Showing papers in "Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing in 2006"

Experimental Investigation of Impact-Echo Method for Concrete Slab Thickness Measurement

Abstract: Accurate estimates of in place thickness of early age (3 to 28 days after casting) concrete pavements are needed, where a thickness accuracy of is desired. The impact-echo method is a standardized non-destructive technique that has been applied for this task. However, the ability of impact-echo to achieve this precision goal is affected by Vp (measured) and (assumed) values that are applied in the computation. A deeper understanding of the effects of these parameters on the accuracy of impact-echo should allow the technique to be improved to meet the desired accuracy goal. In this paper, the results of experimental tests carried out on a range of concrete slabs are reported. Impact-echo thickness estimation errors caused by material property gradients and sensor type are identified. Correction factors to the standard analysis method are proposed to correct the identified errors and to increase the accuracy of the standard method. Results show that improved accuracy can be obtained in the field by applying these recommendations with the standard impact-echo method.

Ultrasonic Phased Array Techniques for Detection of Flaws of Stud Bolts in Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract: The reactor vessel body and closure head are fastened with the stud bolt that is one of crucial parts for safety of the reactor vessels in nuclear power plants. It is reported that the stud bolt is often experienced by fatigue cracks initiated at threads. Stud bolts are inspected by the ultrasonic technique during the overhaul periodically for the prevention of failure which leads to radioactive leakage from the nuclear reactor. The conventional ultrasonic inspection for stud bolts was mainly conducted by reflected echo method based on shadow effect. However, in this technique, there were numerous spurious signals reflected from every oblique surfaces of the thread. In this study, ultrasonic phased array technique was applied to investigate detectability of flaws in stud bolts and characteristics of ultrasonic images corresponding to different scanning methods, that is, sector and linear scan. For this purpose, simplified stud bolt specimens with artificial defects of various depths were prepared.

Use of Time Reversal Techniques for Focusing of Ultrasonic Array Transducer Beams

Abstract: For enhancement of flaw detactability using array transducers, focusing of ultrasonic waves on a target in an inhomogeneous medium or through a complex geometry is important. But focusing can be strongly degraded by geometrical distortion of field radiated by the array transducers or by sound speed fluctuations in the propagating medium. In recent years, the time reversal technique has been proposed. Thus, in this paper, we describe the basic principal of the time reversal technique for focusing. Then, the implementation results of the time reversal technique for ultrasonic inspections using bulk waves and guided waves generated by array transducers are presented.

Effects of Material Anisotropy on Ultrasonic Beam Propagation: Diffraction and Beam Skew

Abstract: The necessity of nondestructively inspecting austenitic steels, fiber-reinforced composites, and other inherently anisotropic materials has stimulated considerable interest in developing beam models for anisotropic media. The properties of slowness surface playa key role in the beam models based on the paraxial approximation. In this paper, we apply a modular multi-Gaussian beam (MMGB) model to study the effects of material anisotropy on ultrasonic beam profile. It is shown that the anisotropic effects of beam skew and excess beam divergence enter into the MMGB model through parameters defining the slope and curvature of the slowness surface. The overall beam profile is found when the quasilongitudinal(qL) beam propagates in the symmetry plane of transversely isotropic austenitic steels. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the effects of these parameters on ultrasonic beam diffraction and beam skew. The MMGB calculations are also checked by comparing the anisotropy factor and beam skew angle with other analytical solutions.

