The effect of pipe bend on low-frequency longitudinal mode guided wave propagation

The pipe bend significantly changes the propagation characteristics of guided wave,and makes the interpretation of the received signals difficult.Therefore,better understanding of guided wave propagating in bended pipe is essential for the inspection of pipeline comprising bends.First of all,the different features of dispersion curves derived with the semi-analytical finite element method for guided wave in bended pipes are summarized.Secondly,based on the dispersion curves for guided wave in bended pipes,experiments are performed to investigate the mode conversions of L(0,1) mode guided wave traveling through pipe bends.It is found that,except for the mode conversion from L(0,1) to F(1,1),the L(0,1) reflections of bends are also observed in some cases,which are proven to be the mode converted negative L(0,1)mode guided wave,and the negative L(0,1) mode guided wave becomes more obvious with the decrease of excitation frequency and bending radius.The findings of this paper will provide some insight for guided wave behavior in bended pipe,and generalize the application of guided wave inspection in practical pipelines.     

Ultrasonic guided wave parameters for detection of axial cracks in feeder pipes of PHWR nuclear power plants

The dispersion curves for the feeder pipes in PHWR nuclear power plants were determined. The wave modes used for the detection of notches in the feeder pipe were confirmed as F(m,2) and/or L(0,1) by an analysis of short time Fourier transformation (STFT). The axial notches in the straight pipe were not detectable, but an axial notch in a bent pipe was detected with the mode at the frequency of 500 kHz. Initial F(m,2) and/or L(0,1) modes contains a circumferential displacement and might be converted to certain complicated modes in the bent region, which is sensitive to the axial notch. The circumferential guided wave technique was also applied for quantitative evaluation of the axial notches. The waves generated by a rocking motion of the transducer along the circumferential direction were estimated as the circumferential guided waves after a review of the acquired data and the dispersion curves.     

Circumferential and longitudinal defect detection using T(0,1) mode excited by thickness shear mode piezoelectric elements

Different kinds of defects, such as corrosions, notches and cracks etc, exist in pipes. Mode choice is important since unfortunately not all ultrasonic guided wave modes are suitable for these kinds of defect detection. T(0,1) mode which is non-dispersive is the lowest and fastest torsional mode and most suitable for defect detection in pipes. Two completely different artificial defects including longitudinal and circumferential defects are processed successively in a 4-m-long, 60-mm-OD, 3.5-mm-wall steel pipe. T(0,1) mode at 45 kHz is excited to detect these defects using thickness shear mode piezoelectric elements. Experimental results show that two kinds of defects are detectable using T(0,1) mode. Comparing with longitudinal modes, torsional modes are dominant in pipe inspection for their sensitivities to different kinds of defects.     

Interaction of low-frequency axisymmetric ultrasonic guided waves with bends in pipes of arbitrary bend angle and general bend radius

The use of ultrasonic guided waves for the inspection of pipes with elbow and U-type bends has received much attention in recent years, but studies for more general bend angles which may also occur commonly, for example in cross-country pipes, are limited. Here, we address this topic considering a general bend angle φ, a more general mean bend radius R in terms of the wavelength of the mode studied and pipe thickness b. We use 3D Finite Element (FE) simulation to understand the propagation of fundamental axisymmetric L(0, 2) mode across bends of different angles φ. The effect of the ratio of the mean bend radius to the wavelength of the mode studied, on the transmission and reflection of incident wave is also considered. The studies show that as the bend angle is reduced, a progressively larger extent of mode-conversion affects the transmission and velocity characteristics of the L(0, 2) mode. However the overall message on the potential of guided waves for inspection and monitoring of bent pipes remains positive, as bends seem to impact mode transmission only to the extent of 20% even at low bend angles. The conclusions seem to be valid for different typical pipe thicknesses b and bend radii. The modeling approach is validated by experiments and discussed in light of physics of guided waves.     

