Showing papers in "Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing in 2008"

Reflection and Transmission of Acoustic Waves Across Contact Interfaces

Abstract: A linearized model for hysteretic acoustic nonlinearity of imperfectly joined interface is proposed and analyzed by using Coulomb damping to investigate the characteristics of the reflection and transmission coefficients for harmonic waves at the contact interface. Closed crack is modeled as non welded interface that has nonlinear discontinuity condition in displacement across its boundary. Based on the hysteretic contact stiffness of the contact interface, the reflected and transmitted waves are determined by deriving the tractions on both sides of the interface in terms of the discontinuous displacements across the interface. It is found that the amplitudes of the reflected and transmitted waves are dependent on the frequency and the hysteretic stiffness. As the frequency of the incident wave increases, the higher reflection and lower transmission are obtained. It also shows that the hysteresis of the interface increases the reflection coefficient, but reduces the transmission coefficient. A fatigue crack is also made in aluminum specimen to demonstrate these characteristics of the reflection and transmission of contact interfaces.

On the Beam Focusing Behavior of Time Reversed Ultrasonic Arrays Using a Multi-Gaussian Beam Model

Abstract: One of the fundamental features of time reversal acoustic (TRA) techniques is the ability to focus the propagating ultrasonic beam to a specific point within the test material. Therefore, it is important to understand the focusing properties of a TR device in many applications including nondestructive testing. In this paper, we employ an analytical scheme for the analysis of TR beam focusing in a homogeneous medium. More specifically, a nonparaxial multi-Gaussian beam (NMGB) model is used to simulate the focusing behavior of array transducers composed of multiple rectangular elements. The NMGB model is found to generate accurate beam fields beyond the nonparaxial region. Two different simulation cases are considered here for the focal points specified on and off from the central axis of the array transducer. The simulation results show that the focal spot size increases with increasing focal length and focal angle. Furthermore, the maximum velocity amplitude does not always coincide with the specified focal point. Simulation results for the off-axis focusing cases do demonstrate the accurate steering capability of the TR focusing.

Deformation Analysis of Impact Damaged Composite Tube Using Thermal Shearography

Abstract: Composite materials are widely used as structural materials for aerospace engineering because of its excellent mechanical properties such as light weight, high stiffness, and low thermal expansion. In driving, impact damage is one of the common but dangerous damages, caused by internal failure of the laminas interface which is not detected by in the surface. Many techniques to detect defects or delaminate between laminates have been reported. Shearography is a kind of laser speckle pattern interferometry with the advantages of non-destructive, non-contact, high resolution and displacement slope measurement. In this paper, the shearography is used to evaluate non-destructively impact damaged surface of the composite material and a measuring method using shearography for the thermal deformation of a impact damaged composite material is discussed. The basic principles of the technique are also described briefly.

Analysis of Spin Valve Tunneling Magnetoresistance Sensor for Eddy Current Nondestructive Testing

Abstract: The spin valve tunneling magnetoresistance (SV-TMR) sensor performance is analyzed using Stoner-Wohlfarth model for the detection of eddy current signals in nondestructive testing applications. The SV-TMR response in terms of the applied AC magnetic field dominantly generates the second harmonic amplitude in hard axis direction. The second harmonic eddy current signal detection using SV-TMR sensor shows higher performance than that of the coil sensor at lower frequencies. The SV-TMR sensor with high sensitivity gives a good solution to improve the low frequency performance in comparison with the inductive coil sensors. Therefore, the low frequency eddy current techniques based on SV-TMR sensors are specially useful in the detection of hidden defects, and it can be applied to detect the deeply embedded flaws or discontinuities in the conductive materials.

Determination of Focal Laws for Ultrasonic Phased Array Testing of Dissimilar Metal Welds

Abstract: Inspection of dissimilar metal welds using phased array ultrasound is not easy at all, because crystalline structure of dissimilar metal welds cause deviation and splitting of the ultrasonic beams. Thus, in order to have focusing and/or steering phased array beams in dissimilar metal welds, proper time delays should be determined by ray tracing. In this paper, we proposed an effective approach to solve this difficult problem. Specifically, we modify the Oglivy's model parameters to describe the crystalline structure of real dissimilar metal welds in a fabricated specimen. And then, we calculate the proper time delay and incident angle of linear phased array transducer in the anisotropic and inhomogeneous material for focusing and/or steering phased array ultrasonic beams on the desired position.

