Design of a Rail Damage Detection System Based on AI Vision Technology

Gengmao Sun, Qinjian Sun, Xingjie Chen, Haocheng Ling, Yu Wang*
School of Advanced Manufacturing, Guangdong Mechanical & Electrical Polytechnic, Guangzhou 510000, China
*Corresponding email: yu2022wang@163.com

To address the issues of low efficiency, high missed detection rates, and significant interference from environmental lighting in manual inspection of high-speed railway rail surface damage, this paper designs a rail damage detection system based on artificial intelligence (AI) vision technology. In terms of hardware system construction, the system selects a Huarui Technology (iRAYPLE) 6-megapixel high-resolution industrial camera paired with a Microvision low-distortion high-definition industrial fixed-focus lens to ensure clear imaging of minute defect features. In response to the reflective characteristics of the rail surface and complex on-site lighting conditions, a high-density LED ring light source system is specially designed, which employs uniform cold white light irradiation to effectively suppress shadows and highlight defect edges. Building upon this, advanced deep learning algorithms are integrated to process the captured images, enabling the automated identification of rail surface damages such as cracks, spalling, and abrasions. The research demonstrates that through the synergistic optimization of software and hardware, this system effectively overcomes the limitations of traditional detection methods, significantly improving the accuracy and efficiency of rail damage detection, thereby providing reliable intelligent technical support for railway maintenance.

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Share and Cite

Sun G., Sun Q., Chen X., Ling H., Wang Y. (2025) Design of a Rail Damage Detection System Based on AI Vision Technology. Scientific Research Bulletin, 2(6), 120-125.

Published

28/04/2026