This grant from the Federal Railroad Administration aims to significantly enhance a non-contact rail inspection system, previously developed by the University of California, San Diego. The core purpose is to refine the rail defect detection capabilities by transitioning to a total air-coupled ultrasonic transduction approach. This involves using air-coupled transducers for both generating and detecting ultrasonic guided waves within the rail, specifically for identifying flaws. Furthermore, the grant will evaluate integrating internal defect detection with rail surface characterization into a single prototype. The successful development of this air-coupled system promises improved defect detection accuracy, increased inspection speed, greater operational ease, and reduced equipment costs, addressing industry feedback on practical and affordable rail inspection hardware.
Opportunity ID: 235721
General Information
| Document Type: | Grants Notice |
| Funding Opportunity Number: | FR-RRD-13-007 |
| Funding Opportunity Title: | FY13 RAIL DEFECT DETECTION PROTOTYPE IMPROVEMENTS: AIR-COUPLED SOLUTION – FINAL PHASE |
| Opportunity Category: | Discretionary |
| Opportunity Category Explanation: | – |
| Funding Instrument Type: | Grant |
| Category of Funding Activity: | Transportation |
| Category Explanation: | – |
| Expected Number of Awards: | – |
| Assistance Listings: | 20.313 — Railroad Research and Development |
| Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: | No |
| Version: | Synopsis 1 |
| Posted Date: | May 31, 2013 |
| Last Updated Date: | – |
| Original Closing Date for Applications: | Jun 14, 2013 No Explanation |
| Current Closing Date for Applications: | Jun 14, 2013 No Explanation |
| Archive Date: | Jul 14, 2013 |
| Estimated Total Program Funding: | – |
| Award Ceiling: | $350,000 |
| Award Floor: | $0 |
Eligibility
| Eligible Applicants: | Others (see text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” for clarification) |
| Additional Information on Eligibility: | Only the The Regents of the University of California; University of California, San Diego is eligible to apply for this grant. |
Additional Information
| Agency Name: | DOT – Federal Railroad Administration |
| Description: | he purpose of this grant amendment is to improve the non-contact rail inspection system that has been developed by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) under the completed FRA R&D grants DTFR53-02-G-00011 and FR-RRD-0001-10-01-00. The specific improvements to the current system include: 1) utilizing a total air-coupled ultrasonic transduction approach, whereas air-coupled transducers are used to both generate and detect ultrasonic guided waves in the rail for flaw detection, and 2) evaluate the combination of internal defect detection and rail surface characterization capabilities in one prototype. The successful development of a non-contact rail defect detection system based on air-coupled transducers, when compared to the previous laser/air-coupled system, will couple the previously-demonstrated improved defect detection accuracy with an increased inspection speed, ease of operation and decreased equipment cost. This improvement is consistent with the feedback received by industry on the practicality and cost of the hardware used for rail inspections. |
| Link to Additional Information: | FY13 RAIL DEFECT DETECTION PROTOTYPE IMPROVEMENTS: AIR-COUPLED SOLUTION – FINAL PHASE |
| Grantor Contact Information: | If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:
GrantSolutions Help Desk
Phone Number: 1.866.577.0771 or 202.401.5282 Hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time help@grantsolutions.gov Email:help@grantsolutions.gov |
Version History
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