METHOD OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY PROVISION Russian patent published in 2020 - IPC B61L1/00 

FIELD: control means.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to means of monitoring occupancy / freedom and nondestructive monitoring of track conditions. Method comprises installation on track necks of railway track at a distance from each other of ultrasonic transducers connected to corresponding excitation equipment, recording and processing ultrasonic signals containing at least one ambient temperature sensor and at least one controller providing ultrasound speed measurement in the rail neck areas under installed ultrasonic transducers. Analysis of the sequence of occurrence of dynamic changes of ultrasonic velocity in the measured areas of the rail neck occurring at passage of wheel of movable units over them makes a decision on direction of movement of wheelsets of mobile railway units and on free / busy paths. Absolute value of ultrasound speed, measured taking into account actual temperature of rail neck in absence of wheel above, is used to calculate design values of mechanical stress and calculated values of accumulated fatigue microdamages in rails, comparing them with permissible values, when permissible values are exceeded, decision is taken on a pre-failure condition, wherein data on ultrasound speed in metal are recorded in the controller memory, from which rails are made, on the rail neck thickness, in the area of which appropriate ultrasonic transducers are fixed, on ultrasonic propagation speed (UPS) variation depending on rail temperature and depending on applied mechanical stresses, as well as on UPS change dynamics depending on accumulated fatigue microdamages.

EFFECT: possibility to ensure safety of movement, in which by one equipment continuous monitoring of railway occupancy / freedom is carried out, and detection of a pre-failure condition of the rail track.

6 cl, 3 dwg