Air-coupled ultrasonic testing of diffusion bonds

The diffusion bond between two steel plates can be ultrasonically evaluated, at normal incidence in an immersion experiment, by analyzing the frequency dependence of the echo reflected from the imperfect bond. The interfacial stiffness, derived from the echo amplitude, correlates well with the bond-strength. However, a non-contact method is desirable for applications where immersion or contact is not wanted or even dangerous for damaging the material. This above mentioned bond-echo technique would not work in the situation of air-coupling as the reflected echo becomes then too weak due to the high impedance mismatch at the air-solid interface. Therefore we propose a theoretical method based on the study of two neighbouring resonance frequencies of the diffusion bonded plate-plate structure. In this way the physical signal sensitive to the adhesion status is not the (too weak) echo reflected from the bond, but the resonance frequency of the whole plate-plate system, and this frequency is detectable as working at resonance ensures high enough signal levels. It was shown that the odd resonance is as well sensitive to the plate thickness as to the interfacial bond parameter, whereas the even resonance feels only the plate thickness. On the basis of a theoretical formula, it is possible to extract, from a single point measurement, out of these two resonance frequencies both the plate thickness and the interfacial stiffness. In this way bond information is separated from geometrical information. Finally it is shown that thickness differences between the plates did not affect the reliability of the bonding-strength predictions.     

Laser ultrasonic characterization of adhesive bonds between epoxy coating and aluminum substrate

Nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation through transparent epoxy bonded to aluminum substrate excites wide-band ultrasonic waves at the bonded interface. The normal displacements on the rear surface of aluminum produced by the direct and multi-reflected longitudinal waves in the coating layer are detected by a laser interferometer. The amplitude of the reflected signal depends on the properties of the coating/substrate interface, which is described by terms of the interfacial stiffness using a spring boundary model. The waveforms at the epicenter versus interfacial stiffness are simulated and found to be in good agreement with experimental results. The relation between the interfacial stiffness and the amplitude ratio of the reflected and direct waves is thus established. An image of amplitude ratio of a specimen (null 10 mm) is obtained from the epicenter waveforms recorded by a laser ultrasonic scanning system, which shows the distribution of bond quality on the bonding interface.     

固-固界面退化特性的超声反射评价方法

提出了一种基于有限宽超声束反射的固-固界面退化特性评价方法,从理论和数值仿真角度进行了分析和计算。将两固体界面间的薄层简化为界面弹簧模型,以界面法向和切向劲度系数表征界面的退化程度。通过数值计算求得有限宽超声纵波束在不同入射角和界面不同退化程度下的反射横波、反射纵波的镜面反射系数。进一步地,通过建立二维有限元模型,仿真研究了有限宽超声纵波束在给定入射角及界面不同退化程度下镜面反射系数的变化规律。结果表明,反射纵波和反射横波的镜面反射系数随有限宽超声纵波束的入射角及界面劲度系数的改变而变化,且存在镜面反射系数随界面劲度系数单调且敏感变化的入射角,据此可准确评价界面的退化程度。     

三层介质超声谐振模式随材料和界面粘接性能变化的演变规律

在用超声波谐振对粘接材料的粘接强度进行无损评估时, 不同模式对粘接强度的敏感程度受到众多因素和参数的影响, 对检测结果的可靠性至关重要. 基于多层介质中声传播和界面弱粘接边界条件的理论模型, 将一个上下非对称的金属-粘接剂-金属三层结构的平面波反射系数函数中的谐振模式看作是上下铝金属层各自的Lamb波频散模式通过夹心粘接剂层相互耦合后叠加组成. 改变影响结构粘接强度的因素, 即粘接剂的性能参数(声阻抗、密度、厚度)和界面切向劲度系数k_t来分析三层结构谐振模式耦合方式的变化,得出结论: 粘接结构粘接性能的变化基本上不改变与被粘铝层相关的固有部分的Lamb波模式, 而它们的耦合模式则在谐振频率上产生平移并会与固有模式进行交换和替代; 不同参数的变化引起的模式演变有各自的规律, 大多可彼此区分.     