Nondestructive Measurement of the Coating Thickness in the Simulated TRISO-Coated Fuel Particle Using Micro-Focus X-ray Radiography

Abstract: TRISO(tri-isotropic)-coated fuel particle technology is utilized owing to its higher stability at a high temperature and Its efficient retention capability for fission products In the HTGR(high temperature gas-reeled reactor). The typical spherical TRISO fuel panicle with a diameter of about 1mm is composed of a nuclear fuel kernel and outer coating layers. The outer coating layers consist of a buffer PyC(pyrolytic carbon) layer, Inner PyC(1-PyC) layer, SiC layer, and outer PyC(O-PyC) layer Most of the Inspection Items for the TRTSO-coated fuel particle depend on destructive methods. The coating thickness of the TRISO fuel particle can be nondestructively measured by the X-ray radiography without generating radioactive wastel. In this study, the coaling thickness for the simulated TRISO-coated fuel particle with kernel Instead of kernel was measured by using micro-focus X-ray radiography with micro-focus X-ray generator and flat panel detector The radiographic image was also enhanced by image processing technique to acquire clear boundary lines between coating layers. The coaling thickness wat effectively measured by applying the micro-focus X-ray radiography The inspection process for the TRISO-coated fuel particles will be improved by the developed micro-focus X-ray radiography and digital image processing technology.

Characterization of Residual Stress in Shot Peened Al 7075 Alloy Using Surface Acoustic Wave

Abstract: The residual stress in shot-peened Al 7075 alloy was evaluated using surface acoustic wave (SAW). Shot peening was conducted to produce a variation in the residual stress with the depth below the surface under a shot velocity of 30 m/s. The SAW velocity was measured from the V(z) curve using a scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM). The Vickers hardness profile from the surface showed a significant work hardening near the surface layer with a thickness of about 0.25 mm. As the residual stress became more compressive, the SAW velocity increased, whereas as the residual stress became more tensile, the SAW velocity decreased. The variation in the SAW velocity through the shot peened surface layer was in good agreement with the distribution of the residual stress measured by X-ray diffraction technique.

Instrumented Indentation Technique: New Nondestructive Measurement Technique for Flow Stress-Strain and Residual Stress of Metallic Materials

Abstract: Instrumented indentation technique is a new way to evaluate nondestructive such mechanical properties as flow properties, residual stress and fracture toughness by analyzing indentation load-depth curves. This study evaluated quantitatively the flow properties of steels and residual stress of weldments. First, flow properties can be evaluated by defining a representative stress and strain from analysis of deformation behavior beneath the rigid spherical indenter and the parameters obtained from instrumented indentation tests. For estimating residual stress, the deviatoric-stress part of the residual stress affects the indentation load-depth curve, so that by analyzing the difference between the residual-stress-induced indentation curve and residual-stress-free curve, the quantitative residual stress of the target region can be evaluated. The algorithm for flow property evaluation was verified by comparison with uniaxial tensile test and the residual stress evaluation model was compared to mechanical cutting and ED-XRD results.

Eddy Current Signal Analysis for Transmit-Receive Pancake Coil on ECT Array Probe

Abstract: In this paper, the eddy current signals come from a pair oi transmit-receive (T/R) pancake coil on ECT array Probe are analyzed with the variations of the lift-of and of the distance between transmit and receive coils. To obtain the electromagnetic characteristics of the probes, the governing equation describing the eddy current problems is derived from Maxwell's equation and is solved using three-dimensional finite element method. Eddy current signals from T/R coils on ECT array probe have quite different characteristics compared with ones from impedance coil on rotating pancake coil probe. The results in this paper ran be helpful when the field eddy current signals from ECT array probe are evaluated.

