Air-coupled detection of nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves to assess material nonlinearity

This research presents a new technique for nonlinear Rayleigh surface wave measurements that uses a non-contact, air-coupled ultrasonic transducer; this receiver is less dependent on surface conditions than laser-based detection, and is much more accurate and efficient than detection with a contact wedge transducer. A viable experimental setup is presented that enables the robust, non-contact measurement of nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves over a range of propagation distances. The relative nonlinearity parameter is obtained as the slope of the normalized second harmonic amplitudes plotted versus propagation distance. This experimental setup is then used to assess the relative nonlinearity parameters of two aluminum alloy specimens (Al 2024-T351 and Al 7075-T651). These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique – the average standard deviation of the normalized second harmonic amplitudes, measured at locations along the propagation path, is below 2%. Experimental validation is provided by a comparison of the ratio of the measured nonlinearity parameters of these specimens with ratios from the absolute nonlinearity parameters for the same materials measured by capacitive detection of nonlinear longitudinal waves.     

Nonlinear elastodynamics in micro-inhomogeneous solids observed by head-wave based dynamic acoustoelastic testing

Dynamic acoustoelastic testing provides a more complete insight into the acoustic nonlinearity exhibited by micro-inhomogeneous media like granular and cracked materials. This method consists of measuring time of flight and energy modulations of pulsed ultrasonic waves induced by a low-frequency standing wave. Here pulsed ultrasonic head waves were employed to assess elastic and dissipative nonlinearities in a region near the surface of a solid. Synchronization of the ultrasound pulse sequence with the low-frequency excitation provided instantaneous variations in the elastic modulus and the attenuation as functions of the instantaneous low-frequency strain. Weak quadratic elastic nonlinearity and no dissipative nonlinearity were detected in duralumin. In limestone, distinction between tensile and compressive behaviors revealed an asymmetry in the acoustic nonlinearity and hysteresis in both the elastic modulus and the attenuation variations. Measured nonlinear acoustical parameters are in good agreement with values obtained by different techniques. Reversible acoustically induced conditioning modified the acoustic nonlinearity both quantitatively and qualitatively. It reduced tension-compression asymmetry, suggesting a nonequilibrium modification of the sources of acoustic nonlinearity. Additionally to the metrology of the acoustic nonlinearity, head wave based dynamic acoustoelastic testing may be a useful tool to monitor changes in the microstructure or the accumulation of damage in solids.     

列车外圆弹簧疲劳损伤的非线性超声测试

进行了列车外圆弹簧在疲劳载荷作用下所产生损伤的非线性超声测试。对列车外圆弹簧进行疲劳加载,利用专门的非线性超声测试系统激发和接收透过弹簧的超声纵波。在相应的信号处理后,建立了声学非线性系数与弹簧疲劳次数之间的关系。实验结果表明,当疲劳次数小于150万次时,由于弹簧材料内部位错、滑移带等微观缺陷还没有形成足以产生显著非线性的积累,该非线性系数增长不明显;当疲劳次数达到150万次至300万次之间的疲劳响应期时,非线性系数增加明显,表明弹簧材料的内部损伤快速增加;当疲劳次数超过300万次时,弹簧材料的内部损伤积累速度减缓,非线性系数增加放缓。该研究表明列车外圆弹簧的疲劳损伤程度与其声学非线性系数直接相关,利用该方法可以为材料和结构早期力学性能退化的检测和评价提供一种有效的途径。      

非线性电磁超声对铝合金拉伸变形评价研究

非线性系数是描述材料中微纳尺度损伤的特征参量,非线性系数常通过接触式压电超声进行检测,但耦合剂引起的非线性一般是未知的,针对这一问题,提出了一种非接触式电磁超声非线性纵波检测方法。该方法基于洛伦兹力机理在试件表面产生的振动弹性波,利用不同拉伸载荷下所制备的损伤试件,分别利用压电超声、电磁超声进行非线性超声系数测量。实验结果表明:利用两种非线性超声检测的相对非线性系数与铝合金的拉伸形变呈单调关系,同时也论证了电磁超声纵波基于非线性理论对塑性变形评估的可行性。      

Quantitative assessment of fatigue damage accumulation in wavy slip metals from acoustic harmonic generation

A comprehensive, analytical treatment is presented of the microelastic–plastic nonlinearities resulting from the interaction of a stress perturbation with dislocation substructures and cracks that evolve during cyclic fatigue of wavy slip metals. The interaction is quantified by a material nonlinearity parameter β extracted from acoustic harmonic generation measurements. The contribution to β from the substructures is obtained from the Cantrell model. The contribution to β from cracks is obtained by applying the Paris law to the Nazarov–Sutin crack nonlinearity equation. The nonlinearity parameter resulting from the two contributions is predicted to increase monotonically by hundreds of percent during fatigue from the virgin state to fracture. The increase in β during the first 80–90% fatigue life is dominated by the evolution of dislocation substructures, while the last 10–20% is dominated by crack growth. Application of the model to aluminium alloy 2024-T4 in stress-controlled loading at 276?MPa yields excellent agreement between theory and experiment.     

