Ultrasonic beam profiles and beam propagation in an austenitic weld using a theoretical ray tracing model

A model for ultrasonic wave propagation in anisotropic and inhomogeneous materials is applied to the case of ultrasonic inspection of an austenitic V-butt weld manufactured by the downhand Manual Metal Arc technique. We examine the propagation behaviour of waves within the weld region and, in addition, model beam divergence behaviour. From this work we predict directions of low inspection sensitivity and also identify regions of material to which no ultrasound penetrates. The relative merits of the three different wave modes are examined, showing clearly the advantages of horizontally polarized shear waves for austenitic steel inspection. Vertically polarized shear waves are shown to be the least effective for such inspections. We discuss the relevance of this work to the ultrasonic non-destructive testing of austenitic steel components, concluding that care is needed over the choice of wave modes and angles, to ensure sensitive inspection of the whole weld material.     

Quantitative evaluation of ultrasonic C-scan image in acoustically homogeneous and layered anisotropic materials using three dimensional ray tracing method

Quantitative evaluation of ultrasonic C-scan images in homogeneous and layered anisotropic austenitic materials is of general importance for understanding the influence of anisotropy on wave fields during ultrasonic non-destructive testing and evaluation of these materials. In this contribution, a three dimensional ray tracing method is presented for evaluating ultrasonic C-scan images quantitatively in general homogeneous and layered anisotropic austenitic materials. The directivity of the ultrasonic ray source in general homogeneous columnar grained anisotropic austenitic steel material (including layback orientation) is obtained in three dimensions based on Lamb’s reciprocity theorem. As a prerequisite for ray tracing model, the problem of ultrasonic ray energy reflection and transmission coefficients at an interface between (a) isotropic base material and anisotropic austenitic weld material (including layback orientation), (b) two adjacent anisotropic weld metals and (c) anisotropic weld metal and isotropic base material is solved in three dimensions. The influence of columnar grain orientation and layback orientation on ultrasonic C-scan image is quantitatively analyzed in the context of ultrasonic testing of homogeneous and layered austenitic steel materials. The presented quantitative results provide valuable information during ultrasonic characterization of homogeneous and layered anisotropic austenitic steel materials.     

各向异性焊缝缺陷超声阵列全聚焦成像方法

针对奥氏体不锈钢焊接构件安全评价需要,对各向异性结构中超声波传播特性进行了研究,利用射线追踪法确定了各向异性介质中声波传播路径。在传统全聚焦成像基础上,发展了一种用于各向异性焊缝中缺陷检测的超声阵列全聚焦成像方法。通过数值仿真和实验,研究了介质材质对超声阵列成像的影响,结果表明,发展的全聚焦成像方法可以很好实现各向异性焊缝中缺陷检测,缺陷定位更准确。项目研究工作为奥氏体不锈钢焊缝检测提供了可行的技术方案.     

Ultrasonic reflection properties of planar defects within austenitic welds

Reflection of ultrasonic beams from the faces of planar weld defects is affected by the anisotropic nature of the weld material. The simple laws of geometrical reflection no longer hold and energy may be strongly reflected into unexpected directions. This has important consequences for ultrasonic inspection techniques relying on specular signals for defect detection. In this Paper a ray tracing approach is used to study, theoretically, the expected patterns of defect reflection behaviour for several weld types and several defect locations and orientations. In general we find that when the ultrasonic beam is generated in the austenitic weld material without first passing through the base metal then the strongly reflected specular signal travels in very unexpected directions. If, however, the ultrasonic beam travels into the weld metal via the base metal then reflected signals usually occur close to the expected directions, except for vertically polarized shear waves. Furthermore, for a given weld type it is obviously useful to minimize ultrasonic ray paths within the weld material, to minimize both attenuation and curvature of ray paths.     

