The detection of cracks in rails is a challenging problem, andmuch research effort has been spent in the development of reliable, repeatable crack detection methods for use on in-service rails. While crack detection in the rail head and shear web is reliably achieved using ultrasonic and eddy current methods, neither technique is particularly effective for the detection of cracks in the rail foot. The authors present a new crack detection method for rail, which utilizes the change in infrared emission of the rail surface during the passage of a train wheel. Initial data from this infrared method are presented, from studies of both a laboratory-based three-point bend specimen and a short section of rail. The results of these two studies confirm the ability of the proposed method to locate and quantify surface-connected notches and cracks.
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