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<p>Rail welds are critical points of potential failure in railway infrastructure, yet conventional inspection methods such as ultrasonic testing and Ir-192 gamma radiography exhibit limited sensitivity to small internal flaws in thick rail sections. This study investigates the application of a 450 kVp MesoFocus X-ray source coupled with a Varex 4343HE flat-panel detector for non-destructive evaluation of rail welds. Experimental radiographs were acquired from a reference rail containing artificial flaws ranging from 0.5&#xa0;mm to 3.0&#xa0;mm in diameter. Image quality metrics, including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and basic spatial resolution, were analysed to quantify image performance. SNR measurements were performed using multiple lead filters of varying thicknesses; the 1&#xa0;mm filter provided the optimal SNR. Frame averaging enhanced image quality up to approximately 200 frames, beyond which SNR plateaued, while both SNR and CNR decreased with increasing material thickness. Flaws as small as 0.5&#xa0;mm were resolvable through 42&#xa0;mm of steel, whereas the detectability of 1–3&#xa0;mm flaws decreased in the 74-mm -thick rail head. These results establish the detection limits of 450&#xa0;kV X-ray rail-weld radiography and provide quantitative guidance for optimizing deployable in-track inspection systems aimed at improving railway safety.</p>

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Experimental Demonstration of 450kVp MesoFocus X-Ray Radiography for Rail Weld Inspection

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月6日

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  • Abdulrasheed Sado,
  • Jason P. Hayward

摘要

Rail welds are critical points of potential failure in railway infrastructure, yet conventional inspection methods such as ultrasonic testing and Ir-192 gamma radiography exhibit limited sensitivity to small internal flaws in thick rail sections. This study investigates the application of a 450 kVp MesoFocus X-ray source coupled with a Varex 4343HE flat-panel detector for non-destructive evaluation of rail welds. Experimental radiographs were acquired from a reference rail containing artificial flaws ranging from 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm in diameter. Image quality metrics, including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and basic spatial resolution, were analysed to quantify image performance. SNR measurements were performed using multiple lead filters of varying thicknesses; the 1 mm filter provided the optimal SNR. Frame averaging enhanced image quality up to approximately 200 frames, beyond which SNR plateaued, while both SNR and CNR decreased with increasing material thickness. Flaws as small as 0.5 mm were resolvable through 42 mm of steel, whereas the detectability of 1–3 mm flaws decreased in the 74-mm -thick rail head. These results establish the detection limits of 450 kV X-ray rail-weld radiography and provide quantitative guidance for optimizing deployable in-track inspection systems aimed at improving railway safety.