Non-contact Track Gage Measurement System (NC-TGMS)

One of the causes of derailments occurs when the track gage is no longer compliant with the FRA track safety standards for gage measurments. Ensuring track gage is in compliance with the FRA track safety standards is therefore of paramount importance to the FRA. Currently, the FRA wishes to develop a non-contact track gage measurement system that overcomes the limitations of current systems (unreliable in non-ideal weather conditions, extensive maintenance requirements, ets.). While the technology exists to achieve this system, it will require innovative approaches to using advanced non-contact sensors to establish reliable results. Specifically, the FRA would like to determine the feasibility of designing a non-contact track gage measurement device that can operate autonomously and become and integral component of a larger track measurement/inspection system. This device would be an extremely useful diagnostic tool that would allow the FRA to measure track gage using a nondestructive method under all operating conditions and determine when the track is at risk. dFuzion envisions developing a Non-Contact Track Gage Measurement (NC_TGMS) by pursuing emerging research on advanced non-contact sensors, integrating existing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, and developing software to control the sensors and accurately measure gage.