Acoustic nonlinearity parameter tomography for biological tissues via parametric array from a circular piston source--theoretical analysis and computer simulations

The acoustic nonlinearity parameter B/A describes the nonlinear features of a medium and may become a novel parameter for ultrasonic tissue characterization. This paper presents a theoretical analysis for acoustic nonlinear parameter tomography via a parametric array. As two primary waves of different frequencies are radiated simultaneously from a circular piston source, a secondary wave at the difference frequency is generated due to the nonlinear interaction of the primary waves. The axial and radial distributions of sound pressure amplitude for the generated difference frequency wave in the near field are calculated by a superposition of Gaussian beams. The calculated results indicated that the difference frequency component of the parametric array grows linearly with distance from the piston source. It therefore provides a better source to do the acoustic nonlinearity parameter tomography because the fundamental and second harmonic signals both have a near field that goes through many oscillations due to diffraction. By using a finite-amplitude insert substitution method and a filtered convolution algorithm, a computer simulation for B/A tomography from the calculated sound pressure of the difference frequency wave is studied. For biological tissues, the sound attenuation is considered and compensated in the image reconstruction. Nonlinear parameter computed tomography (CT) images for several biological sample models are obtained with quite good quality in this study.     

Reflection of compressional and Rayleigh waves on the edges of an elastic plate with quadratic nonlinearity

Previous ultrasonic studies have demonstrated that measurements of material nonlinearities can provide a means for detecting early signs of fatigue damage using both compressional (P) and Rayleigh (R) surface waves. However, these experimental studies have typically been limited to the direct wave arrival between the source and receiver in simple geometries where no reflection occurs. In particular, the degree of material nonlinearity is often quantified by the ratio of the cumulative amplitude of the first harmonic to that of the fundamental for the direct arrival only. Hence a practical question arises over the interpretation of ultrasonic measurements of material nonlinearities in the presence of reflected nonlinear waves. Thus, this article investigates the reflection problem of P or R waves at the edge of a homogeneous plate with quadratic nonlinearity using both a theoretical formulation, based on perturbation analysis, and direct numerical simulations using a Cellular Automata formulation. The numerical approach is first validated against an existing theoretical formulation for reflecting nonlinear P waves. It is then used to simulate the nonlinear reflection of R waves at a plate's edge for which no closed-form formulation is presently available.     

High-frequency guided ultrasonic waves for hidden defect detection in multi-layered aircraft structures

Aerospace structures often contain multi-layered metallic components where hidden defects such as fatigue cracks and localized disbonds can develop, necessitating non-destructive testing. Employing standard wedge transducers, high frequency guided ultrasonic waves that penetrate through the complete thickness were generated in a model structure consisting of two adhesively bonded aluminium plates. Interference occurs between the wave modes during propagation along the structure, resulting in a frequency dependent variation of the energy through the thickness with distance. The wave propagation along the specimen was measured experimentally using a laser interferometer. Good agreement with theoretical predictions and two-dimensional finite element simulations was found. Significant propagation distance with a strong, non-dispersive main wave pulse was achieved. The interaction of the high frequency guided ultrasonic waves with small notches in the aluminium layer facing the sealant and on the bottom surface of the multilayer structure was investigated. Standard pulse-echo measurements were conducted to verify the detection sensitivity and the influence of the stand-off distance predicted from the finite element simulations. The results demonstrated the potential of high frequency guided waves for hidden defect detection at critical and difficult to access locations in aerospace structures from a stand-off distance.     