基于单片机的超声冲击装置频率跟踪控制和恒幅控制

对超声波冲击以提高焊接接头疲劳强度的装置进行了研究，研制出一台可用于实际冲击处理的样机。该样机以单片机为核心，采用自适应带通滤波器提取超声换能器工作的基波信号，在此基础上获得电流和电压的相位差，根据相位差用模糊控制方法来实现自动频率跟踪；通过电流控制执行机构的输出端振幅，使之恒定不变，对超声冲击处理的质量进行控制。该装置能够适应超声冲击这种负载变化十分剧烈的场合，并可实现准确的频率跟踪和保证冲击处理的质量及效率。     

Using ultrasonic attenuation to monitor slurry mixing in real time

Staff at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed and applied a simple ultrasonic attenuation measurement to measure slurry concentration in real time during suspension of solids settled in a large tank. This paper presents a simple single frequency ultrasonic measurement technique that demonstrates the ability of ultrasonic sensors to measure slurry concentration. Sensor calibration data show that in this attenuation regime ultrasonic signal attenuation is proportional to the applied frequency and to the slurry volume fraction. Real-time measurements of ultrasonic signal attenuation were used to track the process of slurry mixing using single sensors and sensor arrays. Results from two experiments show the use of real-time measurements of ultrasonic signal attenuation to track the process of slurry mixing in situ and to track the ability to maintain a well-mixed steady state condition. Comparison of concentration means of the ultrasonic measurements with concentration means obtained from discrete extractive measurements show that the distributions overlap and cannot be statistically distinguished. The real-time ultrasonic sensor can be used as a primary measurement method or to reduce reliance upon extractive methods to measure slurry density and solids concentration.     

Noninvasive generation and measurement of propagating waves in arterial walls

Arterial wall stiffness can be associated with various diseases. Arteriosclerosis involves the buildup of plaques within artery walls that stiffen the arteries. The stiffness of an artery can be assessed by measurement of the pulse wave velocity (PWV). Usually, PWV is estimated using the foot-to-foot method. However, the foot of the pressure wave is not very clear due to reflected waves. Also, the blood pressure wave generated by the heart is normally a low frequency wave, hence the time resolution is low. PWV is an average indicator of artery stiffness between the two measuring positions, and therefore cannot easily identify local stiffness. In this paper a force on the arterial wall is generated noninvasively by the radiation force of ultrasound. Techniques for measuring the propagating wave due to this localized force are studied. The excitation force can be either a very short pulse or a modulated cw signal of a few hundred hertz. The temporal resolution of this method, which is in the range of microseconds, is much higher than the conventional pressure PWV method, and therefore allows the wave velocity to be measured accurately over short distances of a few millimeters.     

Internal tissue displacement measurement based on ultrasonic wave Doppler signal digital detection and its application to fetal movement monitoring

We have developed a fetal movement monitoring system based on small displacement measurement of internal tissues. When ultrasonic pulses are transmitted to the fetus, the reflected ultrasonic waves which have a Doppler frequency shift due to the fetal movements are detected by using an ultrasonic pulsed Doppler technique. In this paper, we propose a displacement measurement method for internal tissues which is based on the Doppler signal digital detection technique. In the method, the received ultrasonic RF signals are sampled with a sampling frequency of four times higher than the centre frequency of the ultrasonic waves; the Doppler frequency shift signals are derived using digital signal processing. From the detected signals, the internal displacements are estimated using the arc-tangent method. The basic algorithm of the detection method has already been used in the area of blood flow sensing, however, we apply the algorithm to the displacement measurement of internal tissues. The comparison between the proposed method and the conventional method is presented. The fetal movement quantitative monitoring system based on the method which has been constructed is shown.     

Modulated angle beam ultrasonic spectroscopy for evaluation of imperfect interfaces and adhesive bonds

An experimental method incorporating high frequency pulsed angle beam ultrasonic measurements modulated by low frequency vibrations of a bonded structure is described. This method uses parametric/nonlinear mixing between high and low frequencies to characterize adhesive degradation. It is demonstrated that good quality (undamaged) bonds exhibit little dependence of ultrasonic signature on the overlay of low frequency vibration loads; however, environmentally degraded or imperfect bonds exhibit strong modulation of the resonance frequency of the ultrasonic signal reflected from the bond. The results are interpreted using a model for normal and oblique wave interaction with two nonlinear interfaces separated by an adhesive layer under quasi-static stress modulation.     