Propagation of ultrasonic guided waves in lap-shear adhesive joints: case of incident a0 Lamb wave

This paper deals with the propagation of ultrasonic guided waves in adhesively bonded lap-shear joints. The topic is relevant to bond inspection by ultrasonic testing. Specifically, the propagation of the lowest-order, antisymmetric a0 mode through the joint is examined. An important aspect is the mode conversion at the boundaries between the single-plate adherents and the multilayer overlap. The a0 strength of transmission is studied for three different bond states in aluminum joints, namely a fully cured adhesive bond, a poorly cured adhesive bond, and a slip bond. Theoretical predictions indicate that the dispersive behavior of the guided waves in the multilayer overlap is highly dependent on bond state. Experimental tests are conducted in lap-shear joints by a hybrid, broadband laser/air-coupled ultrasonic setup in a through-transmission configuration. The Gabor wavelet transform is employed to extract energy transmission coefficients in the 100 kHz 1.4 MHz range for the three different bond states examined. The cross-sectional mode shapes of the guided waves are shown to have a substantial role in the energy transfer through the joint.     

管道弯头对低频纵向导波传播特性影响分析

管道弯头显著改变了导波传播特性,影响了对检测信号的解读,研究弯头对导波传播特性的影响是实现复杂管道系统导波检测的基础。采用半解析有限元法计算弯管导波频散曲线,分析了弯管导波频散曲线所呈现的不同特征,并基于弯管导波频散曲线,以低频L(0,1)模态导波为研究对象,实验研究了低频L(0,1)模态导波通过管道弯头时的模态变换特征。研究结果发现,当L(0,1)模态导波通过管道弯头时,不仅会发生L(0,1)到F(1,1)的模态变换,还会模态变换出反向L(0,1)模态导波,即弯头反射现象,且随着激励频率的降低和弯头弯曲半径的减小,弯头反射现象愈发明显。研究结果将深化对弯管导波传播特性的认识,推动导波检测技术在复杂管道系统检测中的应用。      

Natural beam focusing of non-axisymmetric guided waves in large-diameter pipes

The propagation of non-axisymmetric guided waves in larger diameter pipes is studied in this paper by treating the guided waves as corresponding Lamb waves in an unwrapped plate. This approximation leads to a simpler method for calculating the phase velocities of hollow cylinder guided waves, which reveals a beam focusing nature of non-axisymmetric guided waves generated by a partial source loading. The acoustic fields in a pipe generated by a partial-loading source includes axisymmetric longitudinal modes as well as non-axisymmetric flexural modes. The circumferential distribution of the total acoustic field, also referred as an angular profile, diverges circumferentially while guided waves propagate with dependence on such factors as mode, frequency, cylinder size, propagation distance, etc. Exact prediction of the angular profile of the total field can only be realized by numerical calculations. In particular cases, however, when the wall thickness is far less than the cylinder diameter and the wavelength is smaller than or comparable to the pipe wall thickness, the acoustic field can be analyzed based on the characteristics of Lamb waves that travel along a periodic unwrapped plate. Based on this assumption, a simplified model is derived to calculate the phase velocities of non-axisymmetric flexural mode guided waves. The model is then applied to discussions on some particular characteristics of guided-wave angular profiles generated by a source loading. Some features of flexural modes, such as cutoff frequency values are predicted with the simpler model. The relationship between the angular profiles and other factors such as frequency, propagation distance, and cylinder size is obtained and presented in simple equations. The angular profile rate of change with respect to propagation distance is investigated. In particular, our simplified model for non-axisymmetric guided waves predicts that the wave beam will converge to its original circumferential shape after the wave propagates for a certain distance. A concept of "natural focal point" is introduced and a simple equation is derived to compute the 1st natural focal distance of non-axisymmetric guided waves. The applicable range of the simplified equation is provided. Industrial pipes meet the requirement of wall thickness being far less than the pipe diameter. The approximate analytical algorithms presented in this paper provides a convenient method enabling quick acoustic field analysis on large-diameter industrial pipes for NDE applications.     