多通道超声兰姆波检测板状结构中的裂纹

超声兰姆(Lamb)波在结构缺陷检测方面愈来愈受到重视,但目前Lamb波的应用局限于单信号源激励,单通道接收的方法,容易受到噪声干扰,其后续的信号分析处理也比较复杂。本文旨在采用多通道Lamb波对板状结构中的裂纹进行定量分析与诊断。在铝板的表面凿刻出不同深度的凹槽作为裂纹,通过线阵换能器采集在一定传播距离内的多通道Lamb波信号,并采用二维傅里叶变换分析在不同深度的裂纹下,Lamb波模式能量的变化规律。结果表明,相对于完好铝板中的Lamb波信号,裂纹的存在会使Lamb波发生模式转换现象,并且转换模式能量百分比随裂纹深度的增加而线性增加。其结果为Lamb波评价板状结构中的裂纹状况提供了一种可能的方法。     

Review on second-harmonic generation of ultrasonic guided waves in solid media (I):Theoretical analyses

Considering the high sensitivity of the nonlinear ultrasonic measurement technique and great advantages of the guided wave testing method, the use of nonlinear ultrasonic guided waves provides a promising means for evaluating and characterizing the hidden and/or inaccessible damage/degradation in solid media. Increasing attention on the development of the testing method based on nonlinear ultrasonic guided waves is largely attributed to the theoretical advances of nonlinear guided waves propagation in solid media. One of the typical acoustic nonlinear responses is the generation of second harmonics that can be used to effectively evaluate damage/degradation in materials/structures. In this paper, the theoretical progress of second-harmonic generation (SHG) of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in solid media is reviewed. The advances and developments of theoretical investigations on the effect of SHG of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in different structures are addressed. Some obscure understandings and the ideas in dispute are also discussed.     

Baseline-free estimation of residual fatigue life using a third order acoustic nonlinear parameter

Prediction of crack growth and fatigue life estimation of metals using linear/nonlinear acousto-ultrasound methods is an ongoing issue. It is known that by measuring nonlinear parameters, the relative accumulated fatigue damage can be evaluated. However, there is still a need to measure two crack propagation states to assess the absolute residual fatigue life. A procedure based on the measurement of a third-order acoustic nonlinear parameter is presented to assess the residual fatigue life of a metallic component without the need of a baseline. The analytical evaluation of how the cubic nonlinear-parameter evolves during crack propagation is presented by combining the Paris law to the Nazarov-Sutin crack equation. Unlike other developed models, the proposed model assumes a crack surface topology with variable geometrical parameters. Measurements of the cubic nonlinearity parameter on AA2024-T351 specimens demonstrated high sensitivity to crack propagation and excellent agreement with the predicted theoretical behavior. The advantages of using the cubic nonlinearity parameter for fatigue cracks on metals are discussed by comparing the relevant results of a quadratic nonlinear parameter. Then the methodology to estimate crack size and residual fatigue life without the need of a baseline is presented, and advantages and limitations are discussed.     

Nonlinear propagation and control of acoustic waves in phononic superlattices

The propagation of intense acoustic waves in a one-dimensional phononic crystal is studied. The medium consists in a structured fluid, formed by a periodic array of fluid layers with alternating linear acoustic properties and quadratic nonlinearity coefficient. The spacing between layers is of the order of the wavelength, therefore Bragg effects such as band gaps appear. We show that the interplay between strong dispersion and nonlinearity leads to new scenarios of wave propagation. The classical waveform distortion process typical of intense acoustic waves in homogeneous media can be strongly altered when nonlinearly generated harmonics lie inside or close to band gaps. This allows the possibility of engineer a medium in order to get a particular waveform. Examples of this include the design of media with effective (e.g., cubic) nonlinearities, or extremely linear media (where distortion can be canceled). The presented ideas open a way towards the control of acoustic wave propagation in nonlinear regime.     

Nonlinear ultrasonic wave modulation for online fatigue crack detection

This study presents a fatigue crack detection technique using nonlinear ultrasonic wave modulation. Ultrasonic waves at two distinctive driving frequencies are generated and corresponding ultrasonic responses are measured using permanently installed lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducers with a potential for continuous monitoring. Here, the input signal at the lower driving frequency is often referred to as a ‘pumping’ signal, and the higher frequency input is referred to as a ‘probing’ signal. The presence of a system nonlinearity, such as a crack formation, can provide a mechanism for nonlinear wave modulation, and create spectral sidebands around the frequency of the probing signal. A signal processing technique combining linear response subtraction (LRS) and synchronous demodulation (SD) is developed specifically to extract the crack-induced spectral sidebands. The proposed crack detection method is successfully applied to identify actual fatigue cracks grown in metallic plate and complex fitting-lug specimens. Finally, the effect of pumping and probing frequencies on the amplitude of the first spectral sideband is investigated using the first sideband spectrogram (FSS) obtained by sweeping both pumping and probing signals over specified frequency ranges.     

