TY - CONF A1 - Epple, Niklas T1 - Monitoring of bridges with coda waves - first steps towards an imaging strategy N2 - Monitoring of concrete structures is of utmost importance in maintenance and preservation of infrastructure. As a part of the DFG research group CoDA (Concrete Damage Assessment by Coda Waves), the works within this PhD project aim for identification of damage sensitive parameters extracted from ultrasonic measurements obtained with embedded sensors, the determination of environmental (reversible) influences on the signal and the localisation of damaged areas. The main technique used for the detection of changes in the monitored material is the so-called Coda Wave Interferometry (CWI). It uses the later part of the ultrasonic recording for the detection of small changes in the sensed area and the calculation of a relative velocity change. Using this technique we can show that we are able to detect changes in concrete temperature with ultrasound measurements. This enables temperature correction for ultrasound monitoring with embedded sensors. The crucial point for imaging and localisation with coda waves is the calculation of the so-called sensitivity kernels. We propose the application of numerical wave simulations for the kernel calculations instead of the commonly used diffusivity equation. Using finite-difference wave modelling code from our DFG project partners we are able to calculate those Kernels and first results are shown in this presentation. The major task for the second year will be the development and implementation of the inversion algorithm as well as the preparation of validation experiments. T2 - Doktorandenseminar BAM Abt. 8 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 30.03.2020 KW - Ultrasound KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Numerical modelling KW - Structural health monitoring PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-50624 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Pech May, Nelson Wilbur A1 - Paul, A. A1 - Ziegler, Mathias T1 - Pulse-compression laser thermography using a modified Barker code: Enhanced detection of subsurface defects N2 - Pulse-compression thermography is an emerging technique that has shown versatility by combination of pulsed and lock-in thermography. Accordingly, several aspects of this technique are still unexplored, and some others not fully developed yet. Barker codes were widely used in radar applications due to their simplicity and their optimum autocorrelation function. Nevertheless, applications were limited by the amplitude of the sidelobes present in the autocorrelation function and therefore, several filters have been developed which aim to reduce the sidelobes. However, the filters usually depend on empirical parameters which must be determined for each application. A better alternative would improve the applicability of the Barker codes. In this work, we further develop the pulse-compression thermography technique by introducing a 13-bit modified Barker code (mBC): This allows to drastically reduce the sidelobes characteristic of the 13-bit Barker code (BC). Consequently, the thermographic impulse response, obtained by cross-correlation, is almost free of such sidelobes. Deeper defects become easier to detect in comparison with using a 13-bit Barker code. Numerical simulations using the finite element method are used for comparison and experimental measurements are performed in a sample of steel grade St 37 with machined notches of three different depths: 2 mm, 4 mm and 6 mm. T2 - SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing 2021 CY - Online meeting DA - 13.04.2021 KW - Pulse-compression laser thermography KW - Barker codes KW - Non-destructive testing PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53249 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Völker, Christoph T1 - Uncertainty quantification for a sparse machine learning (ML) data set in non-destructive testing in civil engineering (NDT-CE) N2 - ML has been successfully applied to solve many NDT-CE tasks. This is usually demonstrated with performance metrics that evaluate the model as a whole based on a given set of data. However, since in most cases the creation of reference data is extremely expensive, the data used is generally much sparser than in other areas, such as e-commerce. As a result, performance indicators often do not reflect the practical applicability of the ML model. Estimates that quantify transferability from one case to another are necessary to meet this challenge and pave the way for real world applications. In this contribution we invetigate the uncertainty of ML in new NDT-CE scenarios. For this purpose, we have extended an existing training data set for the classification of corrosion damage by a new case study. Our data set includes half-cell potential mapping and ground-penetrating radar measurements. The measurements were performed on large-area concrete samples with built-in chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcement. The experiment simulated the entire life cycle of chloride induced exposed concrete components in the laboratory. The unique ability to monitor deterioration and initiate targeted corrosion initiation allowed the data to be labelled - which is crucial to ML. To investigate transferability, we extend our data by including new design features of the