Analysis of flexural mode focusing by a semianalytical finite element method

Focusing is one of the most promising techniques for the detection of small defects in pipe works, in which guided waves including longitudinal and flexural modes are tuned so that ultrasonic energy can be focused at a target point in a pipe, and analysis of reflected waves gives information on defects such as location and size. In this paper, the focusing technique is discussed by way of a simulation of guided wave propagation in pipe by a semianalytical finite element method (SAFE). Experiments and SAFE calculations were compared for waveforms transmitted by a single transducer and received at different circumferential positions initially, and then the focusing phenomena were experimentally observed using focusing parameters obtained by calculations. Calculation and visualization were conducted to clarify focusing phenomena in pipe in investigating the potential of the focusing technique. These results show that the time-reversal idea helps in understanding focusing and that resolution of focusing is strongly affected by incident waveforms as well as the number of channels available in an experiment.     

液态金属快堆主管道中超声导波传播特性研究

讨论了钠冷快堆(Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor,SFR)主管道的整体温度和内部液态金属钠流动速度的变化对管道导波传播特性的影响。推导了充液管道中导波频散方程的一般形式,并给出了管道内液态金属钠处于流动状态下的导波频散方程。采用数值计算方法获得了管内液态金属钠处于不同温度和不同流速时的导波纵向模式频散曲线和导波时域波形。结果表明,温度变化对基阶纵向模式的影响较小,但对高阶纵向模式的影响较大;液态钠流速增大会使导波频散曲线向高频轻微移动,但在实际检测中可以忽路管内液体流动速度的影响。通过对时域接收波形的模拟计算,进一步考察了液态金属钠的温度及流动速度变化对导波传播的影响,并通过对比不同模态的激发特点和不同频段的导波时域波形特点,结合导波频散曲线,给出了适用于SFR管道超声无损检测的导波模态和声源激发频段选择方案。      

Guided circumferential waves in orthotropic cylindrical curved plate and the mode conversion by the end-reflection

In ultrasonic nondestructive inspection of large-diameter pipes and curved plate, longitudinal cracks are detected more efficiently by using guided circumferential waves. In the present, the study of guided circumferential waves and their application in detecting longitudinal defect were relative adequate when pipe material is isotropic. Based on linear three-dimensional elasticity, an orthogonal polynomial series expansions approach is used for determining the guided circumferential waves dispersion curves in homogeneous infinitely long orthotropic hollow cylinders. Results are compared with those published earlier and with the finite element simulation to check up the accuracy and range of applicability of this polynomial approach. Through the analysis of the displacements distributions and finite element simulation, the mode conversion of guided circumferential waves by end-reflection in cylindrical curved plate is discovered.     

Diagnosis of osteoporosis based on multi-scale wavelet parameters of ultrasonic guided waves

Evaluating bone regularly is important to prevent and control the disease of osteoporosis. Impact of osteoporosis on ultrasonic guided waves propagating in human long bones is studied in this paper. Multi-scale wavelet transform is proposed to process the received guided waves, and by analyzing energy changes in detail components of high order wavelet at different propagating distance to assess if osteoporosis happened. The guided waves signals are collected from the tibias of 13 volunteers. Based on the analysis of multi-scale wavelet transform, the high order detail components d6 and d5 changed dramatically with the propagation of ultrasonic guided waves along long bones, which means these 7 volunteers are diagnosed with osteoporosis. Compared with X-ray diagnosis, the effectiveness of this method can reach 92.3% in 13 volunteers. This suggests the multi-scale wavelet transform method is potential in ultrasonic assessment of bone quality.     