A Study on Real-Time Defect Detection Using Ultrasound Excited Thermography

Abstract: The UET(ultrasound excited thermography) for the ,eat-time diagnostics of the object employs an infrared camera to image defects of the surface and subsurface which are locally heated using high-frequency putted ultrasonic excitation. The dissipation of high-power ultrasonic energy around the feces of the defects causes an increase In temperature. The defect's image appears as a hot spot (bright IR source) within a dark background field. The UET for nondestructive diagnostic and evaluation is based on the image analysis of the hot spot as a local response to ultrasonic excited heat deposition. In this paper the applicability of VET for fast imaging of defect is described. The ultrasonic energy is injected into the sample through a transducer in the vertical and horizontal directions respectively. The voltage applied to the transducer is measured by digital oscilloscope, and the waveform are compared. Measurements were performed on four kinds of materials: SUS fatigue crack specimen(thickness 14mm), PCB plate(1.8 mm), CFRP plate(3 mm) and Inconel 600 plate (1 mm). A high power ultrasonic energy with pulse durations of 250ms Is injected into the samples in the horizontal and vertical directions respectively The obtained experimental result reveals that the dissipation loss of the ultrasonic energy In the vertical injection is less than that in the horizontal direction. In the cafe or PCB, CFRP, the size of hot spot in the vortical injection if larger than that in horizontal direction. Duration time of the hot spot in the vertical direction is three times as long as that in the horizontal direction. In the case of Inconel 600 plate and SUS sample, the hot spot in the horizontal injection was detected faster than that in the vertical direction

A Simulation Tool for Ultrasonic Inspection

Abstract: A simulation program SIMULTSONIC is under development at CNDE to help determine and/or help optimize ultrasonic probe locations for inspection of complex components. SIMULTSONIC provides a ray-trace based assessment for immersion and contact modes of inspection. The code written in Visual C++ operating in Microsoft Windows environment provides an interactive user interface. In this paper, a description of the various features of SIMULTSONIC is given followed by examples illustrating the capability of SIMULTSONIC to deal with inspection of canonical objects such as pipes. In particular, the use of SIMULTSONIC in the inspection of very thin-walled pipes (with 450 urn wall thickness) is described. Ray trace based assessment was done using SIMULTSONIC to determine the standoff distance and the angle of oblique incidence for an immersion mode focused transducer. A 3-cycle Hanning window pulse was chosen for simulations. Experiments were carried out to validate the simulations. The A-scans and the associated B-Scan images obtained through simulations show good correlation with experimental results, both with the arrival time of the signal as well as with the signal amplitudes.

Analysis of the Fracture Behavior of Plate-type Piezoelectric Composite Actuators by Acoustic Emission Monitoring

Abstract: Fracture behavior of a monolithic PZT and a plate-type piezoelectric composite actuator (PCA) has been investigated under a bending load at three points by an acoustic emission (AE) monitoring. AE signal from a monolithic PZT at the maximum bending load shows the characteristics of high amplitude and long duration with a low frequency band of which is confirmed by fast Fourier transform (FFT). For a PCA, it is concluded that AE signals with high amplitude over 80dB and low dominant frequency band of emitted in the stage I are due to the brittle fracture in the PZT layer and the delamination between the PZT layer and the adjacent fiber composite layer. Based on the above analysis of AE behavior and damage observations with an optical microscopy and a scanning electron microscopy, AE characteristics related to fracture behavior of asymmetrically laminated PCA have been elucidated.

A Study of the Exclusive Embedded A/D Converter Using the Microprocessor and the Noise Decrease for the Magnetic Camera

Abstract: Magnetic nondestructive testing is very useful far detecting a crack on the surface or near of the surface of the ferromagnetic materials The distribution of the magnetic flux leakage (DMFL) on a specimen has to be obtained quantitatively to evaluate the crack The magnetic camera is proposed to obtain the DMFL at the large lift-off The magnetic camera consists of a magnetic source, magnetic lens, analog to digital converters (ADCs), interface, and computer The magnetic leakage fields or the distorted magnetic fields from the object, which are concentrated on the magnetic lens, are converted to analog electrical signals tv arrayed small magnetic sensors These analog signals are converted to digital signals by the ADCs, and are stored, imaged, and processed by the interface and computer However the magnetic camera has limitations with respect to converting and switching speed, full range and resolution, direct memory access (DMA), temporary storage speed and volume because common ADCs were used Improved techniques, such as those that introduce the operational amplifier (OP-Amp), amplify the signal, reduce the connection line, and use the low pass filter (LPF) to increase the signal to noise ratio are necessary This paper proposes the exclusive embedded ADC including OP-Amp, LPF, microprocessor and DMA circuit for the magnetic camera to satisfy the conditions mentioned above

