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.     

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。     

Determining tomographic arrival times based on matched filter processing: considering the impact of ocean waves

Reflection of high-frequency acoustic signals from an air-sea interface with waves is considered in terms of determining travel times for acoustic tomography. Wave-induced, multi-path rays are investigated to determine how they influence the assumption that the time of the largest matched filter magnitude between the source and receiver signals is the best estimate of the arrival time of the flat-surface specular ray path. A simple reflection model is developed to consider the impact of in-plane, multi-path arrivals on the signal detected by a receiver. It is found that the number of multi-path rays between a source and receiver increases significantly with the number of times the ray paths strike the ocean surface. In test cases, there was always one of the multi-path rays that closely followed the flat-surface specular ray path. But all the multi-path rays arrive at the receiver almost simultaneously, resulting in interference with the signal from the flat-surface specular ray path. As a result, multi-path arrivals due to open ocean surface waves often distort the received signal such that maxima of matched filtering magnitudes will not always be a reliable indicator of the arrival time of flat-surface specular ray paths.     

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.     

基于金属狭缝阵列的各向异性偏振分束器

在金属-电介质结构的基础上提出了一种基于金属狭缝阵列的各向异性偏振分束器,并采用有限元法研究了横磁(TM)和横电(TE)偏振光入射后结构所表现出的负反射和镜面反射等特性.计算结果表明,当偏振光的入射角设定在20?—70?时,入射的TM光发生强烈的负反射,而TE光的负反射很弱,并随着波长的增加而急剧下降.分析可得偏振分束光栅的理想负反射点和反射面的完美对称响应效果.通过仿真得到了理想负反射点的取值范围.结合严格耦合波法软件,计算不同偏振光入射时负反射和镜面反射条件下的反射率,其消光比高达10~6.     

Theoretical assessment of the errors involved in ultrasonic location and sizing of molten weld pools

Ultrasonic transit times may be used to locate the interface between molten weld metal and parent plate as a weld is formed. These transit times will lead to errors in interpretation of the location of the weld interface if account is not taken of the variation of ultrasonic velocity with temperature. We assess the magnitude of these errors using a theoretical model based on the Green's function to obtain the temperature distribution at any time and then convert the temperatures into elastic constants through empirical fits to high temperature data. A ray tracing method and a semi-analytical approach are used to estimate the effects of the changes in elastic constants on the ray paths and transit times. From these theoretical predictions we conclude that the location errors incurred by assuming ultrasonic velocities appropriate to cold metal are less than 0.5 mm for a 3.5 mm radius weld in austenitic steel or in iron. Experimental values tend to be larger than this, possibly suggesting that the solid-liquid interface is not as perfect as in the theoretical model. Under all of the conditions investigated, predicted errors are smaller with compression waves than with shear waves.     

Reflection of cold atoms from an array of current-carrying wires

We report the realization of a new type of magnetostatic mirror for slowly moving atoms which comprises a planar array of parallel wires alternately carrying electric current in opposite directions. One of the features of this atomic mirror is that the magnetic field may be readily varied, switched or modulated by altering the current in the wires. Reflection signals close to 100% at a pulsed current of 3 A are demonstrated for a beam of free-falling laser-cooled cesium atoms at normal incidence. The current dependence of the reflection signals exhibits structure which is associated with the sequential onset of reflection of cesium 6² S _1/2 , F=4 atoms in the m=+4, +3, +2 and +1 magnetic states. Measurements of the spatial distribution of the reflected atoms indicate the reflection is predominantly specular at currents of 3 A. Received: 31 August 1998 / Accepted: 6 October 1998     

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.     

Acousto-optic study of the unusual cases of reflection of bulk elastic waves in a paratellurite crystal

The propagation and reflection of bulk ultrasonic waves in a paratellurite crystal have been investigated by the acousto-optic method. Simultaneous excitation of two acoustic waves by one piezoelectric transducer has been observed in a cell of complex, specially chosen configuration. Maximally efficient conversion of the energy of a quasi-longitudinal wave into a single reflected quasi-shear wave with a walkoff angle 72° is implemented for the reflection from a free crystal boundary. The wave beam compression by a factor of 7 is observed for this reflection. A reflection (close to backward) of waves with an angle of spatial separation of the incident and reflected beams equal to 8° is also implemented. The acousto-optic figure of merit values of the medium are calculated for arbitrary propagation and polarization directions of the interacting light and ultrasonic waves. Possible applications of the effects studied in acousto-optics and acoustoelectronics are indicated.     