Evaluation of the acoustic nonlinearity parameter of materials with Rayleigh waves excited directly

An experimental technique for the determination of the relative acoustic nonnnearity parameter of materials with Rayleigh waves excited directly is presented. Rayleigh surface waves were directly generated in materials by the specific piezoelectric transducer fixed at the specimen＇s edge, and were measured with a laser interferometer system. After the Rayleigh wave signals were processed with FFT method, the relative acoustic nonlinearity parameter of materials was then determined from the absolute magnitudes of the fundamental and second harmonics of Rayleigh surface waves. This procedure was used to determine the acoustic non- linearity parameters of aluminum alloys 2024 and 6061. It is shown that the results comply well with those available in the literature; this method can thus be used to evaluate the acous- tic nonlinearity parameter of materials effectively. This technique can provide a practical way in the nondestructive characterization of degradation of materials and structures in the early fatigue life.     

Harmonic generation of an obliquely incident ultrasonic wave in solid-solid contact interfaces

The conventional acoustic nonlinear technique to evaluate the contact acoustic nonlinearity (CAN) at solid-solid contact interfaces (e.g., closed cracks), which uses the through-transmission of normally incident bulk waves, is limited in that access to both the inner and outer surfaces of structures for attaching pulsing and receiving transducers is difficult. The angle beam incidence and reflection technique, where both the pulsing and receiving transducers are located on the same side of the target, may allow the above problem to be overcome. However, in the angle incidence technique, mode-conversion at the contact interfaces as well as the normal and tangential interface stiffness should be taken into account. Based on the linear and nonlinear contact stiffness, we propose a theoretical model for the reflection of an ultrasonic wave angularly incident on contact interfaces. In addition, the magnitude of the CAN-induced second harmonic wave in the reflected ultrasonic wave is predicted. Experimental results obtained for the contact interfaces of A16061-T6 alloy specimens at various loading pressures showed good agreement with theoretical predictions. Such agreement proves the validity of the suggested oblique incidence model.     

Controlled self-similar matter waves in PT-symmetric waveguide

We study the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to a waveguide with parity-time symmetric potential in the presence of quadratic-cubic nonlinearity modelled by Gross-Pitaevskii equation with external source. We employ the self-similar technique to obtain matter wave solutions, such as bright, kink-type, rational dark and Lorentzian-type self-similar waves for this model. The dynamical behavior of self-similar matter waves can be controlled through variation of trapping potential, external source and nature of nonlinearities present in the system.     

金属板疲劳损伤非线性兰姆波混频检测

针对金属板结构安全运行需要,开展了金属板结构疲劳损伤非线性兰姆波混频检测方法研究.通过数值仿真,研究了两列A0兰姆波与材料损伤间的非线性相互作用.结果 表明,两列共线A0兰姆波在结构材料损伤处产生单向传播的和频S0波,且和频波幅值随传播距离具有积累增长效应.对不同疲劳程度金属板试件进行了共线混频兰姆波检测实验,结果表明...     

Increase in the efficiency of the shear wave generation in gelatin due to the nonlinear absorption of a focused ultrasonic beam

Experimental results and theoretical estimates are presented to demonstrate the prospects of using the acoustic nonlinearity of a gel-like medium for increasing the efficiency of the shear wave generation in it by a pulsed ultrasonic beam. The experiment is based on the propagation of a focused beam of longitudinal acoustic waves at a frequency of 1.1 MHz in a gelatin sample and on the detection of shear waves by the optical method [1]. It is demonstrated that the amplitude of the shear wave excited by a nonlinear acoustic pulse can be increased by an order of magnitude owing to the formation of shock fronts in the profile of this pulse.     

Laser generation of convergent acoustic waves for materials inspection

A laser technique for generating convergent acoustic waves is described. The optically probed Rayleigh wave in the centre of convergence shows an amplification factor of the order of 20 with respect to a collimated surface wave. Applications to the ultrasonic characterization of layered materials and to crack detection are described.     

循环温度疲劳作用下粘接界面损伤的非线性超声评价

材料损伤以及性能退化与超声波的非线性效应密切相关.为研究循环温度疲劳作用下粘接界面的损伤情况,本文采用超声波透射法,研究了6061型铝合金/改性丙烯酸酯胶粘接界面的声学非线性系数随高温、低温循环次数的变化情况.结果表明,在高温循环疲劳作用的初始阶段,试件的非线性系数变化不明显,但随着高温循环次数的不断增加,非线性系数随循环次数的变化十分明显;对于低温循环疲劳作用的初始阶段,试件的非线性系数迅速增大,随着循环次数的增加,其值增速减缓.在低温循环疲劳寿命的后期,试件的非线性系数随循环次数的增加而继续增大.进一步的讨论结果表明,胶层三阶弹性常数的变化是造成高温循环疲劳时非线性系数变化的主要原因,而对于低温循环疲劳,粘接界面拉伸刚度的变化是引起非线性系数变化的主要原因.