Non-Destructive Inspection of Surface Defects in Cylindrical Structures

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jikai Du
Keyword(s):  
Eddy Current ◽  
Phased Array ◽  
Surface Defects ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Cylindrical Structures ◽  
Ultrasound Beam ◽  
Beam Focusing ◽  
Test Cylinder ◽  
Non Destructive

Cylindrical structures have been applied in various pressure vessels and weapon systems, which may be subjected to harsh environmental conditions such as large mechanical stresses and thermal stresses. As a result, non-destructive evaluation of such structures is critical in quality control. Among the various defects that may be generated during fabrication, transportation, operation/firing, and so on, surface crack is a critical one and needs to be quantitatively and accurately evaluated. In this study, both ultrasound phased array technique and eddy current technique are applied for the inspection of 120 mm steel test cylinder. In the cylinder, a total of nine sets of surface defects of various size, depth and orientation are fabricated and quantitatively evaluated. In ultrasound phased array evaluation, simulations and experiments on standard aluminum block were carried out first to calibrate the system parameter setup. During this calibration, ultrasound propagation and its interaction with defects were simulated and studied. The dependence of ultrasound field on the ultrasound parameters and on the characteristics of defects was analyzed and optimized. Then simulations and experiments on steel test cylinder were carried out for the detection of the smallest detectable defects. Results showed that the optimization of the number of active elements can improve the distortion of defect images; the steering angles and the beam focusing laws may change the ultrasound beam intensity and uniformity, which has a significant influence on the sensitivity and resolution of the phased array technique; the geometry and material properties of cylindrical structures could distort the ultrasound beam, and as a result, calibration is necessary and important during practical inspections. Frequency is a key factor for phased array technique to improve its sensitivity. In eddy current evaluation, a prototype for wireless eddy current system was designed, and an eddy current probe interface and a main unit interface were developed. The main advantages of such wireless probe are safety, economic benefits and maneuverability when compared to conventional wired probe. During testing, the signal at the probe interface was activated, measured, digitized and transmitted wirelessly to the main unit interface. Experimental results showed that the eddy current signals can be wirelessly communicated with main unit, and the results are comparable with the wired eddy current tester. Testing results also showed that the wireless signal is about 8 dB lower compared to wired signals and phase difference exists between the wired and wireless signals.

scholarly journals Physic perspective fusion of electromagnetic acoustic transducer and pulsed eddy current testing in non-destructive testing system

2020 ◽  
Vol 378 (2182) ◽  
pp. 20190608
Author(s):  
Wei Guo ◽  
Bin Gao ◽  
Gui Yun Tian ◽  
Dan Si
Keyword(s):  
Eddy Current ◽  
Surface Defects ◽  
Eddy Current Testing ◽  
Non Destructive Testing ◽  
Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer ◽  
Destructive Testing ◽  
Current Testing ◽  
Pulsed Eddy Current ◽  
Acoustic Transducer ◽  
Non Destructive

Comprehensive non-destructive testing (NDT) for pipelines is a critical and challenging task. This paper proposes a novel physic perspective fusion NDT method of electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) and pulsed Eddy current testing (PECT) for detecting hybrid defects. This transceiver-integrated fusion sensor structure can simultaneously excite ultrasound and pulsed eddy current. Therefore, the generated ultrasound is applied to detect deep defects, while the eddy current detects surface defects. The theoretical derivation of EMAT and PECT fusion mechanism has been developed for analysis and interpretation of the results. In addition, numerical simulation on the detection of hybrid defects including surface defects with different width, depth and multiple bottom-thinning defects has been conducted. Experiments on both ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic material verify the feasibility of composite detection. Finally, tests have been validated on pipeline with weld defects, and the results show that the composite inspection method is capable of monitoring thickness variations and inspecting surface defects. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Advanced electromagnetic non-destructive evaluation and smart monitoring’.

scholarly journals Ultrasound Phased Array for High Acoustic Attenuation Thick Composite Materials

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jikai Du ◽  
Ali Rajhi
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Composite Materials ◽  
Composite Structures ◽  
Phased Array ◽  
Fiber Direction ◽  
Single Element ◽  
Acoustic Attenuation ◽  
Ultrasound Beam ◽  
High Attenuation ◽  
Beam Focusing

