Ways of modernization of the information-diagnostics system with which the Lviv magnetic inspection carriage No442 is equipped are considered in the article. The Magnetic Flux Leakage Method (MFLM), that has some advantages over widely used now ultrasonic method, is applied there for rail diagnostics. The Magnetic Flux Leakage Method is used in Great Britain, Iran, USA and the countries of the former USSR.
According to authors’ opinion the inspection carriage magnetizing system must be changed totally, that is to say a magnetizing system on the base of modern powerful permanent magnets must be installed instead of the cumbersome and energy expensive electromagnet magnetizing system.
The one-component receiving system on the base of induction sensors must be replaced by the three-component multichannel system on the base of the Hall point sensors.
A new hardware and software parts of the new diagnostics system of collection, transmission and analysis of non-destructive testing information must be elaborated.
It must be noticed that modernization of the Lviv magnetic inspection carriage is an especially actually problem because it functions in many cases in conditions of mountainous area with steep turns where quick and essential wear of the inner working sides of the rails is observed. Ultrasonic methods of diagnostics cannot function here because of loss of acoustic contacts with the rail.
Small high effective multicomponent sensors that can reliably record rail defect magnetic field perturbances in any weather conditions are needed for design of component and multichannel information-diagnostics system for magnetic non-destructive testing which applies inspection carriages.
As a result of theoretical and experimental investigations new two- and three-component sensors are proposed. There are point frame and local ferromagnetic sensors with limited weight and dimensions among them. They guarantee higher sensitivity than now used inspection carriage sensors.
Technique of rail sensors calibration and sensitivity testing is proposed. Such technique has not been used until now.
Point sensors on the basis of the Hall effect, which will be used for elaborating matrix multichannel component rail sensors, were proposed; they were investigated and tested on the specially designed stand.
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