test specimen and environmental conditions. This allows to express the change of these features in new scenarios as uncertainties using statistical methods. We compare different sampling and statistical distribution-based approaches and show how these methods can be used to close knowledge gaps of ML models in NDT. T2 - EGU General Assembly 2021 CY - Online meeting DA - 19.04.2021 KW - Data fusion KW - Non-destructive testing PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-8798 AN - OPUS4-54125 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Casperson, Ralf T1 - Non-Destructive Testing of Composite Pressure Vessels using Conventional and High-Frequency Eddy Current Technique N2 - Pressure vessels for the transport of hazardous gases are subjected to a hydraulic internal pressure test. Basis for the design of metallic pressure vessels is the fatigue strength according to Wöhler, whereby the number of load changes can be equated with the number of filling / emptying cycles of the pressure vessel. Metallic pressure vessels are increasingly replaced by composite pressure vessels due to the weight savings. However, at composite preasure vessels it is not possible to conclude from the number of load cycles on the fatigue strength, because composite pressure vessels are ageing even at constant internal pressure. Non-destructive conventional and high frequency eddy current testing of the metallic liner and load bearing CFRP layer are presented as an alternative to hydraulic internal pressure test. T2 - TAHYA Workshop CY - Online meeting DA - 02.06.2021 KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Composite preasure vessel KW - Eddy currnet testing PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-52856 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Küttenbaum, Stefan T1 - Guideline on NDT-supported reliability assessment of existing structures N2 - The presentation summarizes the idea and the methodology of the ZfPStatik project and gives insight into three case studies, showing how non-destructive testing results can be utilized beneficially in the recalculation of existing prestressed concrete and reinforced concrete bridges. T2 - 2nd Conference of the European Association on Quality Control of Bridges and Structures – EUROSTRUCT2023 CY - Vienna, Austria DA - 26.09.2023 KW - Reliability KW - Assessment KW - Existing structures KW - Non-destructive testing PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58485 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stamm, Michael T1 - Semi-automated detection of rain erosion damages on turbine blades with passive thermography and AI image processing N2 - The European Green Deal and the global fight against climate change call for more and larger wind turbines in Europe and around the world. To meet the increasing demand for maintenance and inspection, partly autonomous methods of remote inspection are increasingly being developed in addition to industrial climbers performing the inspection. Rotor blades are exposed to extreme weather conditions throughout their lifetime of 20 years, and the leading edge erodes over time. These erosion damages change the aerodynamic features of blades and can cause structural damages. The estimated annual energy production (AEP) losses caused by erosion damages are between 0.5% and 2% per year. The classification of the severity of a rain erosion damage and the quantification of the resulting AEP losses for cost efficient repair and maintenance efforts and improved power production of wind turbines are subject of scientific research. For the inspection of wind turbine rotor blades, passive thermography is an option that has been used to detect both internal damage [3, 4] as well as erosion on the surface [5, 6]. The advantage is that, given suitable boundary conditions, not only the rain erosion damage itself but also temperature differences caused by the resulting turbulences can be observed on the surface of the blade. Turbulences reduce the efficiency of the rotor blades and result in AEP losses. Optimised thermography inspections can contribute to detect and to evaluate rain erosion damages. The thermal inspection lasts 10 minutes per turbine and is performed while the turbine is in full operation, avoiding downtime and lost opportunities for the turbine owner which are usually caused by conventional blade inspections. The timely inspection procedure is complemented by an automatic data evaluation and results in a considerable number of inspected wind turbines in a certain period of time. A fully convolutional network (FCN) is implemented for the automated evaluation of thermal images. In the presented study, more than 1000 thermographic images of blades were annotated, augmented and used to train and test the FCN. The aim is the precise marking of thermal signatures caused by erosion damage at the leading edge. The area size of the detected temperature difference caused by turbulences was used to identify and categorise damages. Certain strategies were adopted to group small individual indications as one large damage, in order to develop simplification rules based on realistic thermal imaging resolution. T2 - Wind Energy Science Conference (WESC) 2023 CY - Glasgow, Scotland DA - 23.05.2023 KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Thermography KW - Wind turbine blade PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58498 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Friedrich, Alexander T1 - The AIFRI Project - Artificial Intelligence For Rail Inspection N2 - The rails of modern railways face an enormous wear and tear from ever increasing train speeds and loads. This necessitates diligent non-destructive testing for defects of the entire railway system. Non-destructive testing of rail tracks is carried out by rail inspection trains equipped with ultrasonic and eddy current test devices. However, the evaluation of the gathered data is mainly done manually with a strong focus on ultrasonic data, and defects are checked on-site using hand-held testing equipment. Maintenance measures are derived based on these on-site findings. The aim of the AIFRI project (Artificial Intelligence For Rail Inspection) is to - increase the degree of automation of the inspection process, from the evaluation of the data to the planning of maintenance measures, - increase the accuracy of defect detection, - automatically classify detected indications into risk classes. These aims will be achieved by training a neural network for defect detection and classification. Since the current testing data is unbalanced, insufficiently labeled and largely unverified we will supplement fused, simulated eddy current and ultrasonic testing data in form of a configurable digital twin. T2 - PostDoc Day 2022 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 03.11.2022 KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Artificial intelligence KW - Simulation KW - Eddy current KW - Ultrasound PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-57240 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Maillard, S. T1 - Development of Active Thermography for NDT applications through standardization N2 - Many laboratories have been working about Active Thermography as a Non Destructive Testing method for many years. This method can be applied on metallic or composites materials for surface or subsurface defects. Thus, many different configurations can be encountered to measure the heat distribution and generate heat flow into the part. Signal processing is also widely used to improve the performance of detection. After encouraging results, aerospace, automotive and energy industries are now involved into industrialization of the technology to apply it for production or maintenance applications. Good practices and common wording are often required by end-user to qualify the process. Since the beginning of the 2000s, a working group was founded within CEN/TC138 'Non-destructive Testing' to define standards in thermography, in the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). Some other actors have also produced standards (ISO, IEC, ASTM...). This paper aims to list the standards currently available about thermography and the associatd vocabulary. It describes the generic terms to be used in active and passive thermography (operating modes, reference blocks, reporting…) and also more specific elements about laser and induction thermography for example. It will also put in perspective the further works to be done in the next few years to take into account the new trends in active thermography and how to qualify for industrial applications. T2 - 17th Quantitative InfraRed Thermography Conference - QIRT 2024 CY - Zagreb, Croatia DA - 01.07.2024 KW - Infrared Thermography KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Standardization PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60931 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Maillard, S. T1 - Development of Active Thermography for NDT applications through standardization N2 - Many laboratories have been working about Active Thermography as a Non Destructive Testing method for many years. This method can be applied on metallic or composites materials for surface or subsurface defects. Thus, many different configurations can be encountered to measure the heat distribution and generate heat flow into the part. Signal processing is also widely used to improve the performance of detection. After encouraging results, aerospace, automotive and energy industries are now involved into industrialization of the technology to apply it for production or maintenance applications. Good practices and common wording are often required by end-user to qualify the process. Since the beginning of the 2000s, European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has launched a Working Group within CEN/TC138 to define standards in thermography. Some other actors have also produced standards (ISO, IEC, ASTM,..). This goal of this presentation is to present a status of the standard currently available about thermography and the associated vocabulary. It describes the generic terms to be used in active and passive thermography (operating modes, reference blocks, reporting,…) and also more specific elements about laser and induction thermography for example. It will also put in perspective the further works to be done in the next few years to take into account the new trends in active thermography and how to qualify for industrial applications. T2 - 20th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing (20th WCNDT) CY - Incheon, South Korea DA - 27.05.2024 KW - Infrared Thermography KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Standardization PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60913 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chaudhuri, Somsubhro T1 - Passive infrared thermography as an inspection tool for operational wind turbine rotor blades N2 - The growing wind energy infrastructure presents a significant challenge in the maintenance and operation of wind turbines (WT) and their intricate components. An important aspect of WT maintenance is the inspection of wind turbine rotor blades (WTB) to ensure the overall health and safety of the turbine. This inspection process involves both visual and mechanical examinations of the blades to identify any indicators of damage or wear that could compromise their performance and, consequently, the structural integrity of the entire WT system. The complexity of WTBs is compounded by their ever-expanding dimensions, exceeding 100 meters in length for 16 MW WT systems, and their multi-material composition. Within this context, passive infrared thermography emerges as a potential alternative to conventional contact- or proximity-based inspection methods. Unlike active thermography, passive thermography uses solar radiation and ambient temperature variation for thermal contrast, eliminating the need for traditional heat lamps, flash, or laser-based techniques. A novel inspection method has been developed to semi-autonomously assess wind turbine blades (WTBs) while the wind turbine (WT) is operational, from ground level. This approach leverages optimal thermal contrast, which depends on prevailing weather conditions during field measurements, enabling the visualization of both external and internal features of the WTBs through post-processing techniques. In this study, thermal data obtained through passive thermography is compared with contemporaneous visual imagery to definitively classify observed features in thermal images as either surface or sub-surface features. This analysis, coupled with corresponding weather conditions, provides valuable insights into the capabilities and limitations of the inspection technique. Additionally, finite-element-based (FE) thermal simulations of a WTB section are employed to parametrically assess the influence of weather conditions, beyond those observed during field measurements, based on a validated model. In addition, the thermal images also consist of thermal signatures of leading-edge turbulence due to possible leading-edge erosion in WTBs. These are primarily vortices, and their shape and size depend on the morphology of the damage as well as the rotational speed of the WTBs. The inspections are accompanied by automatic data evaluation of the thermal signatures. To improve the precision of erosion damage identification, a fully convolutional network (FCN) is employed, trained, and tested using over 1000 annotated thermographic blade images. Additionally, the study introduces strategies for grouping smaller damage indications and simplification rules based on realistic thermal imaging resolutions. As leading-edge erosion could potentially lead to annual energy production (AEP) losses, this technique could prove to be a powerful tool in establishing the presence of damage and the resulting AEP loss. T2 - 20th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing CY - Incheon, South Korea DA - 27.05.2024 KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Thermografie KW - Wind turbine rotor blades KW - Windenergie Anlage Rotorblätter KW - Thermography PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60695 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph T1 - Frequency modulated, air-coupled ultrasound generated by fluidic oscillators N2 - The majority of ultrasonic devices used for non- destructive testing in civil engineering require contact with the surface of the concrete (specimen), which significantly increases the time required for the measurement. This makes it impractical for extensive investigation of large-scale structures such as bridge decks, foundations, or tunnels. In a pioneering approach, fluidic oscillators are used as contact free ultrasonic sources to overcome the aforementioned limi- tations. These robust and cost-effective actuators require only pressurised air and are ideally suited for harsh environments. At a constant supply pressure, they generate a continuous mono- frequent actuation signal. Further, varying the supply pressure via a fast pressure regulator was found to generate a frequency modulated signal which enabled time-of-flight measurement with an added advantage of increased signal to noise ratio. To demonstrate the feasibility of this novel idea of non-contact ultrasound, the results of the initial tests are presented. T2 - IEEE International Ultrasound Symposium CY - Venice, Italy DA - 11.10.2022 KW - Air-coupled ultrasound KW - Frequency modulation KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Civil engineering KW - Building materials KW - Fluidic oscillators PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56072 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bühling, Benjamin T1 - Recent Developments of Fluidic Ultrasonic Transducers at BAM N2 - Ultrasonic measurement technology has become indispensable in NDT. In order to reduce measurement time and extend the application to other materials, contactless ultrasound is the subject of many different research groups. Department 8 