Lamb wave tomography of pipe-like structures

Lamb waves are guided ultrasonic plate waves that can follow the curvature of pipe-like structures. By transmitting and receiving many helically propagating Lamb waves via longitudinal transducers in contact with the surface of a pipe, crosshole tomographic geometries can be mimicked and tomographic reconstructions performed in order to locate and size flaws. We describe here a meridional-array scheme which mimics a single line of transducers along the exterior surface of the pipe in the axial direction, and show proof of concept results on a pipe sample with an internal wall-thinning. We also demonstrate improved reconstructions for the other helical ultrasound tomography geometry where the transmitters and receivers lie along parallel circumferential rings. We find frequency compounding smoothes out some of the noise and artifacts that appear in the reconstructions.     

各向同性薄板中横穿孔缺陷的超声兰姆波层析成像

本文将地球物理中的跨孔层析重建技术用于兰姆波的定量无损评价。综合射线追踪与代数重建技术(ART),发展了横穿孔缺陷的超声兰姆波层析成像方法。基于Snell定律和费马原理,采用射线追踪方法寻求发射和接收换能器之间超声兰姆波的实际传播路径并计算走时,然后采用ART算法对走时数据进行速度图像重建。给出了具有人工横穿孔缺陷铝板的数值模拟和实验数据的直射线和弯曲射线重建图像。结果表明,弯曲射线ART方法比直射线ART方法重建的缺陷尺寸更接近于缺陷的真实尺寸,并且当考虑射线弯曲时,重建图像的赝象也有所降低。     

Numerical predictions and experiments for optimizing hidden corrosion detection in aircraft structures using Lamb modes

To increase the sensitivity of Lamb waves to hidden corrosion in aircraft structures, a preliminary step is to understand the phenomena governing this interaction. A hybrid model combining a finite element approach and a modal decomposition method is used to investigate the interaction of Lamb modes with corrosion pits. The finite element mesh is used to describe the region surrounding the corrosion pits while the modal decomposition method permits to determine the waves reflected and transmitted by the damaged area. Simulations make easier the interpretation of some parts of the measured waveform corresponding to superposition of waves diffracted by the corroded area. Numerical results permit to extract significant information from the transmitted waveform and thus to optimize the signal processing for the detection of corrosion at an early stage. Now, we are able to detect corrosion pits down to 80-μm depth distributed randomly on a square centimeter of an aluminum plate. Moreover, thickness variations present on aircraft structures can be discriminated from a slightly corroded area. Finally, using this experimental setup, aircraft structures have been tested.     

弱界面分层结构中的非线性兰姆波

对弱界面分层结构中兰姆波的非线性效应进行了研究。在二阶微扰近似条件下,将兰姆波传播过程中的非线性效应处理成兰姆波线性波动响应的一个二阶微扰。采用界面弹簧模型对分层结构的弱界面性质进行描述。根据模式展开分析方法,伴随基频兰姆波传播所发生的二次谐波可视为由一系列二倍频兰姆波模式叠加而成。弱界面性质的变化将从多个方面对二倍频兰姆波模式的展开系数产生影响,尤其是弱界面性质变化导致的兰姆波相速度的改变可显著地影响到二倍频兰姆波模式随传播距离的积累增长程度。分析结果表明,兰姆波的非线性效应可有效地表征分层结构的弱界面特性。     

用于储罐底板缺陷检测的超声兰姆波模式研究

从超声兰姆波的声场方程出发,得到板材表面离面位移(法向位移)为零的条件,即当超声兰姆波的相速度等于板材介质的纵波声速时,在板材表面的离面位移为零。在给定适当频厚积的条件下,分别数值模拟了仅有切向位移而无离面位移的A1、S1、A2和S2兰姆波模式在有液体负载的单层钢板中的传播情形。结果表明:离面位移为零的S2模式频散较小且对板中缺陷更为敏感。     

