High order shear horizontal modes for minimum remnant thickness

Thickness mapping in aging structures suffering from corrosion is challenging especially when the structure is only partially accessible. In plates the high order shear horizontal guided wave modes all have a cutoff frequency thickness product below which they cannot propagate. This property is potentially attractive to estimate the minimum remnant thickness between two transducers. When using a source and a sensor array it is possible to control the number of modes being excited and the size of the region interrogated by the technique. Finite element simulations were used to show that by exciting multiple guided wave modes simultaneously and identifying which modes are received by a sensor array it is possible to estimate the minimum remaining thickness along the propagation path. Initial experimental results showed excellent agreement with the finite element simulations when the plate is uniform and with a thickness reduction between the source and the sensor arrays the minimum remnant thickness was underestimated by approximately 20%.     

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.     

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.     

Three-dimensional finite element modeling of guided ultrasound wave propagation in intact and healing long bones

The use of guided waves has recently drawn significant interest in the ultrasonic characterization of bone aiming at supplementing the information provided by traditional velocity measurements. This work presents a three-dimensional finite element study of guided wave propagation in intact and healing bones. A model of the fracture callus was constructed and the healing course was simulated as a three-stage process. The dispersion of guided modes generated by a broadband 1-MHz excitation was represented in the time-frequency domain. Wave propagation in the intact bone model was first investigated and comparisons were then made with a simplified geometry using analytical dispersion curves of the tube modes. Then, the effect of callus consolidation on the propagation characteristics was examined. It was shown that the dispersion of guided waves was significantly influenced by the irregularity and anisotropy of the bone. Also, guided waves were sensitive to material and geometrical changes that take place during healing. Conversely, when the first-arriving signal at the receiver corresponded to a nondispersive lateral wave, its propagation velocity was almost unaffected by the elastic symmetry and geometry of the bone and also could not characterize the callus tissue throughout its thickness. In conclusion, guided waves can enhance the capabilities of ultrasonic evaluation.     

The reflection of guided waves from simple supports in pipes

Successful ultrasonic guided wave detection of flaws at support locations relies on the ability to distinguish between the reflection produced by a simple support on an undamaged pipe and the reflection produced by pipe flaws. Consequently, it is essential to know how the reflections produced by simple supports behave; very little work has so far been reported on this subject. Through finite element simulations and experiments, this study develops a systematic understanding of how ultrasonic guided waves propagating along a pipe, in particular the T(0, 1) mode, interact with simple supports. It is shown that, unlike the T(0, 1) mode in a free pipe, the torsional mode in a supported region has a cut-off frequency, below which it will not propagate; below this frequency the T(0, 1) reflection coefficient is large, and it quickly reduces beyond the cut-off.     

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。      

谱有限元数值分析各向异性复合板中导波色散特性

提出谱有限元方法研究层状各向异性复合板中导波的色散特性和波结构。基于三维弹性动力学方程,用有限元方法离散波导截面,波传播方向的位移用简谐波表示,得到了导波色散的特征方程。分析了单层和双层复合板中导波沿不同方向传播的色散特性和波结构,讨论了双层复合板中层厚比对相速度的影响。数值研究结果表明:导波的对称模态沿纤维方向传播时在较宽的频率范围内保持弱色散状态。双层复合板中导波基本模态的相速度在低频时受层厚比的影响较明显,随着频率的增加趋向于相速度较低的材料。数值模拟结果为导波用于复合材料定量无损检测和性能评价提供理论依据。      

轨道板中超声兰姆波传播的有限元计算和实验*

该文针对我国高速铁路轨道板缺陷的非接触动态检测问题,研究了空气耦合超声兰姆波在轨道板中的传播规律。首先,给出了轨道板中超声兰姆波的相速度和群速度频散曲线,结果表明:随着频厚积的增加,频散现象越明显,并且A0相速度收敛于Rayleigh波的波速。然后,建立轨道板中波传播的有限元模型,计算得到兰姆波传播的群速度为2220 m/s,且二维傅里叶变换系数的较大值沿Rayleigh波的频散曲线分布。最后,在沪杭高铁嘉兴南站进行了现场测试,以8.8°倾斜角向轨道板激励产生超声兰姆波,激发产生的兰姆波模态群速度为2325 m/s,且二维傅里叶变换分析其系数的较大值沿Rayleigh波的频散曲线分布。有限元计算结果和实验结果均与理论计算结果一致。该研究为后续轨道板缺陷的非接触动态检测提供了理论依据和实验方法。     

