Vossloh’s SoniQ Rail Explorer can now be used on DB rail network

DB InfraGO has approved the use of Vossloh‘s mobile ultrasonic testing trolley, the SoniQ Rail Explorer. This approval supplements the existing compliance verification issued by DB Systemtechnik and removes the last hurdle for the trolley‘s use on Deutsche Bahn’s rail network. Various other European and Asian railways have been using this modern ultrasonic inspection trolley successfully for three years now.

The SoniQ Rail Explorer was developed in close collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in Dresden. In just a single pass, the testing device reliably detects and localizes flaws in the rail’s interior, corrosion in the rail base and irregularities in weld seams. These capabilities make it particularly suited to pinpointing the exact location of previously detected flaws and for regular inspections of shorter track sections, switches, crossings, level crossings and station tracks. With the SoniQ Rail Explorer, Vossloh is setting new technological and ergonomic standards for mobile ultrasonic testing.

The inspection results show the condition of the rail in real time using various display options (called A and B scans) and can be combined with camera images. Data transmission back to the office is flexible and can be done using a USB, SD card or directly via LTE/WiFi, allowing the results to be seamlessly integrated into digitalized process chains.

Compact, flexible and ready to use in just a few minutes
With its compact dimensions and weighing only around 20 kilograms, the SoniQ Rail Explorer fits inside any station wagon and can be carried to the track by one person. Its main control element is a rugged tablet computer, which clearly displays all the inspection data. Nine ultrasonic test probes in the test wheel supply the raw data, which the unit continuously saves, and individual test probes can be activated or deactivated at any time in order to examine any specific flaw discovered. The trolley can operate in either direction, and it can also take optional camera images of the rail surface as it inspects the rail. The all-round maintenance service in Germany (Leipzig) guarantees short maintenance and inspection times, which provides planning security during normal operations.