Finch, Robert D.2022-10-062022-10-06197113857946https://hdl.handle.net/10657/12189The responses of 1/4 scale model railroad wheels to continuous excitation and impact were investigated. Good wheels as well as wheels-with cracks were tested on test stands inside an anechoic chamber. It was found that wheels with cracks can be detected by the analysis of the airborne sound that is emitted when the wheel resonances are sufficiently excited. The method of detection is on a comparative basis by matching the resonances of good wheels against the resonances of the wheel under test. The experiments showed that 50 kHz bandwidth continuous random noise excitation produces better comparative results than impact excitation.application/pdfenThis item is protected by copyright but is made available here under a claim of fair use (17 U.S.C. Section 107) for non-profit research and educational purposes. Users of this work assume the responsibility for determining copyright status prior to reusing, publishing, or reproducing this item for purposes other than what is allowed by fair use or other copyright exemptions. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires express permission of the copyright holder.Thesisreformatted digital