奥氏体不锈钢焊缝中的声学仿真模型与全聚焦成像检测

声波在奥氏体不锈钢焊缝中传播时声束弯曲,为超声成像带来了困难。基于Ogilvy焊缝模型,建立了奥氏体不锈钢焊缝非均匀各向异性声场仿真模型,采用Dijkstra路径搜索算法对各向异性条件下的声传播路径和声传播时间进行了数值模拟和分析。在此基础上,采用Verasonics超声相控阵成像系统,进行了奥氏体不锈钢焊缝的全聚焦成像实验,采集全矩阵回波数据,并结合理论模型计算的声传播路径和相应的传播时间,进行了成像结果修正。结果表明,与均匀介质模型的全聚焦成像结果相比,基于该文模型的焊缝全聚焦成像检测结果具有更高的缺陷定位精度和分辨率,验证了该方法的可行性,为奥氏体不锈钢焊缝成像检测提供了新的思路。     

Interaction of a bounded ultrasonic beam with a thin inclusion inside a plate

A theoretical study of the reflection of a two-dimensional Gaussian ultrasonic beam, incident at a Lamb angle of a plate containing a thin rectangular inclusion at an arbitrary position, is presented on the basis radiation mode theory. The inclusion is parallel to the plate surface and its thickness is assumed to be much smaller than the ultrasonic wavelength. It is shown that the amplitude and phase of the reflected beam profile can be used for accurate inclusion characterization. However, this only holds for certain internal positions of the inclusion and for material combinations that do not strongly perturb the excitation of Lamb waves in the plate. When these conditions are satisfied, it is possible to define the Lamb waves and the associated experimental conditions for which good estimates can be obtained of the position of the beginning point of the inclusion as well as of the length and the thickness of the inclusion.     

An ultrasonic method for dynamic monitoring of fatigue crack initiation and growth

Attached ultrasonic sensors can detect changes caused by crack initiation and growth if the wave path is directed through the area of critical crack formation. Dynamics of cracks opening and closing under load cause nonlinear modulation of received ultrasonic signals, enabling small cracks to be detected by stationary sensors. A methodology is presented based upon the behavior of ultrasonic signals versus applied load to detect and monitor formation and growth of cracks originating from fastener holes. Shear wave angle beam transducers operating in through transmission mode are mounted on either side of the hole such that the transmitted wave travels through the area of expected cracking. Time shift is linear with respect to load, and is well explained by path changes due to strain combined with wave speed changes due to acoustoelasticity. During subsequent in situ monitoring with unknown loads, the measured time of flight is used to estimate the load, and behavior of the received energy as a function of load is the basis for crack detection. Results are presented from low cycle fatigue tests of several aluminum specimens and illustrate the efficacy of the method in both determining the applied load and monitoring crack initiation and growth.     

完全氧化DZ125的双向反射特性实验研究

作为燃气轮机的核心部件，涡轮叶片长期在上千度的高温下工作，为了保证叶片安全可靠地运行，需要对其温度进行实时的监测。辐射测温是目前涡轮叶片非接触式测温的主流方法，其测温精度与叶片材料反射特性关系密切，如何预测不同方向反射能量的大小，减小反射辐射对测温结果的影响是目前研究的难点。为了预测叶片反射能量大小，提高辐射测温的准确性，对涡轮叶片常见材料——完全氧化DZ125的双向反射分布函数(BRDF)进行研究。采用对比法作为实验测量的方法，先分析了BRDF对比法测量原理及数据处理方法，之后自主搭建了试验台，在温度分别为25, 900和1 100℃,波长分别为1 060, 1 550和1 908 nm的条件下，控制入射天顶角及反射天顶角在0°～60°范围变化，方位角在0°～180°范围变化，测量计算出了多组BRDF值，分析了各种因素对完全氧化DZ125的BRDF的影响。最后采用Modified Phong模型对BRDF测量值进行了拟合，并与实验测量结果进行了对比，得到了较好的结果。研究结果表明，温度、波长对完全氧化DZ125的BRDF影响较小，在涡轮叶片工作的温度范围变化不大，辐射波长变化不大时，...     