各向同性板中盲孔缺陷的兰姆波拓扑成像

将拓扑成像用于各向同性板中盲孔缺陷的兰姆波检测。由于缺陷关于板中面是非对称的,兰姆波模式转换的影响不能忽略。成像方法是基于无缺陷参考媒质中两个超声场(直接声场和伴随声场)的计算。以传感器激励信号为声源,计算直接声场;以盲孔引起的兰姆波散射信号为声源,计算伴随声场。拓扑成像通过直接声场与伴随声场的相乘,可消除无缺陷处多模式混叠的干扰,提高成像分辨率。建立有限元模型,通过不同时刻的瞬态声场图可视化地显示多模式兰姆波在缺陷处的聚焦过程,揭示拓扑成像方法的物理机理。数值结果表明,相对于经典的延迟求和以及时间反转方法,拓扑成像对盲孔缺陷有更强的适应能力。即使对于复杂的包含模式转换的兰姆波信号,拓扑图像的质量依然没有受到影响。文中提出的成像方法对板类结构中非对称缺陷的兰姆波检测具有一定的应用潜力。     

Lamb wave topological imaging for blind hole defects in isotropic plates

The research aims at validating the ability of topological imaging to blind holes in isotropic plates using Lamb waves. Due to the defect is not symmetric around the midplane of the plate, the effect of Lamb mode conversion will have to be taken into account.The imaging method is based on two computations of ultrasonic fields, one forward and one adjoint, performed for the defect-free reference medium. The excited signal and scattered Lamb waves caused by the blind hole, are used as emitting sources to compute the forward problem and the adjoint problem, respectively. With the help of the finite element simulations,the natural refocusing process of the multimode Lamb waves at the defect location is visually demonstrated by the transient acoustic field snapshots at the different moments to strengthen the physical mechanism of the topological imaging method. The numerical results demonstrate that topological imaging has relatively stronger applicability to the blind hole in contrast to classical Delay And Sum(DAS) method and Time Reversal(TR) method. The topological imaging could handle complex Lamb wave signals containing mode conversions without the imaging quality being affected. The proposed imaging method presents a certain developing potential for detecting and imaging asymmetric defects in plate-like configurations using Lamb waves.     

基于赛利斯模型和分数阶微分的兰姆波信号消噪

为降低噪声对超声兰姆波检测信号的影响,提高信噪比和增加特征提取的精度,提出了一种赛利斯模型下分数阶微分方法用于超声兰姆波信号去噪.该方法对含噪声的兰姆波信号幅值谱进行各阶分数微分,用赛利斯分布作为待处幅值谱的模型,提出了幅值谱分数阶微分最大值和过零点与微分阶数的拟合三次关系式,建立了幅值谱特征参数的计算式来提取特征参数和重建原始信号的幅值谱,并结合相位谱重构去噪后的兰姆波信号.仿真结果表明,该方法可以有效地提高兰姆波信号甚至微弱兰姆波信号的信噪比,同时降低均方误差和平滑度.实验结果显示,与小波去噪和集合经验模态去噪方法相比,该方法在没有信号先验知识的情况下,可以更有效地去除兰姆波信号的噪声,同时更好地保留主信号的细节特征.因此,本文提出的方法可以有效地去除兰姆波检测信号中混入的噪声.     

套管中弯曲型Lamb波数值仿真和物理模拟*

低密度水泥在低压易漏复杂井固井中的广泛应用使得声阻抗类测井方法难以准确、有效的评价固井质量。基于套管中传播的弯曲型Lamb对套后介质的声学参数和胶结状况的敏感性,本文通过理论计算和实验测量研究了不同频率下弯曲型Lamb 波衰减与水泥声学性质的关系,较低的工作频率会使得不同水泥阻抗下的衰减动态变化范围降低,且对水泥环第一界面的窜槽厚度也有很高的灵敏度;利用套管外胶结流体和固体时衰减率的差异,还可较好的区分套管外声阻抗接近的流体和固体;但弯曲型Lamb波的同一个衰减率值可与两个水泥声阻抗值相对应,因此需通过建立弯曲型Lamb波的衰减与水泥声阻抗的图版以提高低密度水泥固井质量评价的可信度。本文的计算分析结果对进一步应用弯曲型Lamb评价低密度水泥具有指导意义。     

Dual beam interferometry and double chopping for scintillation free measurements

A dual beam interferometer with two inputs and two outputs is described. The instrument allows measurements of difference reflectivities in the far infrared region (10...500 cm^–1). In the high vacuum compartment cryogenic equioment, like a superconducting magnet or a cryoflow cryostat can be installed. However the step scan version of the interferometer is sensitive to any fluctuation of source intensity, base-line shift in the interferogram and thermal distortions, effects causing scintillation noise in the spectra. A method is described which suppresses scintillation noise by additional chopping at the output of the interferometer and rationing digitally difference and sum interferograms. These are acquired by phase sensitive detection with two lock ins.Work supported by the Jubiläumsfonds der Österreichischen Nationalbank under Grant 1569.     