Composite materials and structures are increasingly being applied in aerospace, marine, and wind power industries, as well as in commercial products. One main reason for the scientific interest in composite materials is their tailorable mechanical properties. However, because of the fiber-direction-dependent nature of its physical and mechanical properties, composite material’s property and failure behaviors are usually complex, typically involving various mechanisms depending on applications. Nondestructive testing plays a key role during composite fabrication and maintenance in service. Among the variety of nondestructive techniques available, ultrasound phased array technique has emerged as a promising new approach. Unlike a conventional ultrasound single element transducer, an ultrasound phased array sensor can control and focus acoustic energy to the desired directions and locations. This heightened flexibility and sensitivity is essential given complex shape of modern composite structures. Despite such promise, understanding and application of ultrasound phased array technique is limited due to the anisotropic nature of composite materials, as well as its high acoustic attenuation. Attenuation and velocity dispersion are the two major challenges to the ultrasound evaluation of composite structures; these two factors complicate the control of phased array ultrasound propagation both theoretically and experimentally. This is especially true for thick high attenuation carbon fiber or glass fiber composite materials that have been widely applied in aerospace and wind turbine industries. In our study, ultrasound phased array technique was applied to increase the acoustic penetration power in high acoustic attenuation composite materials. First, ultrasound phased array signal in isotropic materials was studied to calibrate the probe parameters. Then for composite materials, the dependence of ultrasound field on the number of active elements, steering angles, beam focusing laws and on the characteristics of materials was analyzed and optimized through theoretical simulations and experimental evaluations. Results showed that the steering angles and the parameters of beam focusing laws might change the ultrasound beam intensity and uniformity, which had a significant influence on the sensitivity and resolution of the technique; the anisotropic properties of composite materials could distort the ultrasound beam, which made the calibration a necessary and important procedure during practical inspections. The influence of ultrasound frequency and beam angle were also quantitatively evaluated. The proposed research has the potential to apply ultrasound phased array technique to the detection of defects in composite materials and the evaluation of composite structural health. The study of the interaction between ultrasound and composite structures will open the window for the successful application of ultrasound phased array technique.

Electromagnetic and magnetic methods of non-destructive testing for control of damage accumulation in structural steels and alloys (review)

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (8) ◽  
pp. 49-57
Author(s):  
A. G. Efimov
Keyword(s):  
Eddy Current ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Structural Steels ◽  
Austenitic Steels ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Non Destructive Testing ◽  
Destructive Testing ◽  
Magnetic Methods ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Non Destructive

Control of the stress-strain state, compressive and tension stresses, accumulated fatigue damage is one of the goals of non-destructive testing. We consider data of current research in the field of eddy current and electromagnetic methods of non-destructive testing aimed at solving the problem of monitoring the accumulated damage in structural steels and alloys. Developments for practical implementation of the coercive force method, the eddy current structurescopy of non-magnetic materials, the method of higher harmonics and remanence-based control, the method of magnetic noise (Barkhausen noise) are considered. The physical foundations of non-destructive testing methods are considered along with their brief comparative analysis. Examples of non-destructive testing of critical units, such as operating oil and gas pipelines, aircraft parts, bearing parts, pressure vessels, crane parts, etc. are given. The possibility of using the eddy current method for control of the austenitic phase of cold rolled austenitic steels (AISI 304, AISI 321, AISI 316) is analyzed. The examples of static and fatigue tests of the samples of various steels and alloys are given: St3, St20, St45, D16T, AMg6, AMg6N, 12Kh18N9T, 08Kh18N9, 40Kh, R91. Metrology issues and the impact of interfering parameters affecting the measurement error are considered. The equipment used for a number of methods is discussed. Conclusions regarding the limits of applicability and limitations of the considered methods are drawn. The review provides links to both the fundamental works in the field of electromagnetic structurescopy and to modern research in this area which is important for the practical implementation of the devices based on electromagnetic and magnetic methods of non-destructive testing.

scholarly journals New directions for inline inspection of automobile laser welds using non-destructive testing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Araújo Machado ◽  
Luís Filipe Soldado Granadeiro Rosado ◽  
Nuno Alberto Marques Mendes ◽  
Rosa Maria Mendes Miranda ◽  
Telmo Jorge Gomes dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Eddy Current ◽  
Surface Defects ◽  
Inspection System ◽  
Destructive Testing ◽  
Control Paradigm ◽  
Laser Welds ◽  
Welding Defects ◽  
Surface Welding ◽  
Brazed Joints ◽  
Non Destructive

AbstractAn innovative pilot installation and eddy current testing (ECT) inspection system for laser-brazed joints is presented. The proposed system detects both surface and sub-surface welding defects operating autonomously and integrated with a robotized arm. Customized eddy current probes were designed and experimentally validated detecting pore defects with 0.13 mm diameter and sub-surface defects buried 1 mm deep. The integration of the system and the manufacturing process towards an Industry 4.0 quality control paradigm is also discussed.

Probabilistic evaluation of detection capability of eddy current testing to inspect pitting on a stainless steel clad using multiple signal features

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 47-55
Author(s):  
Takuma Tomizawa ◽  
Haicheng Song ◽  
Noritaka Yusa
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Eddy Current ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Eddy Current Testing ◽  
Probability Of Detection ◽  
Current Testing ◽  
Multiple Signal ◽  
Signal Features ◽  
Inner Surface ◽  
Drill Holes

This study proposes a probability of detection (POD) model to quantitatively evaluate the capability of eddy current testing to detect flaws on the inner surface of pressure vessels cladded by stainless steel and in the presence of high noise level. Welded plate samples with drill holes were prepared to simulate corrosion that typically appears on the inner surface of large-scale pressure vessels. The signals generated by the drill holes and the noise caused by the weld were examined using eddy current testing. A hit/miss-based POD model with multiple flaw parameters and multiple signal features was proposed to analyze the measured signals. It is shown that the proposed model is able to more reasonably characterize the detectability of eddy current signals compared to conventional models that consider a single signal feature.

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