Ultrasonic high frequency lamb waves for evaluation of plate structures

The potentials of high frequency Lamb wave modes are investigated in the inspection of plate-like structures. The wave propagation characteristics of higher order wave modes and the corresponding sensitivity and detectability are studied. Finite element simulations are carried out using infinite elements to model the ultrasonic wedge transducer and the inspection system. Experimental pulse–echo measurements are conducted to verify the influence of different modes characteristics predicted from the finite element simulations. The experimental measurements show a good agreement with the obtained numerical results for the fundamental modes, S₀ and A₀, and the higher order modes, S₁ and A₁, at 4 MHz mm of frequency–thickness.     

特殊几何构件超声衍射时差法技术有限元模拟

衍射时差法(Time of flight diffraction,TOFD)技术是一种能够探测和精确测量缺陷尺寸的新型超声无损检测方法,针对该检测方法具有缺陷检出率高、缺陷定位定量精度高等优点。本文采用商业有限元软件ABAQUS,对汽包筒体与球形封头不等厚对接和超高压水晶釜两种特殊几何构件进行了超声TOFD技术的二维数值模拟研究,分析了超声波在这两种构件中的传播特性和规律。经分析从构件表面不同位置接收到的波型,当构件中存在损伤时,通过接收损伤所引起的衍射波,可判断构件中是否存在缺陷。模拟结果表明能够将超声TOFD技术应用于这两种特殊结构的压力容器构件,可扩大超声TOFD技术的应用范围。     

Guided waves in anisotropic and quasi-isotropic aerospace composites: Three-dimensional simulation and experiment

Three-dimensional (3D) elastic wave simulations can be used to investigate and optimize nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and structural health monitoring (SHM) ultrasonic damage detection techniques for aerospace materials. 3D anisotropic elastodynamic finite integration technique (EFIT) has been implemented for ultrasonic waves in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminates. This paper describes 3D EFIT simulations of guided wave propagation in undamaged and damaged anisotropic and quasi-isotropic composite plates. Comparisons are made between simulations of guided waves in undamaged anisotropic composite plates and both experimental laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) wavefield data and dispersion curves. Time domain and wavenumber domain comparisons are described. Wave interaction with complex geometry delamination damage is then simulated to investigate how simulation tools incorporating realistic damage geometries can aid in the understanding of wave interaction with CFRP damage. In order to move beyond simplistic assumptions of damage geometry, volumetric delamination data acquired via X-ray microfocus computed tomography is directly incorporated into the simulation. Simulated guided wave interaction with the complex geometry delamination is compared to experimental LDV time domain data and 3D wave interaction with the volumetric damage is discussed.     

Wave propagation along transversely periodic structures

The dispersion curves for guided waves have been of constant interest in the last decades, because they constitute the starting point for NDE ultrasonic applications. This paper presents an evolution of the semianalytical finite element method, and gives examples that illustrate new improvements and their importance for studying the propagation of waves along periodic structures of infinite width. Periodic boundary conditions are in fact used to model the infinite periodicity of the geometry in the direction normal to the direction of propagation. This method allows a complete investigation of the dispersion curves and of displacement/stress fields for guided modes in anisotropic and absorbing periodic structures. Among other examples, that of a grooved aluminum plate is theoretically and experimentally investigated, indicating the presence of specific and original guided modes.     

Guided waves in a plate with linearly varying thickness: experimental and numerical results

The aim of this work is to give experimental and numerical results on the behaviour of guided waves that propagate downslope in a free elastic plate with slowly linearly varying thickness. We show experimentally the propagation of adiabatic modes, which are guided waves that adapt to the varying thickness of the plate. As the thickness is decreasing, a given guided wave will reach its thickness cut-off. When this happens, we show that two phenomena occur: the reflection of this wave and its propagation backward in the plate, its conversion into a different guided wave which goes on propagating downslope in the plate. The numerical study is done with the software Ansys, based on the finite element method. The results obtained confirm the experimental ones.     