基于Gabor时频滤波的电磁超声螺栓轴力测量*

高强度螺栓轴向预紧力(轴力)的测量在工程应用中具有重要意义。使用电磁超声波对螺栓轴力检测时对超声回波声时测量精度要求较高,传统互相关估计法对超声回波声时估计易因噪声干扰发生估计错误,无法满足轴力测量精度要求。本文针对互相关法对电磁超声测量信号声时估计存在不准确的问题,提出了Gabor时频滤波法。通过螺栓轴力测量实验采集测量信号,对测量信号进行Gabor变换,在时频域中进行滤波,再对去噪后的信号进行互相关估计测得信号的声时,进而计算出螺栓轴力。实验表明：Gabor时频滤波法能有效地滤除电磁超声信号中的噪声,改善互相关估计的稳定性,提高螺栓轴力测量的准确率。     

钢-铅粘接结构的粘接强度对超声体波反射与 透射特性的影响*

针对多层异种金属粘接结构中粘接强度的超声检测与表征困难的问题,采用线性弹簧模型和等效弹性模量模型来分别表征界面粘附强度和内聚强度,推导了超声体波斜入射N层粘接结构的反射与透射系数表达式。通过在不同入射面和入射声波模式等条件下,同时连续改变两种参数来系统研究粘接层界面粘附强度与内聚强度变化对超声波反射与透射特性的影响关系,确定了能够敏感表征粘接强度的超声参量,为粘接强度的无损检测与评价提供理论依据。     

通过滤波检测水泥胶结质量的超声反射法

为防止流体沿井轴向窜槽,水泥与套管和地层的胶结必须是良好的。在固井质量检测中,超声反射法因具有较强的方位指向性而被广泛使用。但套管的高声阻抗导致了套管后的反射波信号比较微弱,使得水泥胶结质量的判别变得困难。为提高超声反射法的识别能力,我们以套管的共振频率为中心频率对反射全波进行滤波,降低套管的前表面反射波幅度,凸显套管后面携带水泥胶结信息的反射波。滤波后的波形呈现出数个波包,不同胶结情况下这些波包的幅度存在明显差异,通过这些差异可以判断水泥胶结质量。我们还利用有限声束模型计算了斜入射时的反射全波,探讨了入射角对超声反射波的影响。      

基于激光多普勒频移的钢轨缺陷监测

针对现阶段我国铁路上应用的探伤设备只能在天窗时间进行人工巡检,无法在线监测的问题,提出一种基于超声导波的激光多普勒频移法钢轨内部缺陷监测方法。首先,引入环境温度作为变量改进了半解析有限元方法,并应用该方法获得了我国无缝线路CHN60钢轨在特定温度下的频散曲线。通过分析振型并结合激励响应算法确定了适于检测缺陷的模态及其激励方式,从而激励该超声导波模态使其在钢轨中传播。然后,应用半反半透玻璃镜将激光分为参考光和测量光,测量光通过Bragg Cell进行频偏照射钢轨表面,通过反射光产生的多普勒频移与参考光干涉得到光强度变化曲线,经过信号处理及标定测得钢轨内部缺陷的回波速度信号,再经过数字化处理和计算得到缺陷的位置。最后,在北京环形铁路试验基地进行了现场实验,以钢轨接地孔模拟钢轨内部核伤,得到缺陷定位误差均小于0. 5 m,验证了该方法的可行性。使用激光多普勒频移方法检测导波信号从而定位缺陷的方法可以有效避免由于换能器接触性测量而产生的误差。该方法在不影响列车的正常运营的同时,实现了全天候无间断的在线监测,提高了检测效率。     

基于幅度调制的非线性超声相控阵成像方法*

超声相控阵是超声检测领域常用的材料缺陷定位和成像技术,可便捷快速地对裂纹、孔洞等缺陷进行成像。但是,传统超声相控阵方法对较小缺陷如闭合裂纹不太敏感。非线性超声信号因对材料性能退化以及微小缺陷敏感而广受关注。本文针对疲劳闭合裂纹检测,提出一种基于幅度调制的非线性超声相控阵成像方法,通过测量物理聚焦和虚拟聚焦两种聚焦模式下超声扩散场中的声能差,并将其作为非线性参量,实现疲劳裂纹闭合部分的定位成像和定量表征。将该法应用于7075铝合金试样疲劳裂纹的实验测量,并研究了扩散场信号延迟时间对非线性超声相控阵成像结果的影响。结果表明：相较于传统超声相控阵全聚焦法,基于幅度调制的非线性超声相控阵成像方法能够更准确地定位和成像疲劳裂纹闭合部分;延迟时间的选择对疲劳裂纹长度的表征精度影响较大,本文研究了该延迟时间的选择方法并实现了检测结果的优化。     

Digital ultrasonic speckle phase-shifting method

The digital ultrasonic speckle phase-shifting method (USPM), which is introduced in this paper, can be applied to the measurement of small displacement that is smaller than speckle size at the test point compared to traditional ultrasonic speckle correlation method (USCM). Using USPM, a digital ultrasonic reference signal is introduced to interfere with the ultrasonic speckle signal, which is picked up at the test point on an object surface and is referred to as the object signal. As the phase of the reference signal is shifted several times using the software and then they superimpose with the object signal respectively, the phase of the object signal can be calculated according to the intensities of the superimposed signals. If the object surface moves a small distance, the phase variation of the object speckle can be detected by the same process. As a result, the displacement of the object surface can be measured. Based on the feature of ultrasonic speckles, inner surface displacement of an object can be measured using this proposed method. In this case, the effect of outer surface roughness to the measurement accuracy of USPM is examined experimentally. The experimental results show that the measurement is successful when the displacement is smaller than half of the speckle size at the test point and the roughness parameter R_a of the outer surface of the specimen is less than about 5.47 μm.     

