Using laser ultrasonics for nondestructive residual stress evaluation

A non-contact measuring technique of ultrasonic waves velocity is proposed, in which Rayleigh waves are detected by a laser Doppler velocimeter and the velocity is measured precisely by means of a sing-around unit and a digital oscilloscope. With the proposed technique, the acoustoelastic coefficient of Rayleigh waves in mild steel SS41 is obtained, which is in good agreement with that obtained by the contact method. Furthermore the non-contact technique is applied to evaluate the residual stress in a butt-welded steel plate, the result is reasonable.     

Influence of Anisotropy Generated by Rolling on the Stress Measurement by Ultrasound in 7050 T7451 Aluminum

Stress applied to a material can be evaluated using ultrasonic waves. This practice is based on acoustoelastic theory, which relates the stress to the velocity of a wave traveling through the body. How the stress affects the wave velocity is determined by the material’s acoustoelastic constant. This constant can be experimentally measured or calculated from the material’s elastic constants. However, ultrasonic techniques have yet to be adopted as an inspection tool in the field. A factor contributing to this fact is the non-uniformity of materials, mostly associated with grain alignment or texture. As researchers consider this factor, they should take into account the anisotropy generated by rolling. The common practice, however, when relating strain and wave velocity is to ignore anisotropy and to simply utilize isotropic models. No studies have been performed to evaluate the effect of anisotropy on the stress measurement by ultrasound, especially for methods using critically refracted longitudinal waves. The aim of this study is to evaluate how the anisotropy generated by rolling affects the acoustoelastic effect for 7050 T7451 aluminum alloy. We compare the value of the acoustoelastic constant obtained experimentally for rolled samples to the constant calculated with measured elastic constants when the material is assumed to be isotropic. The results show that the methods yield different results, suggesting that the simplified isotropic model should be applied with caution. Since no true known value for elastic constants exists, the results can be used to approach the uncertainty when employing the isotropic model to evaluate stresses in aluminum alloys.     

超声纯横波法测试45#钢的内部应力

声各向同性的金属材料在应力作用下,材料表现出声各向异性,这是用声弹性法分析材料内部应力的基础。本文用垂直于应力方向传播的超声纯横波对45#钢进行测试,测试时横波的偏振化方向分别平行和垂直于应力方向。实验结果表明:材料在拉、压应力作用下,相互正交的两超声纯横波的声速都发生了变化,且声各向异性因子与应力成线性关系。利用此关系可测试材料内部应力,提供了一种无损测试材料内部应力的方法,另外本实验方法也可以对材料内部残余应力进行评估。实验中利用回振法测量声速,可测量声速的微小变化,精度高。     

Stress measurement using vertically polarized shear waves

This paper proposes a method to evaluate surface stresses in orthotropic materials by the use of vertically polarized shear waves (SV waves). It is assumed that the normal to the surface coincides with one of the axes of anisotropy, and that the material anisotropy is not necessarily small. The speeds of the waves are expressed in terms of the material properties, the stress, the rigid body rotation and the propagation direction. From the expressions, and for the following two cases: (1) the rigid body rotation is known, (2) the anisotropy is weak, it is possible to determine the components of the surface stress by measuring the speeds of SV waves propagating in several directions. When the anisotropy is weak, the acoustoelastic birefringence for SV waves is also derived, to separate the material anisotropy and the difference of the principal stresses. The theory can be applied to stress evaluation by using ultrasonic Lamb waves whose speeds are nearly equal to those of SV waves.     

Towards an acoustoelastic theory for measurement of residual stress

The rudiments of an acoustoelastic theory is developed within the framework of linear elasticity with initial stress. Since no assumption is made about the origin of the initial stress, our acoustoelastic theory will be applicable to evaluation of stress in plastically deformed bodies, provided that the superimposed ultrasonic waves be hyperelastic. New universal relations are deduced. An approach to evaluation of stress which does not use calibration specimens and makes full use of universal relations in our acoustoelastic theory is advocated. Examples are given which illustrate application of our theory to evaluate residual stress in plates. Preliminary corroborations of our theory are provided by the recent experiments of King & Fortunko and Thompson et al.     

