In-motion high-speed non-destructive evaluation for railcar axles

A system for inspecting railcar axles, comprising:

• a flash source configured to apply a thermal pulse toward a surface of a railcar axle of a railcar wheelset while the railcar wheelset is on a track;
• an infrared camera configured to capture infrared data indicative of a thermal response of the surface of the railcar axle to the thermal pulse;
• a trigger sensor configured to trigger the flash source to apply the thermal pulse based on a position of the railcar wheelset on the track;
• a marking tool;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• determine whether the captured infrared data is indicative of a crack on the surface of the railcar axle, and
• cause the marking tool to apply a visible marking to the railcar wheelset upon determining that the captured infrared data is indicative of a crack on the surface of the railcar axle.

A method of inspecting railcar axles, comprising:

• applying, using a flash source, a thermal pulse toward a surface of a railcar axle of a railcar wheelset while the railcar wheelset is on a track;
• capturing, using an infrared camera, infrared data indicative of a thermal response of the surface of the railcar axle to the thermal pulse;
• determining, by a processor, whether the captured infrared data is indicative of a crack on the surface of the railcar axle;
• and
• causing, by the processor, a marking tool to apply a visible marking to the railcar wheelset upon determining that the captured infrared data is indicative of a crack on the surface of the railcar axle.