This research aims to investigate the application of infrared thermography (IRT) as a method of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) for the detection of defects in the rail base area. Rails have to withstand harsh conditions during their application. Therefore, defects can develop in the base area of rails due to stresses such as bending, shear, contact, and thermal stresses, fatigue, and corrosion. Such defects can cause catastrophic failures in the rails, ultimately leading to train derailments. Rail base defects due to fatigue and corrosion are difficult to detect and currently there are no reliable or practical non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods for finding these types of defects in the revenue service. Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) had previously conducted a research on the capability of flash IRT to detect defects in rail base area based on simulation approach. The research covered in this thesis is the continuation of the same project.In this research, three rail samples were prepared with each containing a notched-edge, side-drilled holes (SDHs), and bottom-drilled holes (BDHs). Two steel sample blocks containing BDHs and SDHs of different sizes and depths were also prepared. Preliminary IRT trials were conducted on the steel samples to obtain an optimal IRT setup configuration. The initial inspections for one of the steel samples were outsourced to Thermal Wave Imaging (TWI) where they employed Thermographic Signal Reconstruction (TSR) technique to enhance the resulting images. Additional inspections of the steel samples were performed in the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIUC) facility. In case of the rail samples, the SDHs and the notched-edge reflectors could not be detected in any of the experimental trials performed in this research. In addition, two more rail samples containing BDHs were prepared to investigate the detection capabilities for three different surface conditions: painted, unpainted, and rusted. The painted surface provided a best-case scenario for inspections while the other conditions offered further insight on correlating the application to industry-like cases.A 1300 W halogen lamp was employed as the heat source for providing continuous thermal excitation for various durations. Post-processing and analysis of the resulting thermal images was performed within the acquisition software using built-in analysis tools such as temperature probes, Region of Interest (ROI) based intensity profiles, and smoothing filters. The minimum defect diameter to depth (aspect) ratio detected in preliminary trials for the steel sample blocks were 1.0 at a diameter of 4.7625 mm (0.1875 in) and 1.5 at a diameter of 3.175 mm (0.125 in). For the inspection of painted rail sample, the longest exposure times (10 sec) provided the best detection capabilities in all sets of trials. The three holes having aspect ratio greater or equal to 1.0 were indicated in the thermal response of the painted and rusted samples while only the two holes having aspect ratio greater or equal to 1.5 were indicated in the unaltered sample. Indications of reflectors were identified through qualitative graphical analysis of pixel intensity distributions obtained along a bending line profile. The results obtained from the painted sample provided a baseline for analyzing the results from the unpainted and rusted rail samples. This provided an insight on the limitations and requirements for future development. The primary takeaway is the need for an optimized heat source. Poor contrast in the resulting image for the unpainted and rusted rail samples is experienced due to both noise and lack of penetration of the heat energy. This could have been due to decreased emissivity values. Moreover, the excitation method employed in this research does not comply with current industry standards for track clearances. Therefore, exploration of alternative excitation methods is recommended.

Portland cement concrete (PCC) structures deteriorate with age and need to be maintained or replaced. Early detection of deterioration in PCC (e.g., alkali-silica reaction, freeze/thaw damage or chloride presence) can lead to significant reductions in maintenance costs. Portland cement concrete can be nondestructively evaluated by electrically characterizing its complex dielectric constant in a laboratory setting. A parallel-plate capacitor operating in the frequency range of 0.1 to 40.1 MHz was developed at Virginia Tech for this purpose. While useful in research, this approach is not practical for field implementation. In this study, a capacitor probe was designed and fabricated to determine the in-situ dielectric properties of PCC over a frequency range of 2.0 to 20.0 MHz. It is modeled after the parallel-plate capacitor in that it consists of two conducting plates with a known separation. The conducting plates are flexible, which allows them to conform to different geometric shapes. Prior to PCC testing, measurements were conducted to determine the validity of such a system by testing specimens possessing known dielectric properties (Teflon). Portland cement concrete specimens were cast (of sufficient size to prevent edge diffraction of the electromagnetic waves) having two different air contents, two void thicknesses, and two void depths (from the specimen's surface). Two specimens were cast for each parameter and their results were averaged. The dielectric properties over curing time were measured for all specimens, using the capacitor probe and the parallel-plate capacitor. The capacitor probe showed a decrease in dielectric constant with increasing curing time and/or air content. In addition to measuring dielectric properties accurately and monitoring the curing process, the capacitor probe was also found to detect the presence and relative depth of air voids, however, determining air void thickness was difficult. / Master of Science

