A method for proximate testing of railroad wheels

A new method for nondestructive testing of railroad wheels using natural vibrations that are excited by a hammer impact is proposed. The method is based on the effect of the generation of the dominant frequencies of natural vibrations in the presence of cracks. A physical substantiation of the method and the results of experimental studies are presented. The place of the proposed method in the general system of nondestructive testing of railroad wheels is determined. In addition, methods for nondestructive testing based on using natural vibration frequencies are briefly reviewed.