RTD Analysis using Radioisotope Tracer on the Water Flow Characteristics in a Flocculator of Wastewater Treatment Facility

Abstract: Using In-113m emitting gamma ray of 0.392MeV at radioisotope tracer the RTD (residence time distribution) of water in the flocculator of wastewater treatment facility was measured. The result was analyzed mathematically using K-RTD program constructed on the basis of CFSTR (constant flow stirred tank reactor) model. The mean residence time and the tank number are the main parameters which describe the flow behavior of the system. Those parameters were obtained in the fitting profess of the simulated curves to the experimental results. It was suggested to construct a modified numerical model to describe the bypass flow which was observed in the experiment.

Novel Laser Ultrasonic Receiver for Industrial NDE

Abstract: A new laser-based ultrasonic receiver that is based on multi-channel interferometry is shown to be well suited for robust and sensitive detection of ultrasound in industrial environment. The proposed architecture combines random-quadrature detection with detector arrays and parallel multi-speckle processing. The high sensitivity is reached, thanks to the random phase distribution of laser speckle caused by surface roughness. High-density parallel signal processing is achieved by using a simple demodulation technique based on signal rectification. This simple detection scheme is also demonstrated for rejection of the laser intensity noise, making possible the use of lower cost laser without reduction in performances. Results demonstrating this new principle of operation and its performances are presented.

Use of the Mass-Spring Lattice Model for Simulation of Ultrasonic Waves in Austenitic Welds

Abstract: Feasibility is studied for an application of the mass-spring lattice model (MSLM), a numerical model previously developed for unidirectional composites, to the numerical simulation of ultrasonic inspection of austenitic welds modeled as transversely isotropic. Fundamental wave processes, such as propagation, reflection, refraction, and diffraction of ultrasonic waves in such an inspection are simulated using the MSLM. All numerical results show excellent agreement with the analytical results. Further, a simplified model of austenitic weld inspection has been successfully simulated using the MSLM. In conclusion, a great potential of the MSLM in numerically simulating ultrasonic inspections of austenitic welds has been manifested in this work, though significant further efforts will be required to develop a model with field practicality.

Study on Ultrasonic Birefringence by Uniaxial Stress in Axisymmetric Solids

Abstract: Uniaxial stress in ail axisymmetric body is the simplest example of ultrasonic stress measurement. However, the birefringence theory cannot be applied for axisymmetric solids because the axisymmetric stress field in the body does not make shy velocity difference in SH waves propagating in the axisymmetric direction. Conventional ultrasonic technique using the time-of-flight method also needs ultrasonic lengths of the unstressed and stressed body, which is very impractical. In this paper, the birefringence effect in axisymmetric solids under uniaxial stress is formulated to evaluate the axial stress inside the solid without measuring tile ultrasonic length. Theoretical derivation for the birefringence characteristics in the axisymmetric solids is made using the longitudinal and shear waves instead of two horizontally polarized shear waves. Tension test is conducted for carbon-steel specimen to measure the birefringence coefficient and investigate the validity of the theory. It is observed from experimental results that the velocity difference in two differently polarized acoustic waves is proportional to the uniaxial stress in the axisymmetric solid with a good agreement with the theoretical value.

Deformation Measurement of Well Thinning Elbow by Using Shearography

Abstract: In this study, the deformation oi wall thinning elbow is measured and the position of the internal thinning defect is found out by shearography. Shearography is an optical method which has applied to nondestructive testing (NDT) and the strain/stress and deformation analysis. This technique has the merit of the directly measuring the first derivative of displacement with sensitivity which can be adjusted by handling the tilt mirror in the interferometer. In this paper, we tested carbon steel pipe locally wall thinned and loaded internal pressure and the shearography was applied to measure the out-of-plane deformation of wall thinning elbow and to investigate the internal thinning defect of it. From the results, it was confirmed that this technique is proper to the practical application on the pipe line system with internal defect.

