Ultrasonic and eddy current testing of railroad wheel sets

To ensure the safety in operation of rail vehicles, especially of high-speed trains, non-destructive testing of wheels and axles has to be carried out using ultrasound and eddy current. Since 1999 six automated ultrasonic railroad wheel set testing stations (AURA) have been installed in Germany at maintenance facilities of the Deutsche Bahn AG and brought to continuous and trouble-poor operation. All inspection data are stored to a data bank. The quality management based on such data banks assists the supervision of safety relevant railroad components like wheel sets. The contribution outlines the basic design and essential technical features of the testing stations for wheels and axles, and describes experiences gained during long-term operation.