Effect of uniaxial stress on the propagation of higher-order Lamb wave modes

On the basis of the non-linear theory of elasticity and the invariant based formulation developed by Ogden, we analyse the effect of homogeneous stress on the propagation of Lamb waves. Using the theory of incremental deformations superimposed on large deformations, we derive the equations governing the propagation of small amplitude waves in a pre-stressed plate. By enforcing traction-free boundary conditions at the surfaces of the plate, we further obtain the characteristic equations for symmetric and anti-symmetric Lamb wave modes and investigate the effect of stress on the phase velocity, i.e. the acoustoelastic effect. A comparison with experimental data exhibits a better correlation than previously published results. The outcomes of this study can be utilised in the development of new techniques for the measurement of applied stresses based on the acoustoelastic effect. In particular, a strong sensitivity of the phase velocity to the applied stress near the cut-off frequencies of higher-order Lamb wave modes is a very promising option, which seems to have been overlooked in previous studies.     

Measurement of stress based upon universal relations in acoustoelasticity

A new approach to ultrasonic measurement of stress was proposed recently by Man and Lu. That approach is based on universal relations that result from material symmetry in an acoustoelastic theory applicable to plastically deformed bodies for which superimposed ultrasonic waves can be taken as elastic. When applicable, the Man-Lu approach circumvents the two main difficulties of the acoustic-birefringence method, namely those of unknown initial texture and plastic deformation. An experiment was performed to verify a new universal relation derived by Man and Lu in their earlier work. Plastic strain was developed during the test. The results were in basic accord with the prediction of the theory.     

Microstructure Effect on the Lcr Elastic Wave for Welding Residual Stress Measurement

The ultrasonic residual stresses measurement is based on the acoustoelastic effect that refers to the change in velocity of the elastic waves when propagating in a stressed media. The experimental method using the longitudinal critically refracted (Lcr) waves requires an acoustoelastic calibration and an accuracy measurement of the time-of-flight on both stressed and unstressed media. The accuracy of this method is strongly related to that of the calibration parameters, namely the time-of-flight at free stress condition (t₀) and the acoustoelastic coefficient (K). These parameters should be obtained on a free stress sample that has an identical microstructure to that of the stressed media. Our study concerns the ultrasonic evaluation of the welding residual stresses. This assembly process induces three distinct microstructures in the weld seam: the melted zone (MZ), heat affected zone (HAZ) and the parent metal (PM). Previously, the residual stresses evaluation in the steel welded plates, by the use of the Lcr wave method, was only possible in the MZ and in the PM zones. While in the HAZ, the residual stresses were incorrectly evaluated due to its small width impeding the extraction of the calibration sample. In this paper, we propose an original approach to solve this problem, which consists of reproducing the microstructure of this zone using a specific heat treatment. For the experimental part, P355 steel welded plates were used and the three zones were probed. The results compared with those obtained by the hole-drilling reference method show a proven potential of the ultrasonic method using the Lcr waves. The Lcr wave residual stresses measurements were made with sufficient accuracy, such as the variability of repeated measures was estimated on the order of ± 36 MPa.     

Nonlinear elastic effects in graphite/epoxy: An analytical and numerical prediction of energy flux deviation

Manipulating acoustic wave propagation through a material have several interdisciplinary applications. Here we predict shift in energy flux deviation for acoustic waves propagating in unidirectional graphite/epoxy due to applied normal and shear stresses using both an analytical model, using acoustoelastic continuum theory, and a finite element discrete numerical model. The acoustoelastic theory predicts that the quasi-transverse (QT) wave exhibits larger shifts in energy flux deviation compared to quasi-longitudinal (QL) or the pure transverse (PT) due to an applied shear stress for fiber orientation angle ranging from 0° to 60°. Due to an applied shear stress the QT wave exhibits a shift in energy flux deviation at 0° fiber orientation angle as compared to normal stress case where the flux deviation and its load induced shift are both zero. A finite element model (FEM) is developed where equations of motion include the effect of nonlinear elastic coefficients. Element equations were integrated in time using Newmark’s method to determine the shift in energy flux deviations in graphite/epoxy for different loading cases. The energy flux shift of QT waves predicted by FEM for fiber orientation angles from 0° to 60° for applied shear stress case is in excellent agreement with acoustoelastic theory. Because energy shift magnitudes are not small, it is possible to experimentally measure these shifts and calibrate shifts with respect to load type (normal/shear) and magnitude.     