Development of an ultrasonic inspection robot using an electromagnetic acoustic transducer for a Lamb wave and an SH-plate wave

For inspection of a storage tank and pipeline in service, the application of an automatic inspection system (nondestructive inspection robot) is desirable, because manual inspection is difficult to perfectly and exactly perform due to the enormous amount of inspection needed. However, an ultrasonic nondestructive inspection robot with a piezoelectric oscillator needs to touch only the material surface to be directly inspected using a coupling medium. That is, the material surface and the sensor must always be held by constant pressure in the vertical direction on the material side. Actually, it is difficult to overcome these problems; thus an ultrasonic inspection robot could not be widely applied. We then tried to develop an ultrasonic inspection robot with an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) which did not require a coupling medium to inspect the circumferential pipe parts. We developed a special EMAT that could transmit and receive alternately a Lamb wave with high sensitivity and a SH-plate wave without influence by the welded part. The method by which the inspection robot turned around the direction of the steel pipe surroundings was executed by observing the tape pasted in the direction of the steel pipe surroundings with an installed CCD camera. In this report, the basic mechanism of this inspection robot and an examination of results are described.     

Polarisation-sensitive optical coherence tomography for material characterisation and strain-field mapping

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a relatively new imaging technique capable of recording cross-sectional images of transparent and turbid structures with micrometer-scale resolution. Originally developed for biomedical imaging applications, this technique also has a great potential for non-destructive material characterisation and testing. Polarisation-sensitive (PS) OCT is a recent extension of classical OCT that measures and images birefringence properties of a sample, which, however, has not yet been applied to materials science. We present imaging of glass-fibre-enforced epoxy resin compounds and the detection of dry spots, where the epoxy did not properly penetrate the glass-fibre structure. Furthermore, we demonstrate PS-OCT imaging of the birefringence properties of different materials. The mapping of strain fields of samples under uniaxial and non-uniform external stress and the detection of flow patterns in injection-moulded plastic parts could be demonstrated with this technique for the first time. Received: 21 October 2002 / Accepted: 22 November 2002 / Published online: 29 January 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +43-732/9015-5618, E-mail: david.stifter@uar.at     

Experimental study of ultrasonic beam sectors for energy conversion into Lamb waves and Rayleigh waves

When a bounded beam is incident on an immersed plate Lamb waves or Rayleigh waves can be generated. Because the amplitude of a bounded beam is not constant along its wave front, a specific beam profile is formed that influences the local efficiency of energy conversion of incident sound into Lamb waves or Rayleigh waves. Understanding this phenomenon is important for ultrasonic immersion experiments of objects because the quality of such experiments highly depends on the amount of energy transmitted into the object. This paper shows by means of experiments based on monochromatic Schlieren photography that the area within the bounded beam responsible for Lamb wave generation differs from that responsible for Rayleigh wave generation. Furthermore it provides experimental verification of an earlier numerical study concerning Rayleigh wave generation.     

High-frequency guided ultrasonic waves for hidden defect detection in multi-layered aircraft structures

Aerospace structures often contain multi-layered metallic components where hidden defects such as fatigue cracks and localized disbonds can develop, necessitating non-destructive testing. Employing standard wedge transducers, high frequency guided ultrasonic waves that penetrate through the complete thickness were generated in a model structure consisting of two adhesively bonded aluminium plates. Interference occurs between the wave modes during propagation along the structure, resulting in a frequency dependent variation of the energy through the thickness with distance. The wave propagation along the specimen was measured experimentally using a laser interferometer. Good agreement with theoretical predictions and two-dimensional finite element simulations was found. Significant propagation distance with a strong, non-dispersive main wave pulse was achieved. The interaction of the high frequency guided ultrasonic waves with small notches in the aluminium layer facing the sealant and on the bottom surface of the multilayer structure was investigated. Standard pulse-echo measurements were conducted to verify the detection sensitivity and the influence of the stand-off distance predicted from the finite element simulations. The results demonstrated the potential of high frequency guided waves for hidden defect detection at critical and difficult to access locations in aerospace structures from a stand-off distance.     

