AURORA SERVICES > Assessments > Rail-Base Corrosion - Chipping Analysis

• Planning
• Wood Tie Grading
• Rail Seat Abrasion
• Component Inventory
• Rail Base Corrosion - Chipping Analysis

Rail Base Corrosion damage, a result of adverse environmental conditions, is quite prevalent on transit systems, especially in the underground tunnels of the eastern United Sates. Rail “cracks”, “splits”, “flaking”, and “chipping” are all the foreseen stages of Rail Base Corrosion. Chipping is considered as the most severe stage of Rail Base Corrosion, and is a major concern to the railroad industry throughout the US, especially due to the difficulty involved in its identification. The Aurora system, based on the analysis of 3-D rail track image data, has proven most capable of identifying “chipping” on the rail base. In addition the Aurora system can greatly aid the transit system’s capital planning in terms of needed repairs and maintenance budgeting. Similar corrosion occurs, at lower failure rates, on freight carrier systems.