Effect of System Dependent Harmonics in the Measurement of Ultrasonic Nonlinear Parameter by Using Contact Transducers

Abstract: Ultrasonic nonlinearity has been considered as a promising method to evaluate the micro damage of material; however, its magnitude is so small that its measurement is not easy. Thus, in this study, we investigate the effects of such experimental system dependent factors in the measurement of ultrasonic nonlinear parameter by using contact PZT transducer. Experimental results showed that the effect of system dependent nonlinearity is reduced when the contact pressure and transducer input voltage are sufficiently large. These results will be very useful to find out the proper experiment condition to measure rather accurate nonlinear parameter.

Evaluation of Micro Crack Using Nonlinear Acoustic Effect

Abstract: The detection of micro cracks in materials at the early stage of fracture is important in many structural safety assurance problems. The nonlinear ultrasonic technique (NUT) has been considered as a positive method for this, since it is more sensitive to micro crack than conventional linear ultrasonic methods. The basic principle is that the waveform is distorted by nonlinear stress-displacement relationship on the crack interface when the ultrasonic wave transmits through, and resultantly higher order harmonics are generated. This phenomenon is called the contact acoustic nonlinearity (CAN). The purpose of this paper is to prove the applicability of CAN experimentally by detection of micro fatigue crack artificailly initiated in Aluminum specimen. For this, we prepared fatigue specimens of Al6061 material with V-notch to initiate the crack, and the amplitude of second order harmonic was measured by scanning along the crack direction. From the results, we could see that the harmonic amplitude had good correlation with COD and it can be used to detect the crack depth in more accurately than the common 6 dB drop echo method.

Measurement of Longitudinal and Transverse Wave Speed in Solid Materials Using Immersion Ultrasonic Testing

Abstract: Immersion ultrasonic testing (UT) was used to determine elastic moduli of solid materials instead of the widely-used contact UT method. Conventionally, immersion UT is only used for determining the longitudinal wave speed. However, in this research, transverse wave speed was measured through finding transverse wave echoes caused by mode-conversion at material's boundary. Also, even in the cases when wave speeds could not be determined due to unknown thickness, Poisson's ratio was able to be calculated from the ratio of longitudinal and transverse wave speeds. This technique was verified for several materials, and it was found that higher accuracy was obtained by immersion UT method for materials either with relatively high wave speed or with relatively small Poisson's ratio. This technique thus will be suitable fur ceramics or high strength materials.

Advances in Ultrasonic Testing of Austenitic Stainless Steel Welds

Abstract: A precise description of the material is a key point to obtain reliable results when using wave propagation codes. In the case of multipass welds, the material is very difficult to describe due to its anisotropic and heterogeneous properties. Two main advances are presented in the following. The first advance is a model which describes the anisotropy resulting from the metal solidification and thus the model reproduces an anisotropy that is correlated with the grain orientation. The model is called MINA for modelling anisotropy from Notebook of Arc welding. With this kind of material model1ing a good description of the behaviour of the wave propagation is obtained, such as beam deviation or even beam division. But another advance is also necessary to have a good amplitude prediction: a good quantification of the attenuation, particularly due to grain scattering, is also required as far as attenuation exhibits a strong anisotropic behaviour too. Measurement of attenuation is difficult to achieve in anisotropic materials. An experimental approach has been based both on the decomposition of experimental beams into plane waves angular spectra and on the propagation modelling through the anisotropic material via transmission coefficients computed in generally triclinic case. Various examples of results are showed and also some prospects to continue refining numerical simulation of wave propagation.

Spiral Coil Magnetostrictive Strip Transducers for Long Range Ultrasonic Testing of Cylindrical Structures

Abstract: In EMAT field, spiral RF coils are much more widely used when compared with solenoid coils. In the field of the magnetostrictive strip transducers for long range ultrasonic testing of cylindrical structures, however, solenoid coils has been used. This seems to be attributed to the difficulty in fabricating low frequency (i.e., large size) spiral coils. In this paper, we describe a method for fabricating spiral coil magnetostrictive strip guided wave transducers from FFC (flexible flat cable). It is demonstrated through a comparison experiment that the spiral coil transducer has much superior performance (sensitivity, SNR, and guided wave direction control capability) than the previous transducer with solenoid coils.

