FEATURES SLIDER М3

SLIDER М3

The mechanical system of two-axis dimensioning SLIDER M3 is used in alongside with a universal flaw detector Tomographic UD4-TM for testing of welded joints of electro contact and aluminum-thermite welding.

SLIDER M3 allows to record the ultrasonic inspection data with various surfaces of the rail:

• head rail from running surface;
• rail head from side face;
• rail web;
• rail flanges.

For the rails laid on a track by rail welding machine, various probes according to the acting regulations are applied:

To inspect a transverse weld in the head, web or base area and flanges with SLIDER M3 piezoelectric probes are applied: angle-beam integrated and straight dual-element.

Installed in the flaw detector Tomographic UD4-TM method of ultrasonic inspection of rail welded joints provides:

• setting of parameters of converters according to SO-3R and welded joint inspection in accordance with the requirements of STO RZD 1.11.003-2009, TI 07.96-2011 and TI 07.42-2004;
• monitoring a contact between a transducer(probe) with a rail surface (function Separation);
• display selective B (t) -scans for each zone;
• test piece GPS coordinate determination.

The SLIDER M3 together with the method of ultrasonic inspection of welded joints of rails installed in the flaw detector Tomographic UD4-TM additionally provides:

• determining the location of the probe at the test site;
• probe trajectory tracing;
• test completeness monitoring;
• detected defects measurement and coordinate determination;
• detected defects visualization  in B, С scans in the device, as well as in protocols using the program "ARM of a NDT inspector" installed on the PC. (B-scan display – the total image of a series of B-scans combined according to the scan direction relative to the joint).

The information accumulated during inspection is transmitted to a computer for preparation and printing of an overall testing protocol. Positioning accuracy is ensured by the use of high-precision encoders built into the scanner rotation axis. Applying Tomographic UD4-TM with the system SLIDER M3, equipped with a two-axis positioning system, allows you to scan the entire surface of the weld joint, record the detected defect coordinates in real time, display tomographic images (display of flaw patterns of B, C-scans in three types of rail using the program "ARM of a NDT inspector") and assess the defect risk. The use of the UD4-TM flaw detector with a specialized program and tracing devices can improve both objectivity and reliability by reducing impact of human factor on inspection results.