Improved YOLOv8-Based Target Precision Detection Algorithm for Train Wheel Tread Defects

Train wheels are crucial components for ensuring the safety of trains. The accurate and fast identification of wheel tread defects is necessary for the timely maintenance of wheels, which is essential for achieving the premise of conditional repair. Image-based detection methods are commonly used for detecting tread defects, but they still have issues with the misdetection of water stains and the leaking of small defects. In this paper, we address the challenges posed by the detection of wheel tread defects by proposing improvements to the YOLOv8 model. Firstly, the impact of water stains on tread defect detection is avoided by optimising the structure of the detection layer. Secondly, an improved SPPCSPC module is introduced to enhance the detection of small targets. Finally, the SIoU loss function is used to accelerate the convergence speed of the network, which ensures defect recognition accuracy with high operational efficiency. Validation was performed on the constructed tread defect dataset. The results demonstrate that the enhanced YOLOv8 model in this paper outperforms the original network and significantly improves the tread defect detection indexes. The average precision, accuracy, and recall reached 96.95%, 96.30%, and 95.31%.