采用超声导波特征参量的骨质疏松识别方法

骨质的定期检测对骨质疏松的防治至关重要。本文研究了骨质疏松对超声导波在人体长骨中传播的影响。提出采用多尺度小波变换方法对接收到的导波信号进行处理,通过分析在不同传播距离下高阶小波细节分量所占信号总能量的变化,来判断是否患有骨质疏松症。在13位志愿者的小腿胫骨上进行超声测量,得到导波信号。经多尺度小波变换方法的分析处理结果显示在13位志愿者中,有7位志愿者的超声导波信号随着传播距离的改变,其主要频率成分发生了明显的变化,显示这7位志愿者患有骨质疏松症。这一诊断结果与X射线技术诊断结果相比,准确率可以达到92.3%,表明本文所提出的利用小波多尺度变换方法对长骨进行超声诊断具有较好的潜力。      

Three-dimensional hybrid model for predicting air-coupled generation of guided waves in composite material plates

For contact-less, non-destructive testing (NDT) purposes using air-coupled ultrasonic transducers, it is often required to numerically simulate the propagation of ultrasonic waves in solid media, and their coupling through air with specific transducers. At that point, one could simulate the propagation in the air and then in the solid component, using a Finite Element (FE) model. However, when three-dimensional (3D) modeling becomes necessary, such a solution reveals to be extremely demanding in terms of number of degrees of freedom and computational time. In this paper, to avoid such difficulties, the propagation in air from an ultrasonic transmitter to a tested solid plate is modeled in 3D using a closed-form solution. The knowledge of the transducer characteristics (diameter, frequency bandwidth, efficiency in Pa/V) allows the spatial distribution and actual pressure (in Pa) of the acoustic field produced in the air to be predicted, for a given input voltage. This pressure field is applied in turn as a boundary condition in a 3D FE model, to predict the plate response (displacement and stress guided beams) for a given distance between the transmitter and the plate, and for a given angle of orientation of the transmitter with respect to the plate. The FE model is so restricted to modeling of the solid structure only, thus reducing very significantly the number of degrees of freedom and computational time. The material constituting the plate is considered to be an anisotropic and viscoelastic medium. To validate the whole modeling process, an air-coupled ultrasonic transducer is used and oriented at a specific angle chosen for generating one specific Lamb mode guided along a composite plate sample, and a laser probe measures the normal velocity at different locations on the surface of the plate. In the field of NDT, it is generally suitable to excite a pure Lamb mode in order to ease the interpretation of received signals that would represent waves scattered by defects. After a validation step, the numerical model is then used to investigate the effect of the material anisotropy on the purity of the incident guided mode.     

Hidden corrosion detection in aircraft aluminum structures using laser ultrasonics and wavelet transform signal analysis

Preliminary results of hidden corrosion detection in aircraft aluminum structures using a noncontact laser based ultrasonic technique are presented. A short laser pulse focused to a line spot is used as a broadband source of ultrasonic guided waves in an aluminum 2024 sample cut from an aircraft structure and prepared with artificially corroded circular areas on its back surface. The out of plane surface displacements produced by the propagating ultrasonic waves were detected with a heterodyne Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Time-frequency analysis of the signals using a continuous wavelet transform allowed the identification of the generated Lamb modes by comparison with the calculated dispersion curves. The presence of back surface corrosion was detected by noting the loss of the S(1) mode near its cutoff frequency. This method is applicable to fast scanning inspection techniques and it is particularly suited for early corrosion detection.     

The use of ultrasonic guided waves and wavelets analysis in pipe inspection

One of the main applications of guided waves is for pipe inspection, since its one-dimensional geometry allows inspecting long distances in a short time. As with most configurations (frequency, thickness) ultrasonic waves with many modes of propagation are generated, recent research focuses mostly on the generation and reception of specific modes, mainly by means of sophisticated arrays of transducers. In this paper this problem is addressed with a different approach, by processing ultrasonic signals with a low signal/noise ratio acquired with a single transducer in an pulse–echo configuration. In order to improve the evaluation of results, frequency bandpass filters and wavelet analysis were tested. Results showed that even when very noisy signals are utilized, signal processing improve the signal/noise (S/N) ratio up to 12 dB approximately and enhance the analysis of the results, thus demonstrating its usefulness.     

