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Eingeladener Vortrag
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In this paper, a method is presented for the numerical computation of dispersion properties and mode shapes of guided waves in plate structures. The formulation is based on the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method. The through-thickness direction of the plate is discretized in the finite element sense, while the direction of propagation is described analytically. This leads to a standard eigenvalue problem for the calculation of wave numbers. The proposed method is not limited to homogeneous plates. Multi-layered composites as well as structures with continuously varying material parameters in the direction of thickness can be modeled without essential changes in the formulation. Higher-order elements have been employed for the finite element discretization, leading to excellent convergence for complex structures. It is shown by numerical examples that this method provides highly accurate results with a small number of nodes while avoiding numerical problems and instabilities.
Eine Reihe von Prüfproblemen in der chemischen Industrie, in Kraftwerksanlagen und in Transportsystemen ist aufgrund schwieriger Zugangsmöglichkeiten nur begrenzt technisch bzw. wirtschaftlich effizient durchführbar. Das hier vorgestellte Projekt beinhaltet die Entwicklung eines Verfahrens der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung über weite Entfernungen (bis zu 100 m), das zum Einsatz in automatisierten Messsystemen bzw. zur Integration in Langzeitüberwachungssysteme geeignet ist. Grundlage des Verfahrens ist die gezielte Anregung und Auswertung von Lamb-Wellenmoden, wodurch eine effektive Unterscheidung von Fehler- und Formanzeigen sowie eine Klassifizierung unterschiedlicher Fehlertypen möglich werden.
Der Vorteil der Nutzung geführter Wellen für die zerstörungsfreie Prüfung liegt in ihrer vergleichsweise guten Ausbreitungsfähigkeit über weite Entfernungen. Die sich daraus ergebenden Möglichkeiten der Untersuchung großer bzw. schwer zugänglicher Bereiche einer Struktur bieten innovative Ansätze für die Entwicklung robuster Structural-Health-Monitoring-Systeme (SHM). Erst durch die Verfügbarkeit leistungsfähiger Rechentechnik wird ein breiter Einsatz derartiger Verfahren möglich. Die Technik kann zur Materialcharakterisierung an ebenen bzw. zylindrischen, dünnwandigen Flächen aus Metall oder auch CFK genutzt werden. Adressierte Anwendungsfelder sind z.B. die Untersuchung von Flugzeugtragflächen oder Pipelines. Des Weiteren wird der Einsatz solcher Verfahren zur Überwachung sicherheitsrelevanter Bauteile z.B. aus Laminaten angestrebt, wie sie verstärkt in der Luft- und Raumfahrt Anwendung finden. Im Rahmen des Projekts wurde auf Grundlage vorhandener Technik (Wellenanregung mittels Ultraschall-Gruppenstrahlprüfköpfen) ein umfassendes Verständnis für die Technologie und anwendungsrelevante Parameter (Probenmaterial und -dimensionen, Welleneigenschaften, Anregungs-, Transmissions-, Reflektionscharakteristika) gewonnen und Algorithmen zur Erkennung von Schädigungsbildern (z.B. Riss, Loch, Verdünnung) entwickelt.
Neben der Algorithmusentwicklung zur Detektion und Analyse von Schadstellen, lag ein Projektschwerpunkt in der Entwicklung einer geeigneten Gerätetechnik. Als sensorisches Elemente wurde Ultraschall-Gruppenstrahlertechnik eingesetzt. Besondere Anforderungen werden an die Technik zur Anregung der Wellenmoden unter Verwendung geeigneter Piezoaktoren gestellt. In diesem Bereich existiert bislang keine kommerziell erhältliche Gerätelösung, weshalb eine Neuentwicklug der Anregetechnik realisiert wurde. Speziell für die hohe Anzahl an Aktorkanälen, die benötigt wird, um unterschiedliche Moden und Wellenformen anzuregen, wurde eine äußerst leistungsfähige Anregeeinheit entwickelt.
This paper presents the numerical modeling of the Lamb
wave propagation in plate like structures with the
Elastodynamic Finite Integration Technique (EFIT) and its
validation with the measured results. In general, Lamb
waves offer an attractive method to detect the defects inside
long plate like structures efficiently. However, such a nondestructive
testing (NDT) requires profound understanding
of the Lamb wave propagation in the plates, generation of
the symmetric and anti-symmetric modes of different orders
and their interaction with the defects of the materials.
Modern simulation tools based on numerical methods can be
used to model this complex NDT situation. EFIT is an
effective tool to model such problems in an efficient way.
With the help of the simulation results obtained from the
EFIT tool the propagation of different symmetric and antisymmetric
Lamb wave modes is analyzed and thus a proper
technique is developed to excite different modes and to
separate them from each other precisely. A validation of the
numerical results with the measured results is also presented.
