R. Bruce Thompson

Bio: R. Bruce Thompson is an academic researcher from Iowa State University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Ultrasonic sensor & Ultrasonic testing. The author has an hindex of 19, co-authored 94 publications receiving 1836 citations.

Ultrasonic scattering from imperfect interfaces: A quasi-static model

Abstract: A quasi-static model for the ultrasonic transmission and reflection at imperfect interfaces is developed. The interface is represented by a distributed spring, determined by the change in static compliance of the medium with respect to one with a perfect interface, and a distributed mass, representing excess mass at the interface. Comparison of the model predictions to exact solutions for two simple cases illustrates its accuracy at low frequencies. The spring stiffnesses can be derived from existing solutions for the elastic displacement of materials containing cracks and inclusions under static load. Results for a variety of cases are reviewed. Applications of the model to study the characteristics of partially contacting surfaces in several problem areas of current interest are discussed.

The sources of heat generation in vibrothermography

Abstract: Vibrothermography, or sonic IR, is a nondestructive evaluation technique used to find surface and near surface defects—such as cracks and delaminations—through observations of vibration-induced heat generation. This method has significant interest as an industrial inspection method, however, a lack of understanding of the fundamental physics governing the heat generation process has limited its application despite extensive theoretical, numerical simulation, and experimental work. Significant theoretical and numerical simulation work has been performed, but has yet to be rigorously verified experimentally. This paper presents experimental verification of the sources of heat generation in vibrothermography; specifically friction, plasticity, and viscoelasticity. Specific experimental evidence is presented that verifies each of these heat-generating mechanisms.

Angular dependence of ultrasonic wave propagation in a stressed, orthorhombic continuum: Theory and application to the measurement of stress and texture

Abstract: A theory for ultrasonic wave propagation in a symmetry plane of a biaxially stressed, orthorhombic continuum is presented. Since many of the material parameters which appear in the analysis are unknown, in particular the third‐order elastic constants of polycrystalline metals, emphasis is placed on the angular dependence of the velocities. An expansion to first order in stress‐induced anisotropy and to second order in textural anisotropy reveals terms with twofold, fourfold, and sixfold symmetry. Scenarios are proposed for using various properties of this symmetry to deduce the difference in magnitude and directions of the principal stresses independent of textural anisotropy and the textural anisotropy independent of the stresses. Experimental results are presented for the cases of aluminum, 304 stainless steel, and copper.

Generation of horizontally polarized shear waves in ferromagnetic materials using magnetostrictively coupled meander‐coil electromagnetic transducers

Abstract: A new electromagnetic transducer configuration is described for generating horizontally polarized shear (SH) waves in ferromagnetic materials. The transducer consists of a meander coil and static bias magnetic field parallel to the coil elements. This configuration generates no ultrasonic waves in a nonmagnetic metal since the induced eddy currents are parallel to the bias field and the driving Lorentz forces vanish. However, the configuration provides coupling to SH waves in ferromagnetic materials through magnetostrictive effects. Experimental measurements of the variation of transduction efficiency with bias field in nickel and 4130 steel plate are presented and compared to the efficiency obtained with the same meander coils when the bias is rotated 90° in the plane of the plate so that antisymmetric Lamb waves are generated. Peak efficiencies occur at considerably different bias fields for the two configurations. This result, as well as other features in the data, are interpreted in terms of a simple ...

A Baseline and Vision of Ultrasonic Guided Wave Inspection Potential

Abstract: Ultrasonic guided wave inspection is expanding rapidly to many different areas of manufacturing and in-service inspection. The purpose of this paper is to provide a vision of ultrasonic guided wave inspection potential aswe move forward into the new millennium. An increased understanding of the basic physics and wave mechanics associated with guided wave inspection has led to an increase in practical nondestructive evaluation and inspection problems. Some fundamental concepts and a number of different applications that are currently being considered will be presented in the paper along with a brief description of the sensor and software technology that will make ultrasonic guided wave inspection commonplace in the next century.

Transmission of seismic waves across single natural fractures

Abstract: Fractures and other nonwelded contacts are important mechanical and hydrological features of rock masses. Their effects on seismic wave propagation can be modeled as a boundary condition in the seismic wave equation. Seismic stress is continuous across such a boundary, but seismic particle displacement and seismic particle velocity are not. The complete solutions for seismic wave reflection, conversion, and transmission across a displacement and velocity discontinuity between two half-spaces with different densities and elastic properties are derived for all angles of the incident wave. The ratio between the seismic stress across this boundary and the seismic particle displacement and velocity are described by a specific stiffness and a specific viscosity, respectively. A displacement discontinuity results in frequency-dependent reflection and transmission coefficients and a frequency-dependent group time delay. The velocity discontinuity results in frequency-independent coefficients and zero delay. Results of laboratory experiments on compressional and shear wave transmission across three different natural fractures in a quartz monzonite are described. Measurements were made at different effective stresses under dry and saturated conditions at room temperature. It is shown that the effect of these fractures on the spectral amplitudes for compressional and shear pulses transmitted across these fractures are described well by a displacement discontinuity for compressional pulses under dry and saturated conditions and by a combined displacement and velocity discontinuity for shear wave pulses under dry and saturated conditions. Values of specific stiffness and specific viscosity vary between fractures and increase with increasing effective stress, as does the static specific stiffness of these fractures. Changes in the spectral amplitudes of transmitted pulses are also analyzed in terms of attenuation using the seismic quality factor Q, which is found to be a function of frequency.

Nonlinear ultrasonic techniques for nondestructive assessment of micro damage in material: A review

Abstract: The nondestructive assessment of the damage that occurs in components during service plays a key role for condition monitoring and residual life estimation of in-service components/structures. Ultrasound has been widely utilized for this; however most of these conventional methods using ultrasonic characteristics in the linear elastic region are only sensitive to gross defects but much less sensitive to micro-damage. Recently, the nonlinear ultrasonic technique, which uses nonlinear ultrasonic behavior such as higher-harmonic generation, subharmonic generation, nonlinear resonance, or mixed frequency response, has been studied as a positive method for overcoming this limitation. In this paper, overall progress in this technique is reviewed with the brief introduction of basic principle in the application of each nonlinear ultrasonic phenomenon.

Integral Equation Methods for Electromagnetic and Elastic Waves

Abstract: Integral Equation Methods for Electromagnetic and Elastic Waves is an outgrowth of several years of work. There have been no recent books on integral equation methods. There are books written on integral equations, but either they have been around for a while, or they were written by mathematicians. Much of the knowledge in integral equation methods still resides in journal papers. With this book, important relevant knowledge for integral equations are consolidated in one place and researchers need only read the pertinent chapters in this book to gain important knowledge needed for integral equation research. Also, learning the fundamentals of linear elastic wave theory does not require a quantum leap for electromagnetic practitioners. Integral equation methods have been around for several decades, and their introduction to electromagnetics has been due to the seminal works of Richmond and Harrington in the 1960s. There was a surge in the interest in this topic in the 1980s (notably the work of Wilton and his coworkers) due to increased computing power. The interest in this area was on the wane when it was demonstrated that differential equation methods, with their sparse matrices, can solve many problems more efficiently than integral equation methods. Recently, due to the advent of fast algorithms, there has been a revival in integral equation methods in electromagnetics. Much of our work in recent years has been in fast algorithms for integral equations, which prompted our interest in integral equation methods. While previously, only tens of thousands of unknowns could be solved by integral equation methods, now, tens of millions of unknowns can be solved with fast algorithms. This has prompted new enthusiasm in integral equation methods.