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Joint Bar Inspection

An inspection system designed to aid railroad inspectors in locating cracked joint bars

Broken joint bars have been identified as one of the significant causes of main line derailments in North America. However, locating these hairline cracks in joint bars is a labor intensive and non-exact process. At speeds of up to 50 mph, the ENSCO Optical Joint Bar Inspection System is unique in its capability to inventory joint bars and detect small, barely visible cracks in joint bar surfaces. The system provides significant improvement in inspection quality and objectivity compared with visual inspection from a hi-rail vehicle, and significant improvement in productivity compared with on-foot inspection since cracks as small as 1mm in width can be detected.

ENSCO brings the equipment to our customers and completes the joint bar inspection. At the end of each day, the customer receives a report that shows every exception located during the inspection, allowing the maintenance crew  to perform the track maintenance efficiently. The Joint Bar Inspection System is based on research sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and ENSCO’s internal research and development.

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