Luz Sotelo
UTRGV Mechanical Engineering student Luz Sotelo, completed her second UTCRS REU experience at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. During her 2015 UTCRS REU experience, she worked alongside faculty and graduate students evaluating ultrasonic signals and analyzing wave propagation in materials. This triggered a deep interest in the dynamics, vibrations and acoustics fields. Vibration analysis techniques have been widely implemented in the railroad industry to prevent unwanted noise and fatigue failure of mechanical components and railroad infrastructure. During her 2016 UTCRS REU experience, Ms. Sotelo devised an inexpensive portable data acquisition system to detect and collect vibration emissions in the ground nearby railroad tracks. Using the mathematical software MATLAB, she analyzed the vibration signals’ characteristics to detect the presence of a train approximating a Highway-Railway Grade Crossing (HRGC), and to determine information regarding the kinematics of the passing train. The data collected with Ms. Sotelo’s system, can also be utilized to assess the health of mechanical and structural components in the railroad industry in a noninvasive and nondestructive manner.