Reconstruction of Dispersive Lamb Waves In Thin Plates Using a Time Reversal Method

Abstract: Time reversal (TR) of nondispersive body waves has been used in many applications including ultrasonic NDE. However, the study of the TR method for Lamb waves on thin structures is not well established. In this paper, the full reconstruction of the input signal is investigated for dispersive Lamb waves by introducing a time reversal operator based on the Mindlin plate theory. A broadband and a narrowband input waveform are employed to reconstruct the mode of Lamb wave propagations. Due to the frequency dependence of the TR process of Lamb waves, different frequency components of the broadband excitation are scaled differently during the time reversal process and the original input signal cannot be fully restored. This is the primary reason for using a narrowband excitation to enhance the flaw detectability.

Magnetic Property Effects of the Strip on Transducer Sensitivity in a Magnetostrictive Strip Type Guided Wave Transducer

Abstract: Magnetic hysteresis loops of a nickel strip and a Fe-Co alloy strip, which have been used in magnetostrictive strip type guided wave transducers for long range ultrasonic testing of pipelines, were measured and then magnetic property effects of a strip on transducer sensitivity were analyzed The sensitivity of an optimized Fe-Co strip transducer was superior to that of the nickel strip transducer by a factor of about 30 It was shown that this was mainly attributed to the differences in remanence magnetization and coercivity of the two magnetostrictive materials

Design and Fabrication of the Spiral Coils for Guided Wave Magnetostrictive Transducers

Abstract: We propose rectangular type spiral coils with folded comers for the applications to low frequency guided wave magnetostrictive transducers and describe a method for making the proposed coils from insulated electrical wire such as enameled copper wire. Expressions for the electrical properties of the coils are also presented and compared with experimental measurements. An overlapped-2-channel folded-comer spiral-coil array is fabricated and applied to a magnetostrictive strip transducer generating and detecting fundamental torsional mode guided waves. From the results we conclude that the design and fabrication method make it possible to use the magnetostrictive transducers optimized for various guided wave applications and also will greatly help engineers gain easy access to the optimized transducers.

Quantitative Comparison of Out-of-Plane Deformation Measured by Dual-Function Interferometer System

Abstract: Dual-function interferometer is an interferometer that has all features of ESPI (electronic speckle pattern interferometry) and shearography in one interferometer setup. The deformatiou of an object is directly obtained by ESPI while the slope of the deformation of an object is obtained by shearography. If the result of shearography is divided by shearing amount and integrated by numerical analyzing, then finally the reconstructed deformation of an object that is the same as the results directly obtained by ESPI can be measured by shearography. In this study, rubber and alruminum plates are used as specimen and its out-of-plane deformation is measured by ESPI and shearography setup of the dual-function interferometer. Each of the results obtained by ESPI and shearography is compared by using numerical integration to the result of shearography. From this study, it is confirmed that the reconstructed deformation results obtained by numerical integration good agree with the results obtained by ESPI.

Poisson’s Ratio Scanning Using Immersion Ultrasonic Testing

Abstract: Poisson's ratio is one of elastic constants of elastic solids However, it has not attracted attention due to its narrow range and difficult measurement Transverse wave velocity as well as longitudinal wave velocity should be measured for nondestructive measurement of Poisson's ratio Hard couplant for transverse wave prevents transducer from scanning over specimen In the present work, a novel measurement of Poisson's ratio distribution was proposed Immersion method was employed for the scanning over the specimen Echo signals of normal beam longitudinal wave were collected Transverse wave modes generated by mode conversion were identified From transit time of longitudinal and transverse waves, Poisson's ratio can be determined without information of specimen thickness This technique was demonstrated for aluminum and steel specimens

Design of Load and Strain Measuring Equipment Using Strain Gage, Instrumental Differential Amplifier and A/D Converter in a Truss System

Abstract: Trusses are found in many common structures such as bridges and buildings. The truss is a fundamental design element in engineering structures and it is important for an engineer to apply the truss design to engineering structures by understanding the mechanics of truss element. In an experimental course, the experiment selves as an example of the usefulness of the Wheatstone bridge in amplifying the output of a transducer. With the apparatus described here, it is possible to obtain experimental measurements of forces in a truss member which agree within errors to predictions from elementary mechanics. The apparatus is inexpensive, easy to operate, and suitable as either a classroom demonstration or student laboratory experiment. This device is a small table-top experiment. The conventional strain measuring device is costly and complicated - it is not simple to understand its structure. Hence, strain gage and the A/D converter are assembled to come up with a load and a strain measuring device. The device was tested for measuring the strain in a loaded specimen and the results were compared to those predicted by theory of mechanics.