A device for measuring the velocity of ultrasonic waves: An application to stress analysis

In this paper we present a device for the practical application of an ultrasonic critical-angle refractometry (UCRfr) technique. UCRfr is a technique for measuring the velocity of longitudinal, shear and Rayleight waves, developed to improve the traditional ultrasonic methods for measuring the stress level in materials by means of acousto-elasticity. The technique consists of relating the variations in wave propagation velocity to variations in the angle of refraction at the interface with a second medium. Variations in the angle of refraction are determined on the basis of delay in receiving of the same wave at two different points. The study deals with the measurements of velocity changes of longitudinal wave due to uniaxial stress. In the present work the effects of stress on aluminum and steel specimens have been studied. Experimentation has show the potential of the technique for stress measurement; on the other hand, when the applied stress is known, it allows the measurement of the acoustoelastic constants of longitudinal waves. As regards measuring variations in velocity induced by stress, using this method it is possible, with a suitable choice of the material the device is made of, to isolate the effects of stress on velocity from the possible effects of temperature.     

Evaluation of an applied plane-stress tensor distribution using ultrasonic shear waves

Most acoustoelastic stress measurements using shear waves that have been carried out so far are strongly related to photoelastic experiments: the velocity difference of the birefringent waves is evaluated. Absolute time-of-flight measurements potentially give more information about stresses but are also likely to be inaccurate. A technique is developed enabling time-of-flight and polarization angle measurements in an aluminum plate that are reproducible within 1/3 ns and one-deg respectively. Based on a previous calibration of the acoustoelastic effect, a plane-stress tensor field caused by applying a load to an aluminum 2024-T351 compact-tension specimen is evaluated. The results are compared to those of a finite-element analysis.     

Surface Rayleigh Waves in the Determination of Near-Surface Stresses of Structural Elements

A supersonic nondestructive method for determining stresses in near-surface layers of solids is stated on the basis of the acoustoelastic theory of surface Raylegh waves. Examples are presented of how this method is used to determine the operating and residual stresses in materials and structural elements. Features of the mutual use of surface and volume waves to obtain additional information on the stress distribution over the cross section of a specimen are indicated     

声弹性方法测量金属材料的塑性损伤

本文提出一个利用非线性参数研究材料损伤的声弹性方法．在该方法中定义了一个由二阶和三阶弹性常数所组合的损伤变量．以２０＃钢为例，采用横波声弹性方法测量金属材料的塑性损伤．同时用声速法作了损伤测量．对比两种方法的实验结果表明，新方法是对金属材料塑性损伤测量的有效技术．     

空穴的绕射隔离效应和对后方应力波的削弱作用

以新型抗爆工程设计为背景,以改进的有限差分软件Renewto为手段,对含空穴的混凝土介质中应力波的衰减机制和演化规律进行了二维数值分析,通过改变空穴的位置和特征尺度等参数来考察空穴后方应力波的强度衰减及波形演化,从而对应力波传播中的空穴隔离效应进行了分析和讨论。结果表明,适当调整空穴的位置、尺寸等因素,可以在其后方明显减弱冲击波。还以计算结果为基础提出了一个应力削弱因子的拟合公式,为在抗爆防震工程中设计科学智能的防护层提供了一定的理论依据。     

Measurements of thermally induced stress waves in a thin rod using birefringent coatings