has been researching successfully in this field for years. A novel approach is based on so-called fluidic devices. These devices can be used to perform binary logic operations with the help of natural flow instabilities. Hence the abbreviated name, Fluidic (FLUID+LogIC). Only a pressure reservoir of the used fluid is required as energy supply. This enables the production of very robust actuators that generate ultrasonic signals in an extremely energy efficient way. The presentation includes the research results of the ZIM innovation project OsciCheck. The original idea will be presented and its application on different building materials is validated. Beyond this, the possible application areas are much larger and a detailed outlook is given to discuss the future potential of fluidic ultrasonic actuators. T2 - Abteilungsseminar Abteilung 8 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 23.09.2021 KW - Uultrasound KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Fluidic devices KW - Hydrogen KW - Ranging KW - Harsh environments PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53356 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Lecompagnon, Julien T1 - Total Focusing in the Virtual Wave Domain: 3D Defect Reconstruction using spatially structured Laser Heating N2 - Classical active thermographic testing of industrial goods has mostly been limited to generating 2D defect maps. While for surface or near-surface defect detection, this is a desired result, for deeply buried defects, a 3D reconstruction of the defect geometry is coveted. This general trend can also be well observed in widely used NDT methods (radiography, ultrasonic testing), where the progression from 2D to 3D reconstruction methods has already made profound progress (CT, UT phased array transducers). Achieving a fully 3D defect reconstruction in active thermographic testing suffers from the diffusive nature of thermal processes. One possible solution to deal with thermal diffusion is the application of the virtual-wave concept, which, by solving an inverse problem, allows the diffusiveness to be extracted from the thermographic data in the post-processing stage. What is left follows propagating-wave physics, enabling the usage of well-known algorithms from ultrasonic testing. In this work, we present our progress in the 3D reconstruction of deeply buried defects using spatially structured laser heating in conjunction with applying the well-known total focusing method (TFM) in the virtual-wave domain. T2 - 18th International Workshop on Advanced Infrared Technology and Applications (AITA 2025) CY - Kobe, Japan DA - 15.09.2025 KW - Infrared thermography KW - Non-destructive testing KW - NDT KW - Total focussing method PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64145 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Niederleithinger, Ernst T1 - News from NDT@BAM N2 - The presentation summarizes some recent research at BAM in the field of NDT in civil engineering. the firste xample decribes lab experiments on the degardation of concrete during tunnel fires. Radar measuremenst were sucessfully used to detect interior damage. The second example decribes the first ever experiment on using muon imaging to evaluate concrete constructions. T2 - TRB 100th Annual Meeting, Subcommittee AKB40(1) CY - Online meeting DA - 05.01.2021 KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Civil engineering KW - Tunnel fire KW - Radar KW - Muon imaging PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-52053 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Maack, Stefan T1 - Practical procedure for the precise measurement of geometrical tendon positions in concrete with ultrasonic echo N2 - Existing concrete structures were usually designed for lifetimes of several decades. The current and urgently required efforts to increase sustainability and protect the environment will likely result in extended service lives up to 100 years. To achieve such objectives, it is required to assess structures over their entire lifecycles. Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods can reliably support the assessment of existing structures during the construction, operational, and decommissioning phases. One of the most important and safety-relevant components of a prestressed concrete structure are the tendons. NDT methods such as the ultrasonic echo method are suitable for both the detection and the localization of the tendons, i.e., the measurement of their geometrical position inside the component. The uniqueness of structures, concrete heterogeneity, and varying amounts of secondary components such as the reinforcement represent obstacles in the application of these methods in practice. The aim of this contribution is to demonstrate a practicable procedure, that can be used in the field to determine the parameters required for the measuring data analysis without extensive knowledge about the investigated components. For this purpose, a polyamide reference specimen is used to show which steps are required to obtain reliable imaging information on the position of tendons from the measurement data. The procedure is then demonstrated on a concrete test specimen that covers various relevant and practice-oriented test scenarios, such as varying tendon depths and component thicknesses. T2 - International Conference on