Stimulated light scattering by a fluid surface in the presence of total fresnel reflection

Stimulated scattering of light by a free fluid surface in the case of total Fresnel reflection was considered. For scattering directions which are close to the direction of specular reflection of the ray, simple analytic expressions are derived for the threshold intensity and the spectrum of the scattered radiation.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 233–241, February, 1972.     

Anomalous retroreflection from strongly absorbing nanoporous semiconductors

Pronounced retroreflection behavior is reported for a fishnet nanoporous strongly absorbing semiconductor material. Retroreflection features a half-cone about 0.35 rad along with diffusive specular reflection for all angles of incidence. Retroreflection is apparent by the naked eye with daylight illumination and exhibits no selectivity with respect to wavelength and polarization of incident light featuring minor depolarization of retroreflected light. The reflectance in the backward direction measures 12% with respect to a white scattering etalon. The phenomenon can be classified neither as coherent backscattering nor as Anderson localization of light. The primary model includes light scattering from strongly absorptive and refractive superwavelength clusters existing within the porous fishnet structure. A reasonable qualitative explanation is based on the fact that strict retroreflection obeys shorter paths inside absorbing medium, whereas all alternative paths will lead to stronger absorption of light.     

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.     

Accelerated beam tracing algorithm

Determining early specular reflection paths is essential for room acoustics modeling. Beam tracing algorithms have been used to calculate these paths efficiently, thus allowing modeling of acoustics in real-time with a moving listener in simple, or complex but densely occluded, environments with a stationary sound source. In this paper, it is shown that beam tracing algorithms can still be optimized by utilizing the spatial coherence in path validation with a moving listener. Since the precalculations required for the presented technique are relatively fast, the acoustic reflection paths can be calculated even for a moving source in simple cases. Simulations were performed to show how the accelerated algorithm compares with the basic algorithm with varying scene complexity and occlusion. Up to two-orders of magnitude speed-up was achieved.     

Schlieren photography to study sound interaction with highly absorbing materials

Strong absorption of sound is often caused by the conversion of sound energy into heat. When this happens, it is not possible to study the interaction of sound with the absorbing material by means of reflected sound characteristics, because there is no reflected sound. Detecting for example the distance that sound travels in a strongly absorbing material, can be done by heat detection systems. However, the presence of temperature detectors in such materials interferes with the sound field and is therefore not really suitable. Infrared measurements are a possible option. Another option is the use of Schlieren photography for simultaneous visualization of sound and heat. This technique is briefly outlined with a 3 MHz sound beam incident on a highly absorbing sponge.     

Giant bistable lateral shift owing to surface-plasmon excitation in Kretschmann configuration with a Kerr nonlinear dielectric

We investigate the reflection of a TM-polarized light beam from a Kretschmann configuration with a Kerr nonlinear dielectric. It is found that there exists a hysteretic response between the lateral shift of the reflected beam and the intensity of the incident beam. In contrast to the lower switch threshold, the higher switch threshold of optical bistability is more sensitive to the variations of the angle of incidence and the thickness of metal film. It is also found that the peak value of the lateral shift is strongly dependent on the thickness of metal film.     

A self-aligning ultrasound sensor for detecting foreign bodies in glass containers

This paper introduces the principle and design of an ultrasonic transducer system with auto-alignment mechanism. The proposed system is used for detecting foreign bodies (FBs) in beverage containers. Variation in reflection amplitude is analyzed as a function of the ultrasound beam incident angle to beverage container surface. It is concluded that there exists a quadratic relationship between the strength of the reflected signal and the incident angle. Furthermore, a calculation for effective angular increment for searching the normal of a curved surface is introduced. Experiments conducted using the prototype demonstrated that FBs are detectable in various juices. Experiments also observed some false echo signals that occur due to curved container surface. Threshold in confined time region is therefore set to ensure no fail of detection in low signal to noise ratio. This design is also applicable to non-destructive inspection for metal canned food.