钢-混凝土结构弱粘接界面缺陷的超声导波检测*

钢-混凝土结构是土木工程中的一种常用结构形式,钢与混凝土粘接处可能出现弱粘接甚至完全脱粘的缺陷,严重影响结构的安全性。该文提出利用空气耦合超声导波衰减的方法实现钢-混凝土结构粘接状态的非接触无损检测方法,分析不同厚度粘接界面对超声导波衰减的影响。基于全局矩阵技术对钢-混凝土结构求解理论频散方程和衰减曲线,得到界面层不同粘接条件下的理论参数及衰减特性。建立不同粘接条件的有限元模型,定量分析不同模态对粘接缺陷的检测敏感度。研究界面层厚度分别为1 mm和2 mm两种情况下S0能量的衰减情况。研究结果表明:S0模态可有效判断粘接结构的粘接状态,对于同一界面层厚度,随着界面粘接条件变弱,S0最大幅值与A0最大幅值比不断增大;不同厚度同一粘接条件下,2 mm相较于1 mm该值更大。该方法在钢-混凝土结构粘接界面缺陷的检测方面具有良好的应用价值和发展前景。     

Estimation of wall thinning in mild steel using laser ultrasound Lamb waves and a non-steady-state photo-emf detector

In this work, a non-steady-state photo-emf receiver has been used to detect the lower frequency fundamental a0 Lamb waves in mild steel. Experimentally, the Lamb waves are laser-generated in the thermoelastic regime using a Q-switched, 20 ns, pulsed Nd:YAG laser and a line source. Typical Lamb waves had centre frequencies of 250 kHz but with frequency components that extended beyond 1 MHz. In mild steel, higher order Lamb wave modes were not considered to be significant below a frequency thickness product of 1.6 MHz mm. Below this level, associated velocity dispersion curve offered phase velocity changes that were sensitive to thickness change. Samples up to 5 mm in thickness were examined without significant interference from higher order modes. A non-steady-state photo-emf detector used as the ultrasonic detector had the advantage of a lower frequency cut-off at 100 kHz compared to a confocal Fabry-Pérot interferometer (CFPI) of about 2 MHz. Both schemes offered greater stand-off distance (>20 cm) than is possible with EMATs, which have a stand-off distance less than 1.0 mm. Progress made in detecting wall thinning in steel plate with thickness up to 5 mm is reported.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Comment on "Three-dimensional finite element modeling of guided ultrasound wave propagation in intact and healing long bones," [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 121(6), 3907-3921 (2007)

Protopappas et al. performed finite element (FE) studies on the propagation of guided ultrasound waves in intact and healing long bones, and found that the dispersion of guided modes was significantly influenced by the irregularity and anisotropy of the bone. A time-frequency (t-f) method was applied to the obtained signals and several wave modes were identified. However, this technique was unable to quantify their observations and provide monitoring capabilities. One possible reason of this shortcoming may come from the inherent disadvantage of the t-f method. The objective of this comment is to demonstrate that it is necessary to combine other techniques with FE simulations for the extraction of significant quantitative ultrasonic features. Individual guided modes in an isotropic pipe have been theoretically examined using the normal mode expansion (NME) method, and many modes that are missed by the t-f analysis have been identified. It is concluded that in order to extract quantitative ultrasonic features, FE simulations should be supplemented by other techniques such as the NME.     

Laser ultrasonic propagation imaging method in the frequency domain based on wavelet transformation

A wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging method capable of ultrasonic propagation imaging in the frequency domain was developed and applied as a new structural damage or flaw visualization algorithm. Since the wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging method has strong frequency selectivity, it can visualize the propagation of ultrasonic waves of a specific frequency (for example, to isolate ultrasonic mode of interest and a damage-related ultrasonic wave). The strong frequency selectivity of the wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging method was demonstrated, isolating only the zeroth-order asymmetrical mode of the fundamental Lamb wave modes in an anisotropic carbon fiber-reinforced plastic plate with a thickness of 5 mm. The wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging method can also convert a complex time domain multiple wavefield into a simple frequency domain single wavefield. This feature enables easy interpretation of the results, and facilitates the precise evaluation of the location and size of structural damage or flaws. We demonstrated this capability by detecting a disbond in a sandwich structure made of Al-alloy skins and a foam core. A disbond with a diameter of 20 mm, which is representative of a common manufacturing flaw, was successfully detected, localized, and evaluated. Since a method to determine the allowable maximum pulse repetition frequency depending on target materials and structures was found by investigating the residual wave caused from the previous laser impinging, our laser ultrasonic system can scan rapidly the target with an optimal pulse repetition rate. In addition, the proposed wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging method can visualize damage or flaw without the need for reference data from the intact state of the structure. Hence, we propose the wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging approach for automatic inspection of in-service engineering structures, or in-process quality inspection in manufacturing.