Concrete Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofitting (ICCRRR 2022) CY - Cape Town, South Africa DA - 03.10.2022 KW - Validation KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Ultrasonic KW - Reconstruction KW - Concrete KW - Tendon duct PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55999 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Maack, Stefan T1 - Recent advances in (ultra)sonic active and passive monitoring of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures N2 - In addition to already established structural monitoring methods such as deformation, inclination or strain gauges or acoustic emission sensors, sonic or ultrasonic monitoring might provide valuable information about the condition or alteration of a structure. Sensors such as geophones, recording ambient noise in the sonic and subsonic frequency range can provide information beyond modal analysis by using interferometric methods. Wave velocities determined by this method are related to the elastic properties and stiffness of material and structure and can be converted into damage indicators. Embedded active ultrasonic transducer networks can provide more detailed insight about deterioration or damages again, using interferometric technologies. This approach is extremely sensible, detecting relative change in velocity on down to 10-5. These methods, including benefits and remaining challenges, are demonstrated using data from a test structure at BAM’s test site demonstrating the case of prestress loss, and data from an actual bridge still under traffic. T2 - International Conference on Concrete Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofitting (ICCRRR 2022) CY - Cape Town, South Africa DA - 03.10.2022 KW - Monitoring KW - Ultrasonic KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Coda wave KW - Bridge PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56000 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Pelkner, Matthias T1 - Process monitoring in metal AM@BAM, the project ProMoAM N2 - In this presentation we give an overview of activities regarding non-destructive testing of AM components during the manufacturing process. For this purpose, we installed different NDT methods inside the AM systems. The results obtained during the manufacturing process are presented and discussed. T2 - 74th IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference CY - Online meeting DA - 07.07.2021 KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Additive manufacturing KW - Online monitoring PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53186 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Casperson, Ralf T1 - AIFRI - Artificial Intelligence for Rail Inspection N2 - Verlegte Eisenbahnschienen werden mit Schienenprüfzügen, die mit zerstörungsfreier Ultraschall- und Wirbelstromprüftechnik ausgerüstet sind, auf Schienenfehler geprüft. Im Rahmen des mFund-geförderten Projektes AIFRI wurden von der TU Berlin KI-Algorithmen entwickelt, die die Prüfer bei der Auswertung der Daten unterstützen. Felddaten von realen Prüffahrten sind für das Training der KI ungeeignet, da es einerseits kaum Defekte in den Schienen gibt, die sich mit Ultraschall detektieren lassen, andererseits bei der Wirbelstromprüfung zahlreiche Oberflächeneffekte unbekannter Ursache angezeigt werden. Die Aufgabe der BAM bestand darin, durch Simulation gelabelte Trainingsdaten für die KI zu generieren. Während die mit simulierten Daten trainierte KI bei der Ultraschallprüfung eine gute Performance aufweist, sofern der Sim2Real-Gap durch Addition realitätsnaher Rauschsignaturen zu den simulierten Trainingsdaten minimiert wird, erwies sich die verwendete KI bei der Wirbelstromprüfung aufgrund zu vieler Falsch-Positives als ungeeignet. Die Ursache liegt vermutlich darin, dass aufgrund der großen Vielfalt von teils unbekannten Oberflächeneffekten nur eine kleine Auswahl simuliert werden konnte und die KI bei untrainierten Signalsignaturen halluziniert. T2 - AI/ML Symposium CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 06.11.2025 KW - Artificial intelligence KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Ultrasonic testing KW - Eddy current testing KW - Simulation KW - Sim2real gap KW - Railway rail inspection PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64630 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Solodov, Dmitry T1 - Exploring the Potential of Plasma Micro-Hollow Cathode Transducers for Air-Coupled Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing N2 - Plasma micro-hollow cathode (MHC) transducers offer a novel and promising approach for air-coupled non-destructive testing (NDT), with the distinct capability of generating ultrasonic waves across a broad frequency spectrum. Utilizing ionized gas as the wave-emitting medium, these transducers operate without requiring any physical contact or coupling medium, making them especially attractive for testing delicate or complex surfaces. Their compact design and plasma-driven mechanism allow for flexible deployment and potential miniaturization in various testing environments. This preliminary study investigates the fundamental behavior and performance of MHC plasma transducers in the context of ultrasound-based NDT. A series of experiments were conducted using laser Doppler vibrometry and optical microphone techniques to evaluate the transducers’ ability to generate, propagate, and detect acoustic waves in different materials and geometries, including PMMA, CFRP composites, and 3D-printed PLA structures with artificial defects such as flat-bottom holes and cracks. Results reveal the ability of MHC transducers to emit high-frequency, broadband ultrasonic waves in air, suitable for detecting subsurface anomalies. Although still in the early stages of development, MHC plasma transducers show potential for advancing air-coupled ultrasonic NDT. Future work will focus on optimizing transducer geometry and operating parameters to increase efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio. While conventional linear excitation remains the primary focus, this study also briefly explores the possibility of combining MHC transducers with nonlinear resonance-based methods, such as Local Defect Resonance (LDR), to improve defect sensitivity. Although the integration of MHCs with nonlinear techniques is still a challenging prospect, there is potential for enhanced defect detection, particularly for small or weakly bonded flaws. These methods could offer higher contrast and more precise localization of defects under resonance conditions. However, the implementation of such nonlinear methods would require further research and development. This study provides a foundation for exploring the broader capabilities of plasma-based ultrasound sources in material characterization and structural health monitoring, especially in lightweight, composite, or additively manufactured materials. T2 - ICU2025 - International Congress on Ultrasonics 2025 CY - Paderborn, Germany DA - 21.09.2025 KW - Air-coupled Ultrasound KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Microhollow cathod PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64735 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Sobczak, Michał T1 - Badania nieniszczące materiałów z wykorzystaniem termografii laserowej z liniowym źródłem ciepła N2 - Laserowa termografia z liniowym źródłem ciepła to technika o dużym potencjale w diagnostyce materiałów konstrukcyjnych, zarówno kompozytowych, jak i metalicznych. W przeciwieństwie do metod impulsowych, skupiona linia lasera pozwala na kierunkowe wzbudzenie cieplne i precyzyjne odwzorowanie rozkładu temperatury. Przesuwanie linii względem badanej powierzchni umożliwia inspekcję dużych obszarów z wysoką rozdzielczością przestrzenną, co sprzyja wykrywaniu defektów prostopadłych do kierunku propagacji ciepła. Przedmiotem badań jest analiza odpowiedzi termicznej próbki zawierającej dwa typy nieciągłości: otwór płaskodenny (FBH) oraz szczelinę powierzchniową. Symulacje wykonano w programie Marc Mentat, z uwzględnieniem ruchu źródła ciepła i rzeczywistych parametrów materiałowych. Rozkłady temperatury analizowano dwiema metodami: rekonstrukcją pełnego termogramu oraz filtracją gradientową sumowaną w czasie (TSGF). Pierwsza z nich pozwala uzyskać obraz powierzchni próbki tak, jakby została ogrzana jednocześnie, druga wzmacnia kontrast krawędzi szczelin w kierunku prostopadłym do ruchu lasera. Omówiono także wpływ prędkości przesuwu linii lasera na skuteczność detekcji, jako parametru wpływającego na czas wzbudzenia i wrażliwość pomiaru. Dodatkowo przedstawiono wyniki pomiarów eksperymentalnych, które potwierdzają możliwość wykrywania defektów z wykorzystaniem tej metody. Uzyskane odpowiedzi cieplne stanowią uzupełnienie analizy numerycznej i potwierdzają skuteczność metody w warunkach rzeczywistych. N2 - Laser line thermography is a promising technique for the non-destructive evaluation of structural materials, including both composites and metals. Unlike conventional flash methods, a focused laser line enables directional thermal excitation and precise control over surface temperature distribution. Moving the laser line relative to the inspected surface allows testing of large areas with high spatial resolution and supports the detection of defects oriented perpendicular to the heat propagation direction. The study focuses on the thermal response of a sample containing two types of discontinuities: a flat-bottom hole (FBH), representing thickness variation or delamination, and a surface-breaking notch simulating a crack. Numerical simulations were performed in Marc Mentat, using realistic material properties and modeling the motion of the heat source. Temperature distributions were analyzed using two methods: full thermogram reconstruction and Time-Summed Gradient Filtering (TSGF). The first method reconstructs the thermal image of the entire surface as if heated simultaneously, while the second enhances contrast along temperature gradient edges perpendicular to the laser movement. The influence of laser scanning speed on temperature distribution and defect visibility is also discussed. Additionally, experimental results on a sample with an FBH confirm the method’s capability for detecting material discontinuities. The findings support the practical applicability of laser line thermography and complement the numerical analysis. T2 - 52nd Polish National Conference on Non-Destructive Testing (KKBN) CY - Wisla, Poland DA - 21.10.2025 KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Laser thermography KW - Laser line KW - Numerical simulations PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64484 LA - pol AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -