A B-spline approach to alternating current field measurement for railroad inspection

Reliable detection and evaluation of surface breaking defects in rails caused by rolling contact fatigue mechanisms is of paramount importance for the rail industry. Experimental work has showed that alternating current field measurement (ACFM) techniques are suitable for the high-speed inspection of rails. This paper presents an algorithm based on B-spline estimation that analyses the shape of the ACFM signal obtained during inspection under laboratory conditions.