The document proposes a rail breakage detector that uses electromagnetics to detect breaks or truncations in railway tracks. Electromagnetic waves would be generated and propagated laterally through the tracks. Any abrupt changes in amplitude, frequency, or wavelength of the waves detected by an oscilloscope in substations along the tracks every 100 km would indicate a break in the tracks between substations. This would allow breaks to be identified and accidents prevented by notifying the nearest station to the break. Implementing such a low-cost system could significantly improve railway safety in India given the number of recent accidents.

1. RAIL BREAKAGE DETECTOR
R.VIGNESH,
2ND YEAR E.C.E.,
SASTRA UNIVERSITY,
vignesh.ravichandran91@yahoo.com
ph no : 9894767010
S. SIVARAMAN
2ND YEAR E.C.E.,
SASTRA UNIVERSITY,
SIVARAMAN.SBS@GMAIL.COM

2. RAILWAY BREAKAGE DETECTOR
ABSTRACT:
Derailment has been one of the greatest
threats to our railways for which till
today no solution exists. Millions of crore
and valuable human lives are lost. So
prevention of derailment is one of the
main challenges in the railway industry.
As aspiring engineers we have proposed
an idea where the principle of
electromagnetics can be used to detect the
breakages in railway tracks. Initially we
have used ‘Virtual Instrumentation’ and
‘Maple’ software for our simulation. The
main aim behind using electromagnetics
is the property of its propagation in any
medium. The occurrence of any
derailment can be recognized by
observing the shift in the graph produced
in the oscilloscope. From the substation
which contains the detector and
oscilloscope information will be conveyed
to the nearest station of the derailment
and hence accidents can be prevented.
Thus such a method which can save
human lives if implemented can be a
boost to the railway sector which is
experiencing huge losses every academic
year.
INTRODUCTION:
Electromagnetic wave detector or EMWD is
advice, bit complex yet powerful, which can
be used to detect the truncated part of the
railway track thereby avoiding derailment.
The idea is to generate the electromagnetic
wave by electromagnetic pulse generator
and it is made to propagate through the
railway tracks in the lateral manner. These
electromagnetic waves have the capability to
travel through the particles irrespective of
the medium. And by knowing the abrupt
change in the amplitude, frequency and
wavelength, when it passes from one
medium to other, it is feasible to find the
truncated part of the railway track with ease.
Electromagnetic Waves
Theory:
Electromagnetism is defined as the
combinations of alternating electric and
magnetic fields created by accelerated
charges that propagate out from these
charges at the speed of light in the form of
waves- electromagnetic waves or radiation.
Theory: -
Many natural phenomena exhibit wavelike
behavior. Water waves, earthquake waves,
and sound waves all require a medium or
substance through which to propagate.
These are examples of mechanical waves.
Light can also be described as waves- waves
of changing electric and magnetic fields that
propagate outward from their sources. These
electromagnetic waves however do not
require a medium. They propagate at
3,000,000,00 meters per second through
vacuum. Electromagnetic waves are
transverse waves. In simpler terms, the
changing electric and magnetic fields
oscillate perpendicular to each other and to
the direction of the propagating waves.
All periodic waves, whether they are
electromagnetic or mechanical, are
characterized by such properties as wave
length, frequency, and speed. For
electromagnetic waves, wavelength
measures the distance between the
successive pulses of electric or magnetic
fields. A waves’ frequency represents how
many wave pulses pass by a given point
each second and is measured in cycles per
second or waves per second and is measured