Guided wave propagation in single and double layer hollow cylinders embedded in infinite media

Millions of miles of pipes are being used for the transportation, distribution, and local use of petroleum products, gas, water, and chemicals. Most of the pipes are buried in soil, leading to the significance of the study on the subject of guided wave propagation in pipes with soil influence. Previous investigations of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in an elastic hollow cylinder and in an elastic hollow cylinder coated with a viscoelastic material have led to the development of inspection techniques for bare and coated pipes. However, the lack of investigation on guided wave propagation in hollow cylinders embedded in infinite media like soil has hindered the development of pipe inspection methods. Therefore the influence of infinite media on wave propagation is explored in this paper. Dispersion curves and wave structures of both axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric wave modes are developed. Due to the importance of the convergence of numerical calculations, the requirements of thickness and element number of the finite soil layer between hollow cylinder and infinite element layer are discussed, and an optimal combination is obtained in this paper. Wave structures are used for the mode identification in the non-monotonic region caused by the viscoelastic properties of coating and infinite media.     

Flaw location errors in extruded stainless steel piping

Refracted shear waves in extruded stainless steel pipes were found to change their velocity and direction (beam skewing) as they propagated through the pipe thickness. These variations in refracted angles and velocities result in flaw location errors during ultrasonic examination. Two techniques, one using refracted shear waves in pitch-catch mode and the other refracted longitudinal waves in pulse-echo mode, are discussed as to their feasibility in determining the flaw location accurately in these pipes. The result of the work was that a two-scan approach using refracted shear waves in pulse-echo for flaw detection and refracted longitudinal waves in pulse-echo for flaw location was recommended.     

Phased array focusing with guided waves in a viscoelastic coated hollow cylinder

Guided wave phased array focusing has shown many advantages in long-range pipeline inspection, such as, longer inspection distance, greater wave penetration power and higher detection resolution. Viscoelastic coatings applied to a large percentage of pipes for protection purposes created some challenges in terms of focusing feasibility and inspection ability. Previous studies were all based on bare pipe models. In this work, guided wave phased array focusing in viscoelastic coated pipes is studied for the first time. Work was carried out with both numerical and experimental methods. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed for quantitatively and systematically modeling guided waves in pipes with different viscoelastic materials. A method of transforming measured coating properties to finite element method inputs was created in order to create a physically based model of guided waves in coated pipes. Guided wave focusing possibilities in viscoelastic coated pipes and the effects from coatings were comprehensively studied afterwards. A comparison of focusing and nonfocusing inspections was also studied quantitatively in coated pipe showing that focusing increased the wave energy and consequently the inspection ability tremendously. This study provides an important base line and guidance for guided wave propagation and focusing in a real field pipeline under various coating and environmental conditions.     

Simulation of guided waves in complex piping geometries using the elastodynamic finite integration technique

Although many technologies exist for inspecting piping systems, they are most successful on straight pipes and are often unable to accommodate the added complexities of pipe elbows, bends, twists, and branches, particularly if the region of interest is inaccessible. This paper presents a numerical technique based on the elastodynamic finite integration technique for simulating guided elastic wave propagation in piping systems. Comparisons show agreement between experimental and simulated data, and guided wave interaction with flaws, focusing, and propagation in pipe bends are presented. These examples demonstrate the ability of the simulation method to be used to study elastic wave propagation in piping systems which include three-dimensional pipe bends, and suggest its potential as a design tool for designing pipe inspection hardware and ultrasonic signal processing algorithms.     

Three dimensional evaluation of aluminum plates with wall-thinning by full-field pulse-echo laser ultrasound

We propose a full-field pulse-echo laser ultrasonic wave propagation imager (FF-PE-UPI) for the evaluation of structural defects. The FF-PE-UPI consists of a Q-switched laser for the generation of thermoelastic waves, a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) for sensing, and a two-axis translation stage for raster scanning of the combined generation and sensing laser beams. A-scan, B-scan, and C-scan data representations are used for the evaluation of structural defects. Three specimens were tested: a 4-mm aluminum plate with an area of 50% thickness reduction, a 6-mm aluminum plate with an area of 25% thickness reduction, and an 8-mm aluminum plate with engraved letters. The damages on the tested specimens were successfully visualized.