空气耦合超声检测复合材料研究综述*

复合材料普遍具有高比强度、高比刚度、高模量、耐腐蚀等优异性能,广泛应用于飞机机翼、导弹外壳、航空发动机壳体等部位。制造和服役过程中各类缺陷影响复合材料的力学性能和服役性能,必须采用有效的方法准确检测和评估复合材料中各类缺陷。空气耦合式超声检测具有完全非接触、非侵入、无损伤和无需耦合剂的特点,能够很好地运用于复合材料的在线和在位检测。该文就近年来空气耦合超声检测技术的研究现状进行了系统综述,简明扼要地分析和介绍了当前空气耦合超声检测的研究热点及进展,重点介绍了1-3型压电复合材料换能器、信号处理技术、相控聚焦式空气耦合超声检测、超声在复合材料的传播特性及其与缺陷交互作用的研究现状,探讨了空气耦合超声无损检测技术与仪器的发展方向,总结了目前空气耦合超声检测的研究热点问题,最后展望了空气耦合超声检测的发展趋势和应用前景。     

利用激光多普勒测振仪的空气耦合超声声场测量*

进行了空气耦合超声声场测量的实验研究。使用激光多普勒测振仪测量由声波引起的激光路径上的介质折射率变化,进而得到空气和固体材料内部的时域瞬态声压。通过直接测量空耦换能器的辐射声功率,给出对单个空耦换能器灵敏度的直接评价方法。用空耦换能器激励K9玻璃板的漏兰姆波,观测到空气中的直达波和反射波、固体板内和空气中的漏兰姆波,实现了空气和固体中微弱声波的非侵入式实验测量,为空耦换能器的特性评估和空耦检测系统的声场测量提供了实验方法。     

Air-coupled ultrasonic investigation of multi-layered composite materials

Air-coupled ultrasonics is fine alternative for the immersion testing technique. Usually a through transmission and a pitch-catch arrangement of ultrasonic transducers are used. The pitch-catch arrangement is very attractive for non-destructive testing and evaluation of materials, because it allows one-side access to the object. However, this technique has several disadvantages. It is sensitive to specularly reflected and edge waves. A spatial resolution depends on a distance between the transducers. A new method for detection and visualisation of inhomogeneities in composite materials using one-side access air-coupled ultrasonic measurement technique is described. Numerical predictions of Lamb wave interaction with a defect in a composite material are carried out and the interaction mechanism is explained. Experimental measurements are carried out with different arrangements of the transducers. The proposed method enables detect delamination and impact type defects in honeycomb materials.     

Air-coupled measurement of plane wave, ultrasonic plate transmission for characterising anisotropic, viscoelastic materials

Electrostatic, air-coupled, ultrasonic transducers are used to generate and detect plane waves in viscoelastic, isotropic or anisotropic solid plates. The through-transmitted field is measured and compared to numerical predictions. An inversion scheme is then applied for identifying the values of the complex Cij which are representative of the viscoelasticity properties of the materials. The issue of this work is a contact-free, ultrasonic technique for material characterisation.     

Nonlinear characterization with burst excitation of 1-3 piezocomposite transducers

Ultrasonic transducers made with 1-3 connectivity piezocomposites are frequently used in Medical applications and nondestructive testing. When the transducer is used for special applications as, for instance air-coupled transmission, it is necessary to compensate for the high difference of acoustic impedance between transducer and medium using high amplitude pulses to generate high acoustic signal. Thus, the nonlinear behavior of the transducer must be taken into account in similar application conditions. The newly developed method, which performs the nonlinear characterization with burst signal excitation near the thickness resonance frequency, is based on the measure of the current as well as the vibration velocity of the piezocomposite transducer. The current of the stationary response is measured before the end of the burst signal excitation. Burst excitation enables us to measure the nonlinear characterization without producing overheating in the transducers. The amplitude level dependence of mechanical losses tandelta(m) and the stiffness increases |Deltac/c(0)| have been studied, as well as the velocity dependence of a point of the transducer, measured with a laser vibrometer. In this method, the power level applied to the transducers can be higher than other nonlinear measurement methods, providing measurements of high accuracy.     

Coded waveforms for optimised air-coupled ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation

This paper investigates various types of coded waveforms that could be used for air-coupled ultrasound, using a pulse compression approach to signal processing. These are needed because of the low signal-to-noise ratios that are found in many air-coupled ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation measurements, due to the large acoustic mismatch between air and many solid materials. The various waveforms, including both swept-frequency signals and those with binary modulation, are described, and their performance in the presence of noise is compared. It is shown that the optimum choice of modulation signal depends on the bandwidth available and the type of measurement being made.     

Recent observations with air-coupled NDE in the frequency range of 650 kHz to 1.2 mHz

An air-coupled NDE-system has been used for the inspection and imaging of discontinuities and inhomogenities in different kinds of materials, such as coating variations on tissue, spot welds on steel, and air inclusions in metal plates and welds. The measurement system operates in either continuous or pulse mode at sound frequencies between 0.65 and 1.2 MHz. Air-coupled piezo-based transducers with matching layers are used to overcome the acoustic impedance gap with air.     

