DI Gerald Lackner, Produkt Manager RISE
at TÜV AUSTRIA
Measurement with Acoustic Emissions
DI Gerald Lackner, Product Manager of RISE at TÜV AUSTRIA, explains how measurements with acoustic emissions fundamentally work: "Analogous to the creaking and cracking in wood under high stress, the material response to the applied load is recorded and evaluated in the form of short, inaudible ultrasonic pulses in the areas of the steel structure to be monitored."
Understanding Load and Material Reaction
In the Rail4Future project, TÜV AUSTRIA found "ideal conditions" for collaboration as an industrial partner, says DI Lackner. Together with experts from ÖBB and the scientific partners TU Graz and AIT, the "necessary understanding of the load situation and the expected material reactions" was researched. This laid the foundation for later data evaluation and correct interpretation.
RISE – Remote Inspection System Edge
With the RISE system, the operational load from individual train journeys in a monitored area is initially measured. The detected signs of material fatigue provide what is known as the fatigue response. "The evaluation of the fatigue response to individual train passages takes place over weeks or even months. A trend analysis is conducted for each specific application, whereby the condition of the monitored area is derived from the characteristic time course of the fatigue response and displayed using a traffic light system – green, yellow, or red," explains DI Gerald Lackner, describing the functionality of the newly developed system.
The acoustic emission testing method, which has been used in industrial environments for many decades, has thus been further developed from an industrial application to a "methodology for continuous monitoring of highly stressed areas in normal railway operations," says DI Lackner. "This allows us to provide ÖBB bridge inspectors with a tool that enables them to monitor the condition of their bridges at any time." The flexible and mobile RISE system can be used for riveted, bolted, and welded steel bridges.
TÜV AUSTRIA Group
Founded in Vienna in 1872, TÜV AUSTRIA is an independent Austrian service company specializing in testing, inspection, certification, as well as training and education, all guided by principles of objectivity, impartiality, and integrity. Currently employing more than 3,400 staff and having group companies in 34 countries, TÜV AUSTRIA operates internationally. TÜV AUSTRIA is a member of 180 national and international standardization committees and interest groups.
TÜV AUSTRIA CAMPUS in Brunn am Gebirge