When an elastic body is heated rapidly, significant inertial stresses are developed if the imposed heating rates cause a substantial temperature change in times which are short relative to the mechanical response time of the body. This work describes a method for inducing and measuring the thermally induced elastic stress waves in an unrestrained thin rod. Rapid heating was accomplished electrically by discharging a low-inductance capacitor bank (0.1 μH, 2800 J) through the rod. Utilizing the frozen-stress technique, an initial fringe pattern was introduced into thin strips of a birefringent material securely bonded to each side of the rod. The longitudinal strain oscillations were measured by direct observation of the movement of the fringe patterns with a high-speed framing camera. Interpretation of these measurements required a dynamic calibration and application of a dynamic correction factor for the reinforcing effect of the coating. Oscillations with periods from 35 to 250 μsec and stress amplitudes up to 900 psi were measured and compared with the uncoupled thermoelastic theory. Good agreement was obtained, and it was concluded that this technique is suitable for transient measurements in the presence of large magnetic fields which normally restrict the use of electronic methods.     

Stress evaluation by pulse-echo ultrasonic longitudinal wave

In this paper, an activity aimed at developing an ultrasonic technique for evaluation of states of stress, and in the presence of gradients deriving from local effects of concentrated stress, is presented. The approach is based on the acoustoelastic effect in which ultrasonic wave propagation speed is linked to the magnitude of the stresses present. The technique developed calls for the use of longitudinal waves in pulse-echo technique that propagate in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the work piece. The technique has been applied in different experimental configurations on test specimens with concentration of stresses deriving from notches and fatigue cracks and has furnished encouraging results that highlight the potentiality of the method.     

Improved Stress Estimation with Machine Learning and Ultrasonic Guided Waves

Experimental Mechanics - Due to the acoustoelastic effect, ultrasonic guided waves have been used to estimate mechanical stress in a cheap and nondestructive fashion. Machine learning has been...     

The Potential of Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Measurement of Residual Stresses by Modal Frequency Spacing using Leaky Lamb Waves

This paper investigates the potential of ultrasonic non-destructive measurements of residual stresses using the modal frequency spacing method based on the interference spectrum of leaky Lamb waves as an alternative to the commonly used flight-time approach in ultrasonic methods. Extensive experiments were carried out to verify the viability and robustness of the technique using an instrumented leaky Lamb wave setup with uniaxial stressed samples and welded steel samples. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio, multiple sets of raw signals of specularly reflected and leaky Lamb waves were acquired and then averaged in the time domain. The acquired data in the time domain were then transformed into the frequency domain to form the interference spectrum of leaky Lamb waves with a good repeatability. The acoustoelastic coefficient of carbon steel is then derived from the measured relationship of wave velocity and applied stress. Finally, a welded steel plate was examined and residual stress was evaluated. The current work demonstrates the feasibility and the potential of the proposed method in measuring residual stresses in welded plates and thin-walled structures.     

An acoustoelastic method for measuring residual stresses in slightly orthotropic materials

An acoustoelastic method for residual stress measurement in slightly orthotropic materials by using ultrasonic longitudinal and shear waves is presented. A shear transducer with small vibrator 2 × 2mm² is developed and described, and the measurement of 2-D residual stresses in a seam welded plate was carried out by this method with the shear transducer developed.This project was supported by National Natural Science Fundation of China     

Experimental observation of stress waves propagating in laminated composites

The theoretical research on stress waves propagating in laminated composites has been reported by many authors. However, there has been little work on experimental studies of stress waves in those materials. This paper presents an experimental investigation on stress waves propagating parallel to the layers of a laminated composite. A sandwich laminated composite consisting of two aluminum facings and an epoxy core is used as a specimen. The stress wave in the specimen is observed by use of high-speed holographic interferometry with a pulsed laser. In order to obtain the relative fringe orders, the interference fringe pattern in the reconstructed image is treated as an image-processing system with a personal computer. For the calculation of the in-plane displacement, an approximate relative-fringe-order method is used. The in-plane displacements obtained at some sampling points on the surface are smoothed by using a spline function. Distributions of the in-plane displacement and the shear stress are then obtained quantitatively over the whole analyzed field.