Identification Method for Rail Corrugation by Acoustics and Vibration Combination on High-Speed Railway

In order to study the characteristics of dynamic response signals aroused by rail corrugation on high-speed railway and improve the methods of inspection, identification, and evaluation of rail corrugation by dynamic response signals, the frequency spectrum and energy characteristics of rail corrugation components in signals are analyzed based on the vibration signal adopted from axle box accelerator and the acoustical signal adopted from microphone at the bogie frame of high-speed comprehensive inspection train. Meanwhile, Acoustical Energy Factor (EFA) and Acoustical Steel Corrugation Index (SCIA) are proposed for describing the rail corrugation components in dynamic response signals. On the basis of this, the effective values of acousticvibration composite signal and the variation of frequency spectrum energy are further calculated to propose an approach of identifying rail corrugation through the acoustic-vibration Compound Energy Factor (EFC) and acoustic-vibration Compound Steel Corrugation Index (SCIC), which is verified through the analysis of three groups of measured acoustic-vibration data with different characteristics and used to carry out a comparison test with the field review data. The results show that, through the method of acoustic-vibration combination and complementary, the interfered components can be suppressed and the energy concentration of periodic components in dynamic response signals can be enhanced. Due to the characteristics of varying sensitivity of acoustic-vibration signals existing in different sections, the combination of acoustics and vibration has the significance of double insurance, which can effectively identify the rail corrugation and the early periodic rail defects. © 2023 Chinese Academy of Railway Sciences. All rights reserved.