The use of electromagnetic waves as a nondestructive evaluation technique to evaluate Portland cement concrete (PCC) structures is based on the principle that a change in the structure, composition, or properties of PCC results in a change in its dielectric properties. The coaxial transmission line is one of the few devices that can measure the dielectric properties of PCC at a frequency range of 100-1000 MHz. A coaxial transmission line developed at Virginia Tech was used to study the effect of moisture, type of aggregate, water/cement ratio, curing period, admixture type (microsilica, superplasticizer, and shrinkage admixture), and chloride content on the dielectric properties of PCC. Measurements were conducted in the time domain and converted to the frequency domain using Fast Fourier Transform. The research found that an increase in the moisture content of PCC resulted in an increase in the dielectric constant. Mixes containing limestone aggregate had a greater dielectric constant than those containing granite. The dielectric constant decreased with curing period due to the reduction in free water availability. Mixes containing higher water/cement ratios exhibited a higher dielectric constant, especially in the initial curing period. The admixtures did not significantly affect the dielectric constant after one day of curing. After 28 days of curing, however, all three admixtures had an effect on the measured dielectric constant as compared to control mixes. Chloride content had a significant effect on the loss part of the dielectric constant especially during early curing. A relationship was also established between the chloride permeability (based on conductance measurements) of PCC and its dielectric constant after 75 days of moist curing. / Master of Science

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The time reversal (TR) process manipulates a system's impulse response in order to focus a peak of acoustic energy at a specific location in space and time. This technique has been implemented in both fluid and solid media for purposes ranging from communications to source localization. This thesis will examine both the implementation and processing of TR for nondestructive evaluation in steel, specializing in nonlinear detection methods. A series of steel samples are inspected for stress corrosion cracking (SCC) using TR focusing to excite nonlinearities inherent in cracks. It is determined that SCC exists in the expected regions of the steel samples and that an induced increase in SCC corresponds to an increase in detected nonlinearity. In addition to this, a study is shown wherein TR signal processing is optimized for the detection of cracks. The TR impulse response is modified in a number of ways with the primary goal of increasing the amplitude of the TR focus. Each of these modifications is experimentally scrutinized for characteristics necessary for application to nondestructive evaluation, and ultimately one is chosen that amplifies TR focusing without increasing system nonlinearity. The optimized technique, decay compensation TR, is employed in the detection of SCC and is found to be as or perhaps even more successful than typical TR nondestructive evaluation methods.

Oriented strandboard (OSB) is a wood-based composite product with the largest market share for residential and commercial construction. OSB composite products have introduced variability in their physical and mechanical properties due to their raw material and process variation. Reliable in-line non-destructive evaluation (NDE) devices are needed to rapidly determine OSB panel product quality during and after the manufacturing process. Wood specific gravity (SG) and moisture content (MC) play an important role in the wood composite manufacturing process. A real-time after-press monitoring device for locating SG and MC variations can supply information needed to control and improve mat formation, hot press schedules, detect MC-related problems, reduce product variation, and perform final product quality inspection. No real-time non-contact NDE methods are available for simultaneous detection of MC and SG variation. In this research, the radio frequency (RF) scanning technique was used to evaluate the MC and SG of OSB. The numerical simulation method assisted in developing RF sensors to nondestructively evaluate MC and SG of OSB composite specimens. MC and SG prediction models were derived based on RF testing results. The model behavior between relative humidity conditioned method and oven-drying conditioning method were compared. The results indicated the RF scanning technique can be successfully used as a NDE tool to measure MC and SG of OSB panel products. Numerical simulation can help deciding RF sensor geometry successfully and accurately. The MC and SG of OSB can be predicted with the models developed with the procedure used in this study. The RF scanning results are not only influenced by material physical properties, but also influenced by their MC conditioning method, such as relative humidity conditioned method and oven-drying conditioning method.

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When taking steps away from tried and true designs, there is always a degree of uncertainty that arises. With the introduction of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) in double-web I-beams (DWIB) to replace steel beams in bridge applications, there are many benefits along with the disadvantages. A bridge has been built with this new type of beam after only short-term proof testing for validation. Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is a way to implement health monitoring of the bridge beams and needs to be assessed. The principal underlying infrared thermal imaging (IR) nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is to induce a thermal gradient in the beam through heating and monitor how it changes. Delaminations determined by others to be the critical form of deterioration, would be expected to affect the heat conduction in these beams. This project used a halogen lamp to heat the surface of the beam followed by an observation with an IR camera. Calculations of an ANSYS finite element analysis (FEA) model were compared with a series of laboratory tests. The experimental results allowed for validation of the model and development of an IR inspection procedure. This work suggests that for high quality beams of the type considered that an IR procedure could be developed to detect delaminations as small as one inch in length; however, the size would be underestimated. / Master of Science