3. in cycles per second or waves per second. One wave per second is called one Hertz.
Electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of
light in vacuum, but they travel more slowly
when they pass through various media such
as air, glass and water. A relationship among
frequency, wavelength and speed exists for
electromagnetic waves; the product of
frequency and wavelength equals the speed
of light. Thus, wavelength and frequency are
inversely related. The longer the frequency
lower is the wavelength and vice versa.
An entire spectrum of electromagnetic
waves exists, which ranges from very low
frequencywavelength (power waves) to very
high wavelengths are collectively referred to
as electromagnetic wavelengths and not
merely the narrow range of wavelengths and
frequencies and not merely the narrow range
of wavelengths and frequencies and
frequencies identified as visible light.
Generation of electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation is produced
whenever a charged particle such as an
electron, changes its velocity—i.e.,
whenever it is accelerated or decelerated.
The energy of the electromagnetic radiation
thus produced comes from the charged
particle and is therefore lost by it. A
common example of this phenomenon is the
oscillating charge or current in a radio
antenna. The antenna of a radio transmitter
is part of an electric resonance circuit in
which the charge is made to oscillate at a
desired frequency. An electromagnetic wave
so generated can be received by a similar
antenna connected to an oscillating electric
circuit in the tuner that is tuned to that same
frequency. The electromagnetic wave in turn
produces an oscillating motion of charge in
the receiving antenna. In general, one can
say that any system which emits
electromagnetic radiation of a given
frequency can absorb radiation of the same
frequency.
Such man-made transmitters and receivers
become smaller with decreasing wavelength
of the electromagnetic wave and prove
impractical in the millimeter range. At even
shorter wavelengths down to the
wavelengths of X rays, which are one
million times smaller, the oscillating charges
arise from moving charges in molecules and
atoms.
One may classify the generation of
electromagnetic radiation into two
categories: (1) systems or processes that
produce radiation covering a broad
continuous spectrum of frequencies and (2)
those that emit (and absorb) radiation of

4. discrete frequencies that are characteristic of
particular systems. The Sun with its
continuous spectrum is an example of the
first, while a radio transmitter tuned to one
frequency exemplifies the second category.
PROPOGATION OF ELECTRO-
MAGNETIC WAVES:
Electromagnetic waves are waves which can
travel through the vacuum of outer space.
Mechanical waves, unlike electromagnetic
waves, require the presence of a material
medium in order to transport their energy
from one location to another. Sound waves
are examples of mechanical waves while
light waves are examples of electromagnetic
waves.
Electromagnetic waves are created by the
vibration of an electric charge. This
vibration creates a wave which has both an
electric and a magnetic component. An
electromagnetic wave transports its energy
through a vacuum at a speed of 3.00 x 108
m/s (a speed value commonly represented
by the symbol c). The propagation of an
electromagnetic wave through a material
medium occurs at a `This is depicted in the
animation below.
The mechanism of energy transport through
a medium involves the absorption and
reemission of the wave `short period of
vibrational motion, the vibrating electrons
create a new electromagnetic wave with the
same frequency as the first electromagnetic
wave. While these vibrations occur for only
a very short time, they delay the motion of
the wave through the medium. Once the
energy of the electromagnetic wave is
reemitted by an atom, it travels through a
small region of space between atoms. Once
it reaches the next atom, the electromagnetic
wave is absorbed, transformed into electron
vibrations and then reemitted as an
electromagnetic wave. While the
electromagnetic wave will travel at a speed
of c (3 x 108 m/s) through the vacuum of
interatomic space, the absorption and
reemission process causes the net speed of
the electromagnetic wave to be less than c.
This is observed in the animation below.
The actual speed of an electromagnetic wave
through a material medium is dependent
upon the optical density of that medium.
Different materials cause a different amount
of delay due to the absorption and
reemission process. Furthermore, different
materials have their atoms more closely
packed and thus the amount of distance
between atoms is less. These two factors are
dependent upon the nature of the material
through which the electromagnetic wave is
material through which it is traveling. As a
result, the speed of an electromagnetic wave
is dependent upon the material through
which it is travelling.
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5. HOW RAIL BREAKAGE DETECTOR
WORKS
Electromagnetic waves will be produced as
explained initially .It has to be in impinged
on the train tracks in lateral manner.For each
100 km we have to build a sub-station which
contains electromagnetic wave generator and
oscilloscope .We get a proper graph in
oscilloscope as the wave, propagates
uniformly in one medium(steel) .If it
encounters any breakage (truncation)
wave has to pass through air medium.
Then there will be a phase, amplitude,
frequency change in the graph.(i.e,
wave passing from steel medium to air
medium). That device will be kept in
those substations. There will be a loss
em waves we have to increase the
magnitude of waves in order to
maintain threshhold in those substations.
Based on the change of graph of the
particular substation we can easily
identify the truncation.
Adapting rail breakage detector to
Indian railways situation:
With the increase in the number of
accidents for the past few years, the
demand for preventive measure has
increased. The Indian Railway being
a vast one a low-cost-end-user
mechanism like the Railway Breakage
Detector would go on a long way in
making this mechanism a success in India
CONCLUSION:
Railways is the safest mode when compare
with other modes. To make it safer we
need devices like RBD. Since it is feasible
and having great advantage we should
Implement this system and provide bon-voyage
to travellers.