Nonlinear modulation technique for NDE with air-coupled ultrasound

The present study is aimed at expanding flexibility and application area of nonlinear acoustic modulation (NAM-) technique by combining the benefits of noncontact ultrasound excitation (remote locating and imaging of defects) with sensitivity of nonlinear methods in a new air-coupled NAM-version. A pair of focused air-coupled transducers was used to generate and receive (high-frequency) longitudinal or flexural waves in plate-like samples. Low-frequency (LF-) vibrations were excited with a shaker or a loudspeaker. Temporal and spectral analysis of the output signal revealed an extremely efficient nonlinear amplitude modulation and multiple frequency side-bands for sound transmission and flexural wave propagation through cracked defects. On the contrary, a negligible modulation was observed for large and medium scale inclusions and material inhomogeneities (linear defects). A new subharmonic mode of the NAM was observed at high excitation levels. It was also shown for the first time that nonlinear vibrations of cracks resulted in radiation of a very high-order harmonics (well above 100) of the driving excitation in air that enabled imaging of cracks remotely by registration their highly nonlinear "acoustic emission" with air-coupled transducers.     

Air-coupled ultrasound inspection of various materials

Conventional ultrasound inspection, a standard non-destructive testing method, uses a coupling medium (e.g. water) because of impedance mismatch. This liquid contact is a drawback because it prevents inspection of many materials. There is a need, then, for air-coupled ultrasound testing, which is now feasible because of low impedance focused narrow band transducers and sensitive electronics, both of which improve the signal-to-noise ratio. We present results obtained on fibre-reinforced plastics, water sensitive materials (e.g. reinforced ceramics), and "shape adaptive" structures to reveal delaminations, impacts, and growth of internal defects. Actuators embedded in "adaptive" structures are used as transmitters while the receiver records the signals. Thus it is possible to image defect areas and non-linear behaviour of potential defects.     

Simultaneous reconstruction of flow and temperature cross-sections in gases using acoustic tomography

This paper describes the use of air-coupled ultrasonic tomography for the simultaneous measurement of flow and temperature variations in gases. Air-coupled ultrasonic transducers were used to collect through-transmission data from a heated gas jet. A transducer pair was scanned in two-dimensional sections at an angle to the jet, and travel time and amplitude data recorded along various paths in counter-propagating directions. Parallel-beam tomographic reconstruction techniques allowed images to be formed of variations in either temperature or flow velocity. Results have been obtained using heated jets, where it has been shown that it is possible to separate the two variables successfully.     

The development of a shock-tube based characterization technique for air-coupled ultrasonic probes

The present paper proposes a new characterization technique for air-coupled ultrasound probes. The technique is based on a shock tube to generate a controlled pressure wave to calibrate transducers within their operating frequency range. The aim is to generate a high frequency pressure wave (at least up to 200 kHz) with the low energy levels typical of commonly used air-coupled ultrasound probes. A dedicated shock-tube has been designed and tested to assess calibration performances. The sensor transfer function has been measured by using a pressure transducer as reference.     

Ferroelectret non-contact ultrasonic transducers

Dielectric and electromechanical properties of the cellular polypropylene ferroelectret films (EMFIT), combining strong piezoelectric response with a low density and softness, evidence their high potential for the air-coupled ultrasonic applications. The disadvantage of the low coupling factor is compensated by the extremely low acoustic impedance, which provides excellent matching to air and promises efficient sound transmission through the air–transducer interface. The influence of the electrodes on the electromechanical properties was investigated. Electron beam evaporation technology was adapted to the EMFIT films, and films with both-sided Au and Al electrodes were prepared without reducing or suppressing of the electromechanical properties. Finally, prototype transducers based on the EMFIT films were developed. In spite of the simple construction and absence of matching layers, high sensitivity of the EMFIT transducers was proved in the air-coupled ultrasonic experiment. Amplitude and delay time scanned images of the polyethylene step wedge with holes, obtained in both pulse-echo and transmission modes, demonstrate that non-contact ultrasonic imaging and testing with EMFIT transducers is possible. PACS 43.35.+d; 43.38.+n; 43.35.Zc; 43.38.-p     

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.     

On the measurement of frequency-dependent ultrasonic attenuation in strongly heterogeneous materials

This paper deals with the measurement of frequency-dependent ultrasonic attenuation in strongly heterogeneous materials, such as cementitious materials. To improve the measurement of this parameter on this kind of materials, a linear swept–frequency signal is used to drive an emitter transducer to conduct a through-transmission inspection in immersion. To filter out undesirable frequency content, time–frequency filtering and detection process are performed. The use of this method has been compared with two excitation techniques, the broadband and the narrowband pulses. The results obtained using the swept–frequency excitation together with the time–frequency filtering, allows the determination of the attenuation curves with high accuracy over a wide frequency range without the need for complicated equipment, and improves the effective bandwidth by using a unique pair of transducers.     

