As part of its forensic inspection process to ensure rail integrity, the company takes more than 4,000 photos of each rail during the rolling process.
Rails are examined with images captured at 950°C, and if any defects are detected, the affected rails are quarantined and the production process is halted until the issue is resolved.
To make this process faster and more efficient, the company has partnered with the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Leicester to test whether AI can improve the inspection process under the SUSTAIN and IGNITE projects.
British Steel Technical Director Dr. Andy Trowsdale said about the project:
“Our rails meet world-class standards and the strictest quality criteria. During production, we use six cameras to take more than 4,000 photos of each rail, generating over 100,000 inspection images per hour. The cameras capture the entire surface of the rail, providing us with a close-up view of the product and helping us detect any production issues.
“Our goal is to see if AI can detect defects faster and more reliably than our current systems. If successful, it will boost production performance, enhance product quality, and reduce rejection costs. Although the project is still in its early stages, its potential is very exciting.”
This initiative by British Steel highlights the company’s efforts to effectively leverage technology to improve production efficiency and quality standards in the railway sector.
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