金属板中Lamb波波速与应力关系的实验研究

本文给出了金属板中Lamb波波速对同向应力变化率测量的装置,探讨分析了测量原理及误差,并对Lamb波的波速与应力关系进行了实验研究。结果表明Lamb波的波速对应力有较好的线性关系,Lamb波相速度对应力的变化率的实验值与理论值符合很好。     

Research on relationships between Lamb wave velocity and static stress in metal plate

On the fact that an isotropic metal solid produces anisotropic property in the state of static stress, based on the theory of the nonlinear acoustoelasticity, the equivalent second order elastic constants are calculated for metal plate with static stress. For the case of thin metal plate with stress, the two kinds of dispersion equation for Lamb waves propagating parallel and vertical to the direction of static stress are derived. Using the equations, the relationships between Lamb wave velocity and static stress in a metal plate are discussed.     

Infrared and millimeter wave absorber structures for thermal detectors

In a classical (i.e. Type I) pyroelectric detector, a crystal plate is coated with two metal electrodes. In order to achieve an absorbing power as close as possible to 100%, different structures have been used in the past: (i) a metal-black coating on the front electrode and (ii) a very thin front electrode having a square resistance matching the impedance of vacuum, with the back electrode making a quarter wavelength structure. However, the quarter wavelength structure becomes inefficient when the absorption length becomes smaller than the plate thickness.The simpler solution is to use a transparent antireflective layer, so that the whole radiant energy would enter the pyroelectric plate and be absorbed. This can be a perfect solution when the double path through the layer matches the phase shift on reflection at the pyroelectric material, and a nearly perfect one for a broad band centered at that wavelength. Transformation of radiant power into heat occurs directly within the pyroelectric. It is shown that a number of semiconductors can be used to make such antireflective layers, and practical solutions are feasible for many pyroelectrics. The advantages of this simple solution over λ/4 structures stuck to the pyroelectric plate, as proposed by Parsons et al., are a negligible added heat capacity as the antireflective coating can generally have enough electrical conductivity to be used as an electrode, and a negligible lateral heat conductivity.When such a solution is not feasible (i.e. reflectivity cannot be cancelled completely), we can still use a very thin metal electrode. It is shown that the electrical conductivity may be 2 orders of magnitude smaller than for the bulk. This leads to small indexes in the IR (e.g. n₃≅k₃≅ 6), very convenient to give the structure a null reflectivity, when the granular metal layer is covered by a suitable, experimentally available coating (index of refraction n₂ = √2n₃.Additionally, the determination of the wavelengths and values of the absorption maxima give useful information on the complex refractive index of the coated crystal at wavelengths where reflectivity and transmission measurements are often inaccurate or impossible (T0̃).     

A beam summation algorithm for wave radiation and guidance in stratified media

A Gaussian beams summation (GBS) algorithm for tracking source excited wave fields in plane stratified media is presented. In the present application the medium is described by layers with constant gradient of the wave speed, and the GB propagators are calculated recursively in a closed form. The algorithm is calibrated for numerical efficacy and accuracy by defining simple physical criteria for choosing the expansion parameters (the beam collimation and the spectral discretization and truncation) that allow for sparse representation of the source-excited angular spectrum of beams. It is validated for a source-excited example in layered media, where it provides a smooth and physically meaningful solution under multipath and caustic conditions and remains accurate for long propagation ranges where phase error tends to accumulate.     

Downstream Fabry-Perot interferometer for acoustic wave monitoring in photoacoustic tomography

An optical detection setup consisting of a focused laser beam fed into a downstream Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) for demodulation of acoustically generated optical phase variations is investigated for its applicability in photoacoustic tomography. The device measures the time derivative of acoustic signals integrated along the beam. Compared to a setup where the detection beam is part of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the signal-to-noise ratio of the FPI is lower, but the image quality of the two devices is similar. Using the FPI in a photoacoustic tomograph allows scanning the probe beam around the imaging object without moving the latter.