Probabilistic approaches to compute uncertainty intervals and sensitivity factors of ultrasonic simulations of a weld inspection

For comprehension purpose, numerical computations are more and more used to simulate the propagation phenomena observed during experimental inspections. However, the good agreement between experimental and simulated data necessitates the use of accurate input data and thus a good characterization of the inspected material. Generally the input data are provided by experimental measurements and are consequently tainted with uncertainties. Thus, it becomes necessary to evaluate the impact of these uncertainties on the outputs of the numerical model. The aim of this study is to perform a probabilistic analysis of an ultrasonic inspection of an austenitic weld containing a manufactured defect based on advanced techniques such as polynomial chaos expansions and computation of sensitivity factors (Sobol, DGSM). The simulation of this configuration with the finite element code ATHENA2D was performed 6000 times with variations of the input parameters (the columnar grain orientation and the elastic constants of the material). The 6000 sets of input parameters were obtained from adapted statistical laws. The output parameters (the amplitude and the position of the defect echo) distributions were then analyzed and the 95% confidence intervals were determined.     

Effect of shear-wave polarization on defect detection in stainless steel weld metal

Ultrasonic inspections of austenitic stainless steel weld metal are particularly difficult because of the dendritic structure and anisotropy of the material. The acoustic properties of stainless steel weld metal are discussed. Data on frequency spectra and variations in longitudinal and shear velocities with wave propagation direction are presented. Differences in shear velocities as great as 25% have been observed as the polarization direction is changed. The difference in detectability of artificial reflectors using shear waves of varying polarization is presented, and it is demonstrated in some cases that horizontally polarized shear waves can ‘detect’ a reflector in the weld metal where the traditional vertically polarized shear waves cannot.     

Measurement of ultrasonic scattering attenuation in austenitic stainless steel welds: Realistic input data for NDT numerical modeling

Multipass welds made of 316L stainless steel are specific welds of the primary circuit of pressurized water reactors in nuclear power plants. Because of their strong heterogeneous and anisotropic nature due to grain growth during solidification, ultrasonic waves may be greatly deviated, split and attenuated. Thus, ultrasonic assessment of the structural integrity of such welds is quite complicated. Numerical codes exist that simulate ultrasonic propagation through such structures, but they require precise and realistic input data, as attenuation coefficients. This paper presents rigorous measurements of attenuation in austenitic weld as a function of grain orientation. In fact attenuation is here mainly caused by grain scattering. Measurements are based on the decomposition of experimental beams into plane-wave angular spectra and on the modeling of the ultrasonic propagation through the material. For this, the transmission coefficients are calculated for any incident plane wave on an anisotropic plate. Two different hypotheses on the welded material are tested: first it is considered as monoclinic, and then as triclinic. Results are analyzed, and validated through comparison to theoretical predictions of related literature. They underline the great importance of well-describing the anisotropic structure of austenitic welds for UT modeling issues.     

Beam interaction in one-dimensional inhomogeneous Kerr nonlinear arrays

The interactions between two parallel and co-polarized beams in weakly coupled cubic focusing nonlinear waveguide arrays with transverse inhomogeneous modulation of the refractive index were investigated by means of beam propagation method. Results show that the in-phase beams attract each other and coalesce when the inhomogeneous parameter is smaller than a critical value. For the out-of-phase beams, oscillations exist at low power level, and the larger inhomogeneous parameter, the larger period and amplitude of oscillation. At a high power level, solitonlike propagation of weak coupling occurs. The inhomogeneity of waveguide arrays provide a flexible way to control the interactions of beams, and may find potential applications in all-optical systems.     

Direct observation of condon domains in silver by Hall probes

Using a set of micro Hall probes for the detection of the local induction, the inhomogeneous Condon domain structure has been directly observed at the surface of a pure silver single crystal under strong Landau quantization in magnetic fields up to 10 T. The inhomogeneous induction occurs in the theoretically predicted part of the Condon domain phase diagram. Information about size, shape, and orientation of the domains is obtained by analyzing Hall probes placed along and across the long sample axis and by tilting the sample. On a beryllium surface the induction inhomogeneity is almost absent although the expected induction splitting here is at least 10 times higher than in silver.     

