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The Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT) is an algorithm applied in non-destructive ultrasonic testing which provides an image of flaws within a specimen. The image is reconstructed from A-scans measured at different positions. Reliable evaluation of the images obtained by the SAFT-algorithm, however, depends on the representation of the reconstructed data, which is initially given in terms of positive and negative local values only. A suitable way of processing this data for evaluation is to calculate the envelope, which can be achieved by means of the analytic signal. The extension of this concept to the multidimensional case is neither trivial nor unique and although extensive work on this subject has been carried out in the past, a correct envelope calculation in multidimensional data remains difficult since it depends on an additional condition, namely the separability of the signal. In this paper, the concept of analytic signals with single-quadrant spectra is applied to process 2-dimensional data obtained by the SAFT-algorithm. Furthermore, we present a procedure to overcome the limitations of that approach by selecting local magnitude values from a number of rotated frames after evaluating the signals separability in each frame, which is briefly validated against synthetic and experimental data.
In this paper, a method to determine the complex dispersion relations of axially symmetric guided waves in cylindrical structures is presented as an alternative to the currently established numerical procedures. The method is based on a spectral decomposition into eigenfunctions of the Laplace operator on the cross-section of the waveguide. This translates the calculation of real or complex wave numbers at a given frequency into solving an eigenvalue problem. Cylindrical rods and plates are treated as the asymptotic cases of cylindrical structures and used to generalize the method to the case of hollow cylinders. The presented method is superior to direct root-finding algorithms in the sense that no initial guess values are needed to determine the complex wave numbers and that neither starting at low frequencies nor subsequent mode tracking is required. The results obtained with this method are shown to be reasonably close to those calculated by other means and an estimate for the achievable accuracy is given.
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.
Up to now there is no sufficient technique to detect transverse cracks in austenitic and dissimilar welds which recently are of increasing interest in the integrity surveillance of nuclear power plants as well as in quality control of longitudinally welded pipes. Weld inspection by interpretation of single A-scans will lead to erroneous results due to effects caused by anisotropy and in worst case might leave flaws undetected. Therefore, imaging techniques such as the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) should be used. If the SAFT algorithm is applied on data taken from austenitic welds, the inhomogeneous, anisotropic structure of these welds has to be taken into account in order to properly attribute amplitudes measured in A-scans to the corresponding coordinates in the region of interest. While this has been investigated in the past, all attempts so far were limited to the imaging of longitudinal cracks which requires a less complicated setup than the imaging of transverse cracks. In this paper we give an outline of our attempts to reconstruct images of transverse cracks in different welds. For this purpose a SAFT program based on ray tracing and a layered structure weld model derived from an empirical model of grain orientations in welds are used. The results of the image reconstruction on experimental data are shown and compared to images obtained by assuming an isotropic homogeneous model. Root reflection and crack tip echo are clearly visible which allows an estimation of size and position of the crack with good accuracy.
The inspection of austenitic and dissimilar welds using ultrasound demands for sophisticated testing techniques. The application of reconstruction methods like the Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT) on the measurement results provides an appropriate approach for defect characterization and sizing. Nevertheless, the reconstruction algorithm has to consider the aniso-tropic wave propagation inside the inhomogeneous weld material. In recent years the detection of transverse cracks has become increasingly important for ensuring the structural integrity of pipes in the primary circuit of nuclear power plants or longitudinally welded, cladded pipes. However, relia-ble inspection techniques are hardly available. In this particular case, it is expected that the compar-atively long propagation path of the ultrasonic wave field inside the inhomogeneous weld material enhances the effect of anisotropy and influences the accuracy and the signal-to-noise-ratio of the reconstruction result. In this contribution we suggest an advanced ultrasonic testing technique for detecting and sizing of transversal cracks in austenitic and dissimilar welds. The method applies a SAFT reconstruction algorithm considering the anisotropy and the inhomogeneity. A V-arrangement of the transducers in pitch-catch technique is chosen to avoid a direct coupling on the weld face. The reconstruction algo-rithm is based on an extended 3-dimensional weld model and uses a ray-tracing approach for de-termining the wave propagation paths. Along with the reconstruction algorithm the transducer set-up and experimental results of different specimens with artificial transverse flaws are presented. The availability of the proposed method for crack sizing is assessed in comparison to conventional testing techniques.