Development of New ECT Probe Separating the Permebility Variation Signal in the SG Tube

Abstract: A new ECT probe to separate the ECT signal distortion due to PVC (permeability variation clusters) and ordinary defects created in SG tubes has been developed. The hystersis loops of PVC which are extracted from retired SG (steam generator) tubes of Kori-1 NNP were measured. The tensile tests were performed to identify the mechanism of PVC creation. The conditions detecting the PVC created in 56 tubes were investigated using computer simulation, and the signal processing circuits were inserted in the probe for the digital signal transmission. The new Probe can measure and separate the PVC signal which is created in the SG tubes, and also measures the defects in Ni-sleeving part of SG tubes. furthermore the new ECT probe can measure the defects as fast as bobbin probe, and enhance the testing speed as well as reliability of the defect detection of SG tubes.

Ultrasonic Evaluation of Interfacial Stiffness for Nonlinear Contact Surfaces

Abstract: This paper proposes an ultrasonic measurement method for measurement of linear interfacial stiffness of contacting surface between two steel plates subjected to nominal compression pressures. Interfacial stiffness was evaluated by using shear waves reflected at contact interface of two identical solid plates. Three consecutive reflection waves from solid-solid surface are captured by pulse-echo method to evaluate the state of contact interface. A non-dimensional parameter defined as the ratio of their peak-to-peak amplitudes are formulated and used to calculate the quantitative stiffness of interface. Mathematical model for 1-D wave propagation across interfaces is developed to formulate the reflection and transmission waves across the interface and to determine the interfacial stiffness. Two identical plates are fabricated and assembled to form contacting surface and to measure interfacial stiffness at different states of contact pressure by means of bolt fastening. It is found from experiment that the amplitude of interfacial stiffness is dependent on the pressure and successfully determined by employing pulse-echo ultrasonic method without measuring through-transmission waves.

Thermal Deformation Measurement Spherical Glasses Lens Using ESPI

Abstract: The spherical glasses lenses are typically classified into two groups such as (+) diopter lens and (-) diopter lens by the refractive power index. The thermal deformation of a lens is occurred by external heat source and is changed respected to the diopter of a lens. In this paper, the thermal deformation of spherical glasses lenses were quantitatively measured by using ESPI (electronic speckle pattern interferometry) which has an advantage that the non-contact, non-destructive and precise deformation measurement is available due to the coherency characteristic. The temperature changes were measured by IR camera. It makes experiments over 14 types of the plastic glasses lenses. From the results, it was confirmed that the larger diopter lens showed the less thermal deformation in case of the (+) diopter lens. On the other hand, the thermal deformation of the (-) diopter lens was measured with uniform pattern when the same temperature changes were applied. Also, it was found that the thermnal deformation of the (+) diopter lens is less than that of the (-) diopter lens. Therefore, it is expected that when the thermal deformation is occurred to the various types of the lens, the variation of the focal length caused by the thermal distortion of a lens would be measured quantitatively.

Real-Time Implementation of Medical Ultrasound Strain Imaging System

Abstract: Strain imaging in a medical ultrasound imaging system can differentiate the cancer or tumor in a lesion that is stiffer than the surrounding tissue. In this paper, a strain imaging technique using quasistatic compression is implemented that estimates the displacement between pre- and postcompression ultrasound echoes and obtains strain by differentiating it in the spatial direction. Displacements are computed from the phase difference of complex baseband signals obtained using their autocorrelation, and errors associated with converting the phase difference into time or distance are compensated for by taking into the center frequency variation. Also, to reduce the effect of operator's hand motion, the displacements of all scanlines are normalized with the result that satisfactory strain image quality has been obtained. These techniques have been incorporated into implementing a medical ultrasound strain imaging system that operates in real time.