基于有限元的空耦超声相控阵Lamb波激发与检测

基于非接触式空气耦合超声换能器的无损检测技术在常规板材、纤维复合材料、层状结构材料、粘接界面等的检测中有了长足的发展。但是因为空气耦合超声本身的限制,对于如何提高空气声换能器的发射效率和接收灵敏度、提高检测中接收的信噪比成为这一领域的重要课题。因此有必要结合最新的信号处理技术探索新的无损检测形式。本文通过提出了基于电容式的空气声换能器阵列的构建和制作方法,应用有限元数值方法对一维线阵的空气声换能器阵列的动态偏转特性进行了模拟,并使用构建流固耦合模型对二维的空气声场及板材中的位移场进行计算。通过一维空气耦合相控阵的声束动态偏转激励了各向同性板中的Lamb波A₀ 和S₀模式,并进行了分析,验证了此模型可以进一步用于基于空气耦合相控阵激励的Lamb波的无损检测中。     

基于空耦超声Lamb波的金属板状结构内部缺陷检测方法

针对接触式超声检测方法在金属板结构内部缺陷实际工程检测中存在的环境要求高、效率低、操作难度高等问题,提出了空耦超声Lamb波检测方法,该方法能更好地适应现场应用环境,提高检测效率,减少传感器数量。通过有限元仿真和实验分析比较了空耦超声检测与接触式超声检测两种方法接收到的信号和成像效果。结果表明:有限元仿真和实验中,空耦超声检测方法对缺陷位置的定位误差分别为2 mm和3.6 mm,接触式检测方法对缺陷位置的定位误差分别为2 mm和11.3 mm,空耦检测具有较高的定位精度;单侧激励条件下,适合采用A0模态Lamb波对板内缺陷进行检测;空耦超声检测可以通过调整信号接收角度接收单一模态Lamb波,避免伪像产生。该方法为后续金属板状结构内部缺陷的空耦超声检测提供参考。     

Nondestructive testing using air-borne ultrasound

Over the last two decades, more efficient transducers were developed for the generation and reception of air-borne ultrasound, thus enabling the non-contact, non-contaminating inspection of composite laminates and honeycomb structures widely used in the aerospace industry. This paper presents the fundamentals of making air-borne ultrasonic measurement, and point out special considerations unique to propagating ultrasound in air and through solids. Transducer beam profile characterization, thickness dependence and resonance effects in the transmission of air-coupled ultrasound through plates, and the detection and imaging of defects and damage in solid laminates and honeycomb sandwich will be discussed and illustrated with examples. Finally, a manual scan system developed for implementing air-borne ultrasonic imaging in the field and on aircraft will be introduced.     

用埋入式光纤传感器探测建筑结构中的声发射

声发射技术已经应用于金属和混凝土结构中,作为探测内部裂缝的一种无损检测方法。目前用的技术都是由压电换能器来采集声发射信号。讨论了基于用光纤技术的声发射传感器的开发和测量方法。它是用埋入式光纤传感器来监测类似桥梁、高速公路、隧道和房屋建筑等混凝土结构中的开裂信号。     

Finite element simulation of the generation and detection by air-coupled transducers of guided waves in viscoelastic and anisotropic materials

The measured characteristics (efficiency and sensitivity) of two air-coupled transducers allow for the prediction of the absolute values of the pressure of the bulk waves generated in air and for the measurement of the pressure of the field radiated in air by guided waves propagating in a structure. With finite element software, the pressure field generated by an air-coupled transducer is simulated by introducing a right-hand side member in the Helmholtz equation, which is used for computing the propagation from the transducer to a plate. The simulated source is rotated in order to impose an angle of incidence with respect to the normal of the plate and generate the corresponding guided mode. Inside the plate, the propagation is simulated with the dynamic equations of equilibrium and a complex stiffness tensor to take into account the viscoelastic anisotropy of the material. For modeling the three-dimensional fields of the guided modes propagating in a two-dimensional non-symmetry plane, a 2.5 dimensional model is introduced. The model computes the value of the pressure field radiated in air by the plates for any guided modes and can predict the detectability of the system for a known defect in a structure. A test bed incorporating two air-coupled transducers is used to generate and receive various guided modes. Two plates made of Perspex and carbon-epoxy composite are tested. The pressure measured by the receiver at various positions is compared to the results of the model to validate it.     

多匹配层空气耦合压电超声换能器*

该文针对超声无损检测与成像功能空气耦合换能器开展了分析计算和研制。为解决压电材料与空气间巨大的阻抗失配问题,进行了多匹配层设计,并基于有限元技术仿真设计了1-3压电复合材料参数。借助复数压电方程,导出考虑损耗的多匹配层压电复合材料换能器厚度振动等效电路,获得其等效导纳,以此计算电导谱,同时基于有限元技术数值计算相应电导谱,二者有较好的一致性。在此基础上分别设计制作复合压电材料,多匹配层材料以及由此构成的空气耦合超声换能器。换能器的实测电导谱与数值仿真结果一致。进一步的换能器回波信号测试及其谱分析结果表明,所研制的160 k Hz中心频率空气耦合换能器样品有较好灵敏度和带宽。这些结果说明,该文研制的空气耦合超声换能器的初样是成功的。