voltage driving bursts generated by

Transmitters are converted into acoustic energy
by the rail mounted Transducers, and
propagates in both directions in the rail. Arriving
at Receiver stations, the acoustic energy is
converted into electrical signals by the rail
mounted Transducers. These signals are
filtered, amplified, and processed to ensure that
only valid signals are recognized.

The absence of a valid signal at a Receiver

signifies a severely cracked or broken rail in the
specific rail section.
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A division of Armscor Business Pty Ltd
ULTRASONIC BROKEN RAIL DETECTOR DESCRIPTION

Transmitters and Receivers are interleaved. A specific Receiver receives signals from
both rail directions (up and down). To enable Receivers to determine the direction
from which acoustic energy originates, Transmitters insert a burst train consisting of 5
pulses at a preset Burst Repetition Interval (BRI) into the left rail, followed by a
sequence at a different Burst Repetition Interval into the right rail. The BRI’s are set
differently at adjacent transmitters. Burst Trains are repeated at a specific
Interrogation Interval (II). See figure 6.

To ensure that received burst trains from the Up and Down directions do not overlap
for extended periods at a specific Receiver, causing false alarms, adjacent
Transmitters are factory set to different Interrogation Intervals (II).

LEFT RAIL

RIGHT RAIL

LEFT RIGHT

BURST REPETITION
INTERVAL

INTERROGATION INTERVAL

Burst Injection Scheme

Receivers measure the BRI’s to identify the direction of the specific Transmitter
station. For this purpose, Receivers are also individually set to recognise specific
BRI’s as arriving from either the Up, or Down direction, depending on the settings of
adjacent Transmitters.

Receivers recognise valid signals using the following filtering criteria:

(a) signal frequency

(b) burst length
(c) burst repetition interval
(d) burst train continuity.

Severe continuous noise at a Receiver will jeopardize valid signal detection,

regardless of detector efficiency. An approaching train will manifest as a typical case.
Under such circumstances, the Receiver will indicate “Train in Section”, stop
processing received signals, and remain dormant until the noise subsides, after which
it will activate and resume normal functioning.
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A division of Armscor Business Pty Ltd
ULTRASONIC BROKEN RAIL DETECTOR DESCRIPTION

Ultrasonic Transducer

Rail Clamp
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A division of Armscor Business Pty Ltd
ULTRASONIC BROKEN RAIL DETECTOR DESCRIPTION

(b) Transmitter Module Description

Transmitter Modules generate precisely timed high

voltage burst sequences for excitation of ultrasonic
sound waves in train rails.

Electronics consist of a Processor with digital timing and

conditioning circuits, Real Time Clock, Inverter Circuit to
generate high voltage supply for the Pulse Amplifier,
Pulse Amplifier, and LED Display Board, all housed in a
plastic enclosure.

Rail mounted Ultrasonic Transducers are connected to

the Module Front Panel using coaxial cable and SMA
front panel screw type connectors.

Transmitter Module

(c) Receiver Module Description

The Receiver consists of two separate analogue amplifier and filter circuits which
generate triggers when received signals comply with the signal discrimination
criteria, i.e. frequency, burst length, and amplitude. Triggers interrupt the
Processor which then executes interval timing routines. A Code Detection
algorithm is used to recognise valid burst trains, and to reject spurious noise.

Rail mounted Ultrasonic Transducers are connected to the Module Front Panel
using RG58 coaxial cable and SMA front panel screw type connectors.

GSM Module
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A division of Armscor Business Pty Ltd
ULTRASONIC BROKEN RAIL DETECTOR INTENDED USE

INTENDED USE

The Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detector is specifically designed to achieve a continuous

inspection of the rail status. In its current form a complete installed line can be
scanned for rail breaks down to 3 minute intervals (called the interrogation period),
depending on train length and traffic density. On the OREX line in South Africa, the
Interrogation Interval is set to 15 minutes to conserve energy consumed from the
solar power supply system. The longest period for which a broken rail can go
undetected, is thus equal to this settable Interrogation Interval.

Given the arguments above, it should be noted that the Ultrasonic Broken Rail
Detector is not classified “Fail Safe”, although many fail safe principles have been
incorporated in order to detect and reveal most of the equipment failures. It is
however conceivable that certain failure modes could occur which is undetectable and
can cause the system to indicate that a section of rail is intact, while an actual rail
break could be present. Thus it is important to note that the system is employed as a
fast turn around inspection system with greatly improved break detection reliability as
compared to currently employed break detection methods.

Careful attention has been given to system and lay-out design to ensure that
equipment failures are detectable and will not manifest as false alarms. With the
centre fed Transmitter configuration for example, a failed Transmitter Module will
result in simultaneous signal loss in all four sections of rail interrogated by it. Such a
multiple detection failure will be evident by inspection of detection status at both
adjacent Receivers and is completely visible at system level.

The Transmitter Module for example, employs an independent Transducer voltage

monitor, which is used to detect a failed Transducer, cable or connector. On detection
of such a failure, the Transmitter automatically shuts down, causing a multiple
detection failure at both adjacent Receivers indicating equipment failure rather than
false alarms. The Receiver also employs techniques to reduce the occurrence of false
alarms. Algorithms are employed to improve detection reliability and to recognize the
presence of a train, which otherwise could cause detection failure due to interference
with the interrogation signals.
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A division of Armscor Business Pty Ltd
ULTRASONIC BROKEN RAIL DETECTOR INTENDED USE

With this in mind, it should be clear that the Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detector system
should not be used on its own to manage the risks associated with broken rail
detection. It should be used as a part of an overall broken rail detection strategy on
the railway. Procedures should be in place to handle the detected broken rail
incidents. The repair action and the re-commissioning of such a section should all be
integrated into such a strategy. In the case of equipment failures, detection will be lost
for that particular section and procedures should be in place to initiate alternative
detection mechanisms until system operation is restored. With current broken rail
detection and management experience, IMT and local users of the system are in a
position to assist clients with the definition of a total broken rail management system
incorporating the Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detector.