A Feasibility Study of Guided Wave Technique for Rail Monitoring

Abstract: The critical subject of transverse crack detection in a rail head is treated in this paper. Conventional bulk wave ultrasonic techniques oftenfail because of shelling and other surface imperfections that shield the defects that lie below the shelling. A guided wave inspection technique is introduced here that can send ultrasonic energy along the rail under the shelling with a capability of finding the deleterious transverse crack defects. Dispersion curves are generated via a semi analytical finite element technique along with a hybrid guided wave finite element technique to explore the most suitable modes and frequencies for finding these defects. Sensor design and experimental feasibility experiments are also reported.

Detection of Second-Layer Corrosion in Aging Aircraft Fuselage

Abstract: A Digital X-ray imaging system using Compton backscattering has been developed to obtain a cross-sectional profile and mass loss of corroded lap-splices of aging aircraft from density variation. A slit-type camera was designed to focus on a small scattering volume inside the material, from which the backscattered photons are collected by a collimated scintillator detector for interpretation of material characteristics. The cross section of the lap-joint is scanned by moving the scattering volume through the thickness direction of the specimen. The mass loss of each layer has been estimated from a Compton backscatter A-scan to obtain the thickness of each layer including the aluminum sheet, the corrosion layer and the sealant. Quantitative information such as location and width of planar corrosion in the lap splices of fuselages is obtained by deconvolution using a nonlinear least-square error minimization method(BFGS method): A simple reconstruction model is also introduced to overcome distortion of the Compton backscatter data due to attenuation effects attributed to beam hardening and quantum noise.

Inspection of Ceramic Coatings Using Nanoindentation and Frequency Domain Photoacoustic Microscopy

Abstract: The elastic properties and thickness of mullite environmental barrier coatings grown through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on silicon carbide substrates were measured using frequency domain photoacoustic microscopy. In this technique, extremely narrow bandwidth surface acoustic waves are generated with an amplitude modulated laser source. A photorefractive crystal based interferometer is used to detect the resulting surface displacement. The complex displacement field is mapped as a function of source-to-receiver distance in order to extract the wavelength of the surface acoustic wave at a given excitation frequency, and the phase velocity is determined. The coatings tested exhibited spatial variations in thickness and mechanical properties. The measured surface wave dispersion curves were used to extract an effective value for the elastic modulus and the coating thickness. Nanoindentation was used to validate the measurements of the effective elastic modulus. The average elastic modulus measured through the coating thickness using nanoindentation is compared to the effective modulus found using the photoacoustic system. Optical microscopy is used to validate the thickness measurements. The results indicate that the photoacoustic microscopy technique can be used to estimate the effective elastic properties in coatings exhibiting spatial inhomogeneities, potentially providing valuable feedback for the optimization of the CVD growth process.

Simulation of ECT Bobbin Coil Probe Signals to Determine Optimum Coil Gap

Abstract: Eddy current testing (ECT) signals produced by a differential bobbin coil probe vary according to probe design parameters such as the number of turns, geometry and coil gap size. In the present study, the characteristics of a differential bobbin coil probe signals are investigated by numerical simulation in order to determine the optimum coil gap. For verification of numerical simulation accuracy, a specially designed bobbin probe of which the coil gap can be adjusted is fabricated and a series of experiments to acquire signals from two kinds of standard tubes with the variation in coil gap is performed. Then, the experimental signals are compared to the simulation results. Based on this investigation, a decision on the optimum range of coil gap is made. The theoretically predicted signals agree very well to the experimental signals. In fact, this excellent agreement demonstrates a high potential of the simulation as a design optimization tool for ECT bobbin probes.

