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Track Rail Switch Signalling Overhead Line Consultancy

NDT-inspection for corrosion

G-Scan

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To be able to ensure rail traffic safety, it is absolutely necessary to know the detailed condi-tion of the railway infrastructure. The substructure, track bed, turnouts, rails and catenary form an entire complex, whose individual components interact with each other.The regular inspection and analysis of these components is a prerequisite for a condition based, preventive maintenance regime, which in turn is a precondition for the sustained re-duction of the life cycle costs of the railway infrastructure components.

Today, EURAILSCOUT Inspection & Analysis is the largest independent inspection organisa-tion for the components of the railway infrastructure. EURAILSCOUT has its headquarters in Amersfoort in the Netherlands and a branch office in Berlin /Germany, in Paris /France and in Bologna /Italy. From these locations, we provide infrastructure monitoring services to clients throughout Europe.

We work in partnership with infrastructure companies and maintenance providers to develop and implement new concepts in monitoring and maintenance practices to ensure safety and to optimise the performance of the railway infrastructure.In doing so, the latest measurement systems, modern test and measurement cars, fully de-veloped processes, and an exemplary quality management system are the basis for a team of more than one hundred highly motivated, qualified employees who will be pleased to as-sist you with innovation and enthusiasm in finding solutions to your problems

Erland TegelbergCEO

Jacques Le FlemCTO

Michael van MiltCFO

EURAILSCOUT – Your Reliable Partner for Monitoring the Condition of the Railway Infrastructure

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Content

1. The advantages of G-Scan Page 4

2. Problem of corrosion in railway crossings Page 4

3. Objective and scope of the inspection Page 4

4. Inspection method with the G-Scan Page 5

5. Product specifications Page 5

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G-Scan Fact Sheet Eurailscout

3. Objective and scope of the inspection

This inspection is aimed at measuring the corrosion of rails in situa-tions where it is not possible to perform an exact thickness measu-rement in the rail profile.It is applicable on rails, which lie in situations where excessive cor-rosion can occur and which have no or limited access to be able to determine the extent of corrosion visually and with a thickness gauge.

The regular ultrasound investigation identifies cracks and fractures from above, but not volume reduction of the rail. The identification of volume reduction currently happens only by means of regular visual inspection. For a railway crossing with a flooring of concre-te slabs, it is only possible by removal of the flooring, by which the foot and the body of the rail is clearly visible. The removal of the flooring is not only expensive, but also requires intensive labour and takes place when out of service. This also requires a lot of co-ordination with the Road Authority and there are additional costs, for example, road diversions and publications.

The G-scan was originally developed for measurement of decrease of wall-thickness of pipelines. Network Rail, the English Railway Inf-rastructure Authority, is already using the G-scan for a number of ye-ars to measure the volume reduction of the rail in railway crossings. In contrast to the regular ultrasound measurements, the principle of the G-scan is based on low-frequency sound waves, which are guided lengthwise into the rail. The ultrasound measurements and the G-scan-measurements work complementarily, to arrive at a correct analysis and control measures. The measurements with the G-scan can take place outside the railway crossing flooring.

1. The advantages of G-Scan

The maintenance of railway crossings can be a costly affair. The fre-quent taking apart of the railway crossing to check for corrosion da-mage costs a lot of money and above all, it disrupts the train services.

EURAILSCOUT now offers the G-scan, by which the corrosion dama-ge on railway crossings can be measured while the railway crossing remain intact. This Non Destructive Testing (NDT) gives you the pos-sibility to carry out some maintenance on the railway crossing where there is actually a problem.

2. Problem of corrosion in railway crossings

Brine in the winter and the accumulation of moisture and dirt from the road traffic ensure that the rails on the railway crossing corrode. Corrosion damage reduces the volume of the rail, by which the rail weakens and it loses its constructional strength. By this, the sliding function decreases. This results in a safety risk.

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G-ScanFact Sheet Eurailscout

4. Inspection method with the G-Scan

The G-Scan is a portable measurement device, which can be clamped just outside the flooring, on a rail. By using pulse-echo-technique, lengthwise on the rail, it is determined as to whether there is a reduced cross-section present in the rail-profile and at which location it is from the measurement point. The measu-re of reduction of the cross-section is a measure of the corro-sion present or a damage and can indicatively be used to de-termine the need for a further detailed inspection (for which then, for example, the flooring indeed has to be removed).

5. Product Specifications

• Able to measure a railway crossing of 30 metres in 1 measu-rement

• Can detect transversal defects in the head, foot and the body• Able to measure across several welds• Very quick to use through the integrated pneumatic clamp

mechanism• Compact measurement system• USB interface to laptop for data storage• Integrated battery for a minimum operating time of atleast

8 hours• Integrated GPS system • Simple user interface• Fully automated testprocedure• Retrievable data, by which the results increase the demonst-

rability

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Your Partner for Measurement, Testing and Consultation in the Area of Rails, Tracks, Switches, Overhead Lines and Signals

Eurailscout France SASOffice in Paris20/22 rue des Petits Hôtels75010 ParijsFranceTel. +33 (0)142 468 287info.france@eurailscout.com

Eurailscout Inspection & AnalysisBranch office BerlinTorellstraße 1, 10243 BerlijnGermanyTelephone +49 (0)30 29380850Telefax +49 (0)30 29380851info@eurailscout.com

Eurailscout Inspection & AnalysisPostbus 349, 3800 AH AmersfoortBerkenweg 11, 3818 LA AmersfoortThe NetherlandsTelephone +31 (0)33 4697000Telefax +31 (0)33 4697050info@eurailscout.com

TRACK YOUR TRACK

Eurailscout I&A ItalyOffice in BolognaPiazza Dé Calderini, 140124 Bologna ItalyTel. +39 (0)510420261info.@eurailscout.com

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