焊缝超声相控阵检测数据深度学习降噪方法

超声相控阵检测技术在焊缝检测中具有广泛的应用.超声相控阵检测技术检测信号中常混入噪声导致检测成像时难以分辨真实的缺陷特征.这些噪声主要为无关的反射信号和局部相关的结构噪声,传统的超声图像降噪方法难以有效滤除这些噪声,且存在计算效率低、参数优化复杂等问题.该文提出了一种基于深度学习的焊缝超声相控阵检测技术检测S扫图像的降...     

A deficiency problem of the least squares finite element method for solving radiative transfer in strongly inhomogeneous media

The accuracy and stability of the least squares finite element method (LSFEM) and the Galerkin finite element method (GFEM) for solving radiative transfer in homogeneous and inhomogeneous media are studied theoretically via a frequency domain technique. The theoretical result confirms the traditional understanding of the superior stability of the LSFEM as compared to the GFEM. However, it is demonstrated numerically and proved theoretically that the LSFEM will suffer a deficiency problem for solving radiative transfer in media with strong inhomogeneity. This deficiency problem of the LSFEM will cause a severe accuracy degradation, which compromises the performance of the LSFEM too much and makes it not a good choice to solve radiative transfer in strongly inhomogeneous media. It is also theoretically proved that the LSFEM using the one dimensional linear element is equivalent to a second order form of radiative transfer equation discretized by the central difference scheme.     

大功率盘形激光焊飞溅特征分析

焊接过程的在线监控是保证激光焊接质量的关键, 为此, 首先要找到焊接过程传感特征量变化规律以及与焊缝质量间的关系. 飞溅是大功率盘型激光焊接过程中的一个重要现象, 其特征与焊接质量、焊接过程稳定性以及能量利用率等有着密切的联系. 以大功率盘形激光焊接304不锈钢为试验对象, 研究焊接过程中的飞溅特征. 在紫外波段和可见光波段应用高速摄像机摄取焊接过程中产生飞溅的瞬态特征, 通过计算机图像处理技术分析飞溅的数量、面积、行程和质心高度特征参量. 以焊件熔宽作为衡量焊接质量与焊接过程稳定性的因素, 对飞溅特征量进行线性和高次拟合, 研究飞溅特征参量的波动规律, 并与焊件熔宽的变化对比, 探索焊接过程的飞溅特征参量变化规律. 试验结果表明, 根据飞溅特征量变化规律能够对大功率盘形激光焊接304不锈钢板焊接质量做出动态评估, 为实现焊接质量的在线监控提供了试验依据.     

Imaged deconvolution: a method for extracting high-resolution NMR spectra from inhomogeneous fields

We present a novel method for obtaining high resolution NMR spectra in the presence of grossly inhomogeneous magnetic fields, such as those encountered in one-sided access NMR. Our method combines the well-known principle of reference deconvolution with NMR imaging in order to resolve spectral features with frequency resolution orders of magnitude smaller than the prevailing line-broadening due to field inhomogeneity. We demonstrate that, in cases of inhomogeneous field line-broadening more than an order of magnitude larger than the spectral features to be resolved, rather than performing reference deconvolution on the sample as a whole, it is more favourable in terms of SNR to divide the target region of a sample into smaller sub-regions, by means of chemical shift imaging, and then to perform reference deconvolution on the individual sub-region spectra, finally summing the results In this way, significant resolution enhancements can be obtained in the presence of severe magnetic field inhomogeneity without an unacceptable loss in SNR.     

Ultrasonic inspection of stainless steel butt welds using horizontally polarized shear waves

Inspection of austenitic stainless steel weldments by conventional ultrasonic means is fundamentally limited by the textured, columnar grain structure of the weld metal. It is shown that, for selected angles of incidence, shear waves normally polarized with respect to the columnar grains can pass through the weld metal-base metal interface without partial reflection. As a consequence, the inspectability of stainless steel weldments can be improved. The operation of a low frequency, ultrasonic system for stainless steel butt weldments is demonstrated.     