In-Service Identification of the Heterogeneous Zone in Petrochemical Pipelines by Using Sealed Gamma-Ray Sources(⁶⁰Co, ¹³⁷Cs)

Abstract: In-service diagnoses of pipeline facilities are important for a systematic maintenance of them. Field applications by using sealed gamma-ray sources were performed to identify the heterogeneous zone in the pipelines of a distillation tower and a flare stack respectively. From the results, the heterogeneous zones in the pipelines were successfully identified. In the case of the pipeline connected to the distillation tower, a vapor pocket was detected in the fluid under hydrodynamic conditions, which could explain the reason for a decrease of the flow rate. In another case, an area with some amount of catalyst deposits was found at the bottom of the gas pipeline which was connected to the flare stack. And these findings provided important information for the process operators. Diagnosis technique by using gamma radiation sources has been proven to be an effective and reliable method for providing information on a media distribution in a facility.

Generation of Thermoelastic Waves by Irradiating a Metal Slab with a Line-Focused Laser Pulse

Abstract: A 2D finite-element numerical simulation has been developed to investigate the generation of ultrasonic waves in a homogeneous isotropic elastic slab under a line-focused laser irradiation. Discussing the physical processes involved in the thermoelastic phenomena, we describe a model for the pulsed laser generation of ultrasound in a metal slab. Addressing an analytic method, on the basis of an integral transform technique, for obtaining the solutions of the elastodynamic equation, we outline a finite element method for a numerical simulation of an ultrasonic wave propagation. We present the numerical results for the displacements and the stresses generated by a line-focused laser pulse on the surface of a stainless steel slab.

Simulation and Analysis of ECT Signals Obtained at Tubesheet and Tube Expansion Area

Abstract: Steam generator (SG) tubes are expanded inside tubesheet holes by using explosive or hydraulic methods to be fixed in a tubesheet. In the tube expansion process, it is important to minimize the crevice gap between expanded tube and tube sheet. In this paper, absolute and differential signals are computed by a numerical method for several different locations of tube expansion inside and outside a tubesheet and signal variations due to tubesheet, tube expansion and operating frequencies are observed. Results show that low frequency is good for detecting tubesheet location in both types of signals and high frequency is suitable for sizing of tube diameter as well as the detection of transition region. Also learned is that the absolute signal is good for measuring tube diameter, while the differential signal is good for locating the top of tubesheet and both ends of the transition region. In the case of mingled anomaly with tube expansion and tubesheet, low frequency inspection is found to be useful to analyze the mixed signal.

Application of Phase-Shifting Method in Speckle Interferomtery to Measurement of Micro-Scale Displacement

Abstract: Speckle interferometry with phase-shifting method has been applied to measurement of micro-scale displacement through optical signal processing. Four-step phase-shifting method by PZT is used to measure out-of-plane displacement in spot-welded cantilever and results of optical experiments are comparable to those of FEM. Phase-shifting method using Fourier transform by PZT is applied to measurement of in-plane displacement on rectangular steel plate with a circular hole. The results of optical experiment agree well with theoretical calculation. New phase-shifting method in speckle interferometry has been implemented with a quarter wave plate. In-plane displacement of specimen is measured by the new phase-shifting method. Results of optical experiment show that the quarter wave plate can be used for phase-shifting method that is cheap and easy to use in speckle interferometry.

Ambient Vibration-Measurement of Real Building Structure by Using Fiber Optic Accelerometer System

Abstract: Vibration-based structural health monitoring is one of non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques for civil infrastructures. This paper presents a novel fiber optic accelerometer system to monitor civil engineering structures and a successful application of the novel sensor system for measuring ambient vibration of a real building structure. This sensor system integrates the Moire fringe phenomenon with fiber optics to achieve accurate and reliable measurements. The sensor system is immune to electromagnetic (EM) interference making it suitable for difficult applications in such environments involving strong EM fields, electrical spark-induced explosion risks, and cabling problems, prohibiting the use of conventional electromagnetic accelerometers. A prototype sensor system has been developed, together with a signal processing software. The experimental studies demonstrated the high-performance of the fiber optic sensor system. Especially, the sensor was successfully used for monitoring a real building on UCI (University of California Irvine, USA).