Position Control of Micro Particles in a Fluid Flow Using Ultrasonic Standing Wave

Abstract: Using ultrasonic standing waves, micro particles submerged or flowing in fluid can be manipulated. Due to acoustic radiation force of ultrasound, particles are forced to move to pressure nodal or antinodal lines. In this work, we propose a method to control the position of micro particle in a flow by adjusting the frequency of the standing wave. To this end, standing wave field generation system including a few millimeter thick micro channel was established using an immersible ultrasonic transducer. The present generation system works valid in a frequency range between 2.0 MHz and 2.5 MHz. We observed the SiC particles in water moved to pressure nodal lines by the standing wave. The effect of the channel thickness and operating frequency was also investigated. Interestingly, it was shown that the operating frequency have a close relation with the location of the pressure nodal line. Consequently, it fan be said that the position of particle movement rail be controlled by adjusting the ultrasound frequency. The maximum range of the controllable position was about 261 micrometers under the given condition. The resulted observations reveal the possibility of various applications of the ultrasonic standing wave to the manipulation of particles submerged in a fluid.

Verification of the Viability of Equipotential Switching Direct Current Potential Drop Method for Piping Wall Loss Monitoring with Signal Sensitivity Analysis

Abstract: Flow accelerated corrosion (FAC) phenomenon of low alloy carbon steels in nuclear power plant has been known as one of major degradation mechanisms It has a potential to cause nuclear pipe rupture accident which may directly impact on the plant reliability and safety Recently, the equipotential switching direct current potential drop (ES-DCPD) method has been developed, by the present authors, as a method to monitor wall loss in a piping This method can rapidly monitor the thinning of piping, utilizing either the wide range monitoring (WiRM) or the narrow range monitoring (NaRM) technique WiRM is a method to monitor wide range of straight piping, whereas NaRM focuses significantly on a narrow range such as an elbow WiRM and NaRM can improve the reliability of the current FAC screening method that is based on computer modeling on fluid flow conditions In this paper, the measurements by ES-DCPD are performed with signal sensitivity analyses in the laboratory environment for extended period and showed the viability of ES-DCPD for real plant applications

Microstructural Characterization for Structural Health Monitoring of Heat-Resisting Rotor Steels

Abstract: The typical heat-resisting rotor steels such as 2.25CrMo, 9CrMo and 12CrW steel were experimentally studied in order to understand their materials degradation under high temperature and pressure during the long-term service, and then use the basic studies for the structural health monitoring. In order to monitor the materials degradation, it was conducted by the isothermal aging for 2.25CrMo steel, creep-fatigue for 9CrMo steel and creep for 12Cr steel with the incremental step test. The ultrasonic wave properties, electrical resistivity and coercivity were interpreted in relation to microstructural changes at each material and showed strong sensitivity to the specific microstructural evolution.

Feasibility Study on Ultrasonic Waveguide Sensor for Under-Sodium Viewing of Reactor Internals in Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor

Abstract: Ultrasonic waveguide sensor has been developed for under-sodium viewing of reactor internal structures of a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) The structure design concept of a waveguide sensor assembly was suggested and evaluated for the application in SFR A 10 m long ultrasonic waveguide sensor assembly has been manufactured and the experimental feasibility tests were carried out The 10 m long distance propagation performance of zero-order antisymmetric Lamb wave has been verified The feasibility of ultrasonic waveguide sensor has been demonstrated by the C-scanning resolution performance test

Experimental Characterization of Cyclic Deformation in Copper Using Ultrasonic Nonlinearity

Abstract: We have experimentally investigated the cyclic deformation in copper using ultrasonic nonlinearity. The observation and characterization of dislocation substructure have been conducted using transmission electron microscope and electron backscattered diffraction technique. The ultrasonic nonlinearity () was measured by the harmonic generation technique after various fatigue cycles. The microstructural effect on the nonlinearity was discussed regarding the extent of dislocation substructures evolved from low cycle fatigue. The ultrasonic nonlinearity of copper monotonically increased with the fatigue cycles due to the evolution of dislocation cell substructures.

