The RCA is a train-mounted instrument that has been designed for measuring the longitudinal rail profile to accuracies that are sufficient to approve grinding work and to determine whether rail should be ground. The RCA equipment comprises a measuring head for each rail, signal conditioning electronics, and an industry-standard Personal Computer (PC) loaded with application software to perform the measurements and provide the data analysis.

Simultaneous measurement of both rails is possible at moderate speeds (typically 5-10km/h) with an accuracy that is only slightly poorer than that of the CAT. Measurement at higher speeds (up to 20km/h) is possible with consequently reduced accuracy. The RCA is typically calibrated by using both it and the CAT to measure the same length of track. This instrument is appropriate for surveying corrugation severity on relatively small railway systems, and has been used for this purpose. It is also frequently used for approval of grinding work. An example of an RCA measurement over 200m of a site where the inside (Left) rail is corrugated is shown here.

We are currently engaged with German Railways (DBAG) in the procedure to obtain approval of the RCA as a suitable instrument to measure corrugation before and after rail grinding.

Further information on the accuracy and repeatability of our corrugation measurement products is given here.

A comparison of our product specifications and use is available here.