Metal bonding strength in low‐temperature processed titanium using atomic force microscopy with single‐wall carbon nanotube tip

We report the development of a Ti–Ti bonding process at a low bonding temperature below 200 °C using chemically surface‐activated Ti thin films and a reliable evaluation method for measuring the Ti–Ti bond strength by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Using Ti as an interlayer enables void‐free bonding because Ti exhibits fast diffusion and oxide solubility. On the other hand, wafer bonding is an important processing step for 3D circuit integration that requires a high reliability of the process. However, the reliability of bonding‐strength values obtained by employing conventional measurement devices is limited by comparably large measurement errors and restricted the availability of suitable sample material. In this study, the use of AFM to measure the bonding strength is proposed. The interfacial bonding properties depend on the Ti deposition parameters. A bonding temperature of 200 °C was found to be appropriate for the development of a low bonding temperature wafer‐bonding process. The pretreatment methods like plasma activation and chemical activation at 200 °C result in a Ti bonding strength of approximately 8.22 J/m², sufficient for applications in 3D circuit integration. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Reconstructing the adhesion stiffness distribution in a laminated elastic plate: Exact and approximate inverse scattering solutions

This paper formulates and solves a time harmonic inverse scattering problem to reconstruct the effective stiffness distribution of an adhesive bond in a layered elastic plate. The motivation is based on the assumption that localized adhesion flaws that diminish bond stiffness also tend to diminish bond strength. The formulation is based on the invariant imbedding method, applies to isotropic and anisotropic elastic layers, and is essentially that of identifying embedded acoustic sources in elastic layered structures. This paper presents two solutions for the inverse problem: the Born approximation and the exact solution. The example calculations compare the two solutions and show that when imperfections are too large in either magnitude or extent the accuracy of the Born approximation breaks down. The impact of noise and uncertainties in the background properties in the inversion is also investigated. A regularization strategy is introduced in the exact solution that controls solution sensitivity in regions with low signal to noise ratio.     

基于数字存储示波器的超声多普勒效应实验系统的研究与应用

介绍了一种基于数字存储示波器的超声多普勒效应实验系统.该系统利用现有的超声声速测量设备,以频移信号处理电路和数字存储示波器作为数据测量单元的核心,通过与系统底座和运动控制单元相配合,开展与多普勒效应相关的多项综合性、设计性实验.实验中信号的转换、传输和处理过程清晰透明,有利于培养学生的自主动手能力和观察分析问题的能力.该实验系统结构简单,无需复杂的软件编程,各实验室均可自行完成制作,同时又可实现实验资源共享,提高仪器设备的利用率,具有较高的实用和推广价值.     

Development of a Millimeter Wave Compact Equipment for NDT of Materials

We developed a compact equipment working at 94 GHz to replace the commonly used network analyzer for nondestructive testing of materials. The compact equipment was designed to measure the variations in the amplitude and phase of the reflected signal from the material relative to a reference signal. A good accuracy of the amplitude and phase measurement of the equipment was obtained in the confirmative experiments. The distribution of a drop of water in a wood plate is clearly visible in the millimeter wave images obtained by the amplitude and phase measurement.     

一种磁场优化结构电磁超声传感器设计*

为了进一步增强电磁超声检测技术在管道厚度测量领域的检测能力,该文对电磁超声传感器(EMAT)的结构进行了优化。提出了多磁铁对称分布型EMAT,能实现更小的磁铁体积,产生更强的表面剩磁强度。采用在硅钢表面开槽的方式限制涡流形成的区域,解决了涡流对测量的影响。建立厚度测量实验系统,对比出单磁铁型与多磁铁对称分布型EMAT在不同提离距离上检测信号的变化规律。结果表明,多磁铁对称分布型结构可通过增强EMAT的偏置磁场达到信噪比更优的效果。采用耐高温探头外壳和钐钴磁铁,提高了EMAT探头在高温环境下的检测性能。