Dielectric properties of polycrystalline ferrites

The well-known dielectric relaxation of polycrystalline ferrites is usually seen as being related to an inhomogeneous polarization. According to that theory, the inhomogeneities are formed by poorly conducting grain boundaries in the well-conducting bulk material. Experimental results reported here suggest, that in some cases the dispersions are not due to an inhomogeneity polarization. Previously reported results of measurements taken on single crystals are also inconsistent with this model. Therefore an electric dipole relaxation model is introduced.     

Description of waves in inhomogeneous domains using Heun’s equation

There are a number of model equations describing electromagnetic, acoustic or quantum waves in inhomogeneous domains and some of them are of the same type from the mathematical point of view. This isomorphism enables us to use a unified approach to solving the corresponding equations. In this paper, the inhomogeneity is represented by a trigonometric spatial distribution of a parameter determining the properties of an inhomogeneous domain. From the point of view of modeling, this trigonometric parameter function can be smoothly connected to neighboring constant-parameter regions. For this type of distribution, exact local solutions of the model equations are represented by the local Heun functions. As the interval for which the solution is sought includes two regular singular points. For this reason, a method is proposed which resolves this problem only based on the local Heun functions. Further, the transfer matrix for the considered inhomogeneous domain is determined by means of the proposed method. As an example of the applicability of the presented solutions the transmission coefficient is calculated for the locally periodic structure which is given by an array of asymmetric barriers.     

The propagation of ultrasound in an austenitic weld

The propagation of ultrasound through an austenitic weld is investigated experimentally as well as in a numerical simulation. The weld is insonified at normal incidence to the fusion line with a longitudinal contact transducer. In order to experimentally trace the ultrasound through the weld, slices of different thicknesses from the original weld have been fabricated. Through-transmission A-scans have then been produced for each weld slice and compared with the corresponding numerical simulation. A comparison of the direction of ultrasound propagation through the weld for the two approaches shows quite good agreement. However, attenuation due to scattering at grain boundaries in the weld is poorly modelled in the simulation. In order to improve this, a better model of the weld is needed.     

A post-processing method for correction and enhancement of chemical shift images

Chemical shift imaging (CSI) relies on a strong and homogeneous main field. Field homogeneity ensures adequate coherence between the precessions of individual spins within each voxel. Variation of field strength between different voxels causes geometric distortion and intensity variation in chemical shift images, resulting in errors when analyzing the spatial distribution of specific chemical compounds. A post-processing method, based on detection of the spectral peak of water and baseline subtraction with Lorentzian functions, was developed in this study to automatically correct spectra offsets caused by field inhomogeneity, thus enhancing the contrast of the chemical shift images. Because this method does not require prior field plot information, it offers advantages over existing correction methods. Furthermore, the method significantly reduces geometric distortion and enhances signals of chemical compounds even when the water suppression protocol was applied during the CSI data acquisition. The experimental results of the water and glucose phantoms showed a considerable reduction of artifacts in the spectroscopic images when this post-processing method was employed. The significance of this method was also demonstrated by an analysis of the spatial distributions of sugar and water contents in ripe and unripe bananas.     

Scattering losses from planar waveguides with material inhomogeneity

We consider the propagation of guided waves in a planar waveguide that has a finite-length segment of inhomogeneous media. Except for the inhomogeneous segment, which varies in length from 0 to 160λ, the waveguide is piecewise homogeneous everywhere. The inhomogeneity is modelled by two-dimensional random permittivity fluctuations that are numerically generated from an assumed Gaussian correlation function.

In 2D, the Maxwell equations are solved in the frequency domain for both TE and TM polarization by using modal expansion methods, perfectly matched absorbing boundary layers and the R-matrix transfer matrix algorithm. The guided waves are excited by a Gaussian beam incident on the waveguide aperture. For various waveguide design parameters, numerical results are given for waveguide power loss per unit length of waveguide inhomogeneity. The power loss curves are calculated as the average from numerous realizations of the random permittivity and the coefficient of variation is also given.