Study on the Dependence of Ultrasonic Phase Velocity on Porosity, Frequency and Propagation Angle in Cancellous Bone

Abstract: In the present study, the dependence of ultrasonic phase velocity on porosity and frequency in cancellous bone was predicted using the Biot model and the modified Biot-Attenborough (MBA) model for propagation in fluid-saturated porous media. It was also compared with previously published measurements in human and bovine cancellous bones in vitro. It was shown that the phase velocity in cancellous bone decreased with increasing porosity and frequency The dependence of phase velocity on propagation angle in cancellous bone as predicted using the Schoenberg model together with the Biot model and tile MBA model which were modified to include the effect of angle. The theoretical models used in the present study advance our understanding of the interaction between ultrasound and cancellous bone and can be expected to be usefully employed for the diagnosis of osteoporosis.

Analysis on Thermoelastic Stress in the Cantilever Beam by Lock-in Thermography

Abstract: In this paper, effects of thermoelastic stress by using lock-in thermography was measured in the cantilever beam. In experiment, a circular holed plate was applied to analyze variation of transient stress under the condition of repeated cyclic loading. And the finite element modal analysis as computational work was performed. According to the surface temperature obtained from infrared thermography, the stress of the nearby hole was predicted based on thermoelastic equation. As results, each stress distributions between 2nd and 3rd vibration mode were qualitatively and quantitatively investigated, respectively. Also, dynamic stress concentration factors according to the change of vibration amplitude were estimated for the resonance frequency.

Feasibility of Ultrasonic Inspection for Nuclear Grade Graphite

Abstract: Graphite material has been recognized as a very competitive candidate for reflector, moderator, and structural material for very high temperature reactor (VHTR). Since VHTR is operated up to , small amount of impurity may accelerate the oxidation and degradation of carbon graphite, which results in increased porosity and lowered fracture toughness. In this study, ultrasonic wave propagation properties were investigated for both as-received and degradated material, and the feasibility of ultrasonic testing (UT) was estimated based on the result of ultrasonic property measurements. The ultrasonic properties of carbon graphite were half, more than 5 times, and 1/3 for velocity, attenuation, and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio respectively. Degradation reduces the ultrasonic velocity slightly by 100 m/s, however the attenuation is about 2 times of as-receive state. The results of probability of detection (POD) estimation based on S/N ratio for side-drilled-hole (SDHs) of which depths were less than 100 mm were merely affected by oxidation and degradation. This result suggests that UT would be reliable method for nondestructive testing of carbon graphite material of which thickness is not over 100 mm. In accordance with the result produced by commercial automated ultrasonic testing (AUT) system, human error of ultrasonic testing is barely expected for the material of which thickness is not over 80 mm.

Moire-Fringe-Based Fiber Optic Tiltmeter for Structural Health Monitoring

Abstract: This paper presents a novel fiber optic tiltmeter system for the health monitoring of large-size structures. The system is composed of a sensor head, a light control unit and a signal processing unit. The sensing mechanism of the sensor head is based on a novel integration of the moire fringe phenomenon with fiber optics to achieve a robust performance in addition to its immunity to EM interference, easy ratting, and low cost. In this paper, a prototype of the fiber optic tiltmeter system has been developed successfully. A low-cost light control unit has been developed to drive the system's optic and electronic components. From an experimental test, the fiber optic tiltmeter is proven to be a prospective sensor for the monitoring of the tilting angle of civil structure with a good linearity. Finally, the test also successfully demonstrates the performance and the potential of the novel fiber optic tiltmeter system to monitor the health of civil infrastructures.

Diagnosis and Monitoring of Socket Welded Pipe Damaged by Bending Fatigue Using Acoustic Emission Technique

Abstract: High cycle bending fatigue of socket welded small bore pipe was characterized, and also the fatigue crack initiation of small bore pipe was monitored in situ by the acoustic emission (AE) technique. The STS 316L stainless steel specimens were prepared by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process having the artificial defect (i.e., lack of penetration) and defect free at the root. The fatigue failure was occurred at the loc for high stress and root for relatively low stress. The crack initiation cycles () was defined to the abrupt increase in AE counts during the fatigue test, and then the cracks were observed by the radiographic test and electron microscope before and after the fatigue crack initiation cycles. The socket welded pipe damaged by bending fatigue was studied regarding the welding defect, failure mode, and crack initiation cycles for the diagnosis and monitoring.