Abstract:
The purpose of this project is to design, build, and test an autonomous mobile
robot, which travels on railroad tracks, and will identify bolt loosening or separation at a
joint plate which connects two rail segment components of a railroad track. Early
identification of rail separation can prevent a number of dangerous and potentially
catastrophic events including train derailment. Until now, that process required
significant man power and time as well as high costs.
Plexiglas (acrylic) was used to construct the robot base which supports
instruments and circuits to detect bolt loosening circuits. IR technology and computer
programming in PBASIC were used to localize and record the location of the defects,
using a specially built rail system, the autonomous robot is able to accurately identify bolt
loosening.
Bench-tests have shown that the robot has a very high accuracy rate. Several
measurements were taken including train vibrations and velocity. The data obtained can
be transmitted to a central station. Further testing will be necessary to determine the
capability of transmission in enclosed spaces and under different environmental
conditions.
Since the railway was invented, rail maintenance had always been a problem.
Cracked or damaged rails could lead to derailments. Visual inspections miss many of the
stress defects that occur within the steel matrix.