A method for detecting breaks or defects in railroad spikes transmits an ultrasonic signal that propagates along the body of the spike and detects the resulting reflected ultrasonic signal. The reflected signal is then analyzed to automatically detect the presence of a break or defect in the spike based on the time delay between the reflected signal and the transmitted signal.

A system for non-destructive testing of a bond condition of concrete beams reinforced by steel rods is described. The system includes a transducing transmitter, a transducing receiver, and an ultrasonic pulse generator configured to generate drive signals for the transducing transmitter and receive a plurality vibrational waves at the transducing receiver. The system further includes a computing device including a measurement circuit configured to record a transit time for each vibrational wave and divide a distance between the transducing transmitter and the transducing receiver by the transit time to determine a pulse velocity of each vibrational wave, a comparison circuit configured to identify a highest pulse velocity of the vibrational waves and compare each highest pulse velocity to a first reference pulse velocity, and a decision circuit including an artificial neural network configured to identify a compromised bond condition around a steel rod.

According to one embodiment, an inspection system of an embodiment includes one or more sensors. The one or more sensors detect second elastic waves emitted to the outside of a shaft-shaped inspection object due to first elastic waves propagating through the shaft-shaped inspection object. The one or more sensors are fixedly placed at positions away from the shaft-shaped inspection object and the directivity direction of the sensor is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to an axial line of the shaft-shaped inspection object.

Disclosed is a dual channel nondestructive testing method for a rock bolt and related devices. The method includes: determining a target phase difference and an instantaneous phase difference of the first received signal and the second received signal; determining an integral instantaneous phase difference between the first received signal and the second received signal based on the target phase difference and an instantaneous phase difference; determining a length of the exposed section of the rock bolt, a length of the rock bolt and a position of a grouting defect based on the integral instantaneous phase difference, a first velocity of the acoustic signal propagating in an exposed section of the rock bolt and a second velocity of the acoustic signal propagating in an anchor section of the rock bolt.

A system for non-destructive testing of a bond condition of concrete beams reinforced by steel rods is described. The system includes a transducing transmitter, a transducing receiver, and an ultrasonic pulse generator configured to generate drive signals for the transducing transmitter and receive a plurality vibrational waves at the transducing receiver. The system further includes a computing device including a measurement circuit configured to record a transit time for each vibrational wave and divide a distance between the transducing transmitter and the transducing receiver by the transit time to determine a pulse velocity of each vibrational wave, a comparison circuit configured to identify a highest pulse velocity of the vibrational waves and compare each highest pulse velocity to a first reference pulse velocity, and a decision circuit including an artificial neural network configured to identify a compromised bond condition around a steel rod.

A system and method passively normalize an ultrasonic dry coupled wheel probe as the probe traverses a surface of a structure to inspect the structure, such as a flat structure or a curved pipe. At least a pair of arms are configured to passively maintain normalization of the probe in a detection direction normal to the surface.

A system for non-destructive testing of a bond condition of concrete beams reinforced by steel rods is described. The system includes a transducing transmitter, a transducing receiver, and an ultrasonic pulse generator configured to generate drive signals for the transducing transmitter and receive a plurality vibrational waves at the transducing receiver. The system further includes a computing device including a measurement circuit configured to record a transit time for each vibrational wave and divide a distance between the transducing transmitter and the transducing receiver by the transit time to determine a pulse velocity of each vibrational wave, a comparison circuit configured to identify a highest pulse velocity of the vibrational waves and compare each highest pulse velocity to a first reference pulse velocity, and a decision circuit including an artificial neural network configured to identify a compromised bond condition around a steel rod.

An ultrasonic test device and test method for service stress of a moving mechanical component, where the device comprises an ultrasonic probe, a coupling fluid, a pressure-maintaining cover and universal wheels. The cover is vertically arranged above an inspected position of an inspected component, an interior of the pressure-maintaining cover is filled with coupling fluid, a bottom of the cover is provided with a structure permeable to the coupling fluid to form a coupling fluid film between the inspected position and the bottom of the cover, and a top of the cover is equipped with the ultrasonic probe. A detection part at a lower part of the ultrasonic probe extends into the coupling fluid of the cover and is vertical to the bottom of the cover without contact. The distance between the ultrasonic probe and the inspected component is kept unchanged through the universal wheels.

A vehicle examination system includes an axle inspection system that is configured to inspect an axle of a vehicle. The axle inspection system includes an ultrasound scanning assembly, and an axle coupler that retains the ultrasound scanning assembly. The axle coupler is configured to moveably secure the ultrasound scanning assembly to the axle. An axle inspection control unit is in communication with the ultrasound scanning assembly. The axle inspection control unit is configured to control the ultrasound scanning assembly to ultrasonically scan the axle for anomalies as the vehicle moves.

A structural health monitoring system capable of maintaining electrical contact with sensors affixed to a rotating structure. One such structural health monitoring system comprises a rotatable structure, a plurality of sensors each affixed to the rotatable structure, and an interface. The interface has an inner housing and an outer housing, and maintains a plurality of individual electrical connections, each of the individual electrical connections being an electrical connection between one of the sensors and an electrical contact maintained on the outer housing, the electrical connections configured to be maintained during rotation of the structure. The inner housing is affixed to the structure and the outer housing is rotationally coupled to the inner housing, so that the inner housing is free to rotate with respect to the outer housing during rotation of the structure and the sensors, while maintaining the electrical connections.