Identification of Low Impedance Points Along Railway Tracks From a Railroad Inspection Vehicle

This work addresses the subject of preventive maintenance of railroads which has a considerable impact on the cost and safety of railway companies by proposing a new technique to detect concentrated regions of low impedance between rails along railway lines from a railroad inspection vehicle. Its methodology is based on the standing waves theory applied to transmission lines. Simulation and field measurements have been carried out in order to understand and validate such technique, and a compact measurement system has been designed and implemented producing field-testing results that clearly indicate its feasibility and effectiveness.