EXAMINATION OF SURFACE CRACKS IN CARBON AND MANGANESE STEEL RAILS BY THE EDDY-CURRENT TECHNIQUE.

The author concludes that together with the magnetic and dye-penetrant methods, eddy currents could be yet a further aid in confirming certain types of defects in both carbon and manganese steel rails. As a supplement to the former two methods, eddy-currents will give an indication of the crack depth. This information could prove very valuable in deciding the seriousness of a defective rail. It should be emphasised, however, that eddy-currents have proved unreliable under certain conditions and should not be used for crack depth measurement of the surface area of burned rail (wheel burns).