Die Rekonstruktion von Materialfehlern aus gemessenen
HF-Bildern mit Hilfe der Synthetic Aperture Focussing
Technique (SAFT) ist ein bildgebendes Verfahren der
zerstörungsfreien Werkstoffprüfung. Die Auswertbarkeit
der gewonnenen Ergebnisse wird dabei maßgeblich durch
die Darstellung der mittels SAFT-Rekonstruktion zusammengestellten
Daten bestimmt, welche zunächst nur
in Form positiver und negativer Amplitudenwerte vorliegen.
Die Aufbereitung dieser Daten erfolgt durch Bildung der
Einhüllenden der Amplituden aus dem zugehörigen analytischen
Signal. Die Erweiterung dieses, nur im eindimensionalen
Fall eindeutig definierten, Konzepts auf
zweidimensionale Signalverläufe erfolgt dabei in Form einer
Mittelung über die Betragsquadrate aller möglichen
mit Single-Orthant-Spektren (SO-Spektren) zu bildenden
analytischen Signale. Es wird gezeigt dass dies
der Verwendung einer Approximation als separables Signal
entspricht und für den zweidimensionalen Fall eine
Möglichkeit vorgeschlagen Signale anhand ihrer partiellen
und totalen Hilberttransformationen auf Separabilität und damit Anwendbarkeit dieser Näherung zu testen.
Die Ergebnisse der so durchgeführten Bildverbesserung
werden am Beispiel einer zweidimensionalen SAFT-Rekonstruktion
an verschiedenen Reflektorarten dargestellt.
Für alle Anwendungen geführter Wellen, beispielsweise in
der zerstörungsfreien Materialprüfung, ist die exakte und
effiziente Berechnung von Dispersionseigenschaften erforderlich.
Dabei müssen für eine gegebene Frequenz die Anzahl
der ausbreitungsfähigen Moden und deren Wellenzahlen
sowie Phasen- und Gruppengeschwindigkeiten berechnet
werden. Für den Fall von Lambwellen in homogenen
isotropen Platten existieren analytische Gleichungen
für die Wellenzahlen, die sich mit numerischen Nullstellensuchverfahren
lösen lassen. Für komplexere Strukturen
oder dreidimensionale, nicht rotationssymmetrische
Wellenleiter ist die Entwicklung numerischer Methoden
erforderlich. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein numerisches
Verfahren, basierend auf der Scaled Boundary Finite
Element Method (SBFEM) [1] vorgestellt. Mit diesem
lassen sich Dispersionseigenschaften von beliebigen Wellenleitern
sehr effizient berechnen. Ergebnisse werden für
den Fall von Wellen in Platten mit komplexer Materialzusammensetzung
präsentiert.
This paper presents the numerical modeling of the Lamb wave propagation in thin plates with the elastodynamic finite integration technique (EFIT) and its validation with the measured results. In general, Lamb waves offer an attractive method to detect the defects inside long plate like structures efficiently. However, such a nondestructive testing (NDT) requires profound understanding of the Lamb wave propagation in the plates, generation of the symmetric and anti-symmetric modes of different orders and their interaction with the defects of the materials. Modern simulation tools based on numerical methods such as the finite integration technique (FIT), the finite element method (FEM) and the boundary element method (BEM) can be used to model this NDT situation. The elastodynamic finite integration technique (EFIT) is an effective tool to model Lamb wave propagation in plates over long distances in an efficient way. With the help of the simulation results obtained from the EFIT tool the propagation of different symmetric and anti-symmetric modes is analyzed and thus a proper technique is developed to excite different modes and to separate them from each other precisely. A validation of the numerical results with the analytical results is also presented.
In this paper the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM) is applied for the simulation of Lamb waves in cracked plates. This method is highly advantageous to study the interaction of different Lamb wave modes with cracks as the crack is not discretized and no refinement is required around the crack tip. Numerical examples are presented for the reflection of the fundamental symmetric and antisymmetric modes from cracks of different depth. The spatial Fourier transformation is employed to calculate the amplitudes of reflected Lamb wave modes. The results reveal possibilities to obtain details of the crack geometry in non-destructive testing and structural health monitoring applications.
In this contribution a 3D ray tracing model for ultrasonic
field evaluation in inhomogeneous anisotropic materials
such as austenitic welds is presented. The inhomogenity of
austenitic weld material is represented as several
homogeneous layers. The general problem of energy
reflection and transmission at the boundaries of the layers
are solved resulting 3D amplitude and energy reflection and
transmission coefficients. The directivity factor for the ray in
general arbitrary oriented austenitic weld material (including
lay back orientation) is determined based on Lambs
reciprocity theorem. The transducer excited ultrasonic fields
are accurately evaluated by employing ray directivity factor,
transmission coefficients, divergence of the ray bundle and
density of rays. Finally, the comparison between theoretical
and experimental results will be described.
Ultrasonic investigation of inhomogeneous anisotropic materials such as austenitic welds is complicated because its columnar grain structure leads to curved energy paths, beam splitting and asymmetrical beam profiles. A ray tracing model has potential advantage in analyzing the ultrasonic sound field propagation and there with optimizing the inspection parameters. In this contribution we present a 2D ray tracing model to predict energy ray paths, ray amplitudes and travel times for the three wave modes quasi longitudinal, quasi shear vertical, and shear horizontal waves in austenitic weld materials. Inhomogenity in the austenitic weld material is represented by discretizing the inhomogeneous region into several homogeneous layers. At each interface between the layers the reflection and transmission problem is computed and yields energy direction, amplitude and energy coefficients. The ray amplitudes are computed accurately by taking into account directivity, divergence and density of rays, phase relations as well as transmission coefficients. Ultrasonic sound fields obtained from the ray tracing model are compared quantitatively with the 2D Elastodynamic Finite Integration Technique (EFIT). The excellent agreement between both models confirms the validity of the presented ray tracing results. Experiments are conducted on austenitic weld samples with longitudinal beam transducer as transmitting probe and amplitudes at the rear surface are scanned by means of electrodynamical probes. Finally, the ray tracing model results are also validated through the experiments.
Der Einsatz geführter Wellen für die
zerstörungsfreie Prüfung mit Ultraschall eröffnet neue Möglichkeiten,
räumlich ausgedehnte Bauteile mit begrenzter Zugänglichkeit
auf ihre Integrität zu prüfen und gewinnt daher
zunehmend an Bedeutung. Dieser Artikel behandelt die
physikalischen Grundlagen der Schallausbreitung. Deren Verständnis
bildet die Grundlage für die Entwicklung geeigneter
Prüfsysteme. An Beispielen werden verschiedene Möglichkeiten
zur Simulation der Schallausbereitung vorgestellt. Aktuelle
Lösungsansätze zur Prüfung von plattenförmigen Strukturen
und von Rohrleitungen werden beschrieben, wobei besonders
auf die Sensortechnik und die speziellen Anforderungen
an die Prüfhardware eingegangen wird. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guided waves are widely used for non-destructive
testing using ultrasound. Recently, the method has become increasingly
important for integrity tests of spatially extended
components with limited accessibility. This article discusses the
basic physics of the sound propagation of guided waves. Their
understanding forms the basis for the successful development
of adapted inspection systems. Examples for simulating the
wave propagation using different methods are presented. Current
approaches for the inspection of plate-like structures and
pipelines are described with focus on sensor technology and the
specific requirement on the test hardware.
Ultrasound propagation in inhomogeneous anisotropic materials is difficult to examine because of the directional dependency of elastic properties. Simulation tools play an important role in developing advanced reliable ultrasonic testing techniques for the inspection of anisotropic materials particularly austenitic cladded materials and dissimilar welds. A 2-D Ray tracing method is developed for evaluating ray path, amplitude and travel time for three wave modes namely quasi longitudinal wave (qP), quasi shear vertical wave (qSV) and shear horizontal waves (SH) in anisotropic materials such as austenitic cladded materials. The inhomogenity in the anisotropic material is represented by discretizing the anisotropic region into several homogeneous layers. The ray paths are traced during its propagation through the various interfaces between those layers. At each interface the problem of reflection and refraction is solved. The ray amplitudes are computed by taking into account the directivity and phase relations. Ray divergence variation and ray transmission coefficients at each refraction boundary are considered. The Ray tracing results for ultrasonic field profiles in austenitic cladded materials are validated quantitatively by 2-D Elastodynamic Finite Integration Technique (EFIT) results and by the experiments.
Progress in acoustical defect sizing NDT methods for the inspection of power-plant components
(2012)
The demand of improved NDT methods with proper visualization and sizing
capabilities is a persistent trend in maintenance and manufacturing quality inspection.
Especially when dealing with high quality standards in conjunction with safety-critical
components in the sector of energy and transportation quantitative NDT techniques are
vital to provide reliable quality control systems and a corresponding deeper insight into
the component structure for a further fracture-mechanical estimation. The paper thus
focuses the progress of the defect sizing capabilities of modern Ultrasonic Testing
(UT). In Ultrasonic Testing the SAFT-algorithm (Synthetic Aperture Focusing
Technique) currently experiences a renaissance. The method is based on combining the