We are delighted to announce the 12th International Conference on Through-life Engineering Services 2024 (TESConf2024), held 6-7 June 2024 at Cranfield University, UK.
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Browsing 12th International Conference on Through-life Engineering Services 2024 by Author "Durazo Cardenas, Isidro"
This research successfully demonstrated autonomous rail inspection feasibility up to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7. A
prototype integrating an autonomous rail vehicle and Sperry's Ultrasound Testing (UT) system was developed at Cranfield
University. It was first tested at Cranfield’s Railways Innovation Test Area (RITA) at TRL 5 and tested at heritage operational
railway, in Idridgehay, Derbyshire, UK achieving TRL 7. Experimental works included a 15-meter track test at RITA and nine
rounds demonstration of a 250-meter track inspection at Idridgehay, showcasing inspection, localization, navigation accuracy,
and defect location precision. The prototype successfully detected artificial rail defect during the demonstration and promptly
communicated to command centre via email. We characterised the vehicle performance by measuring the positional error and
detection rate. The positional accuracy measurements, verified through GPS and odometry, revealed an odometry-based error
of 0.27-3.2 metres and an 8-metre GPS-associated error. The absence of differential GPS and a data fusion approach
contributing to these errors. In addition, Weak 4G signal coverage in the fields impacted operator-vehicle communication and
data uploading. Future iterations should address these limitations, exploring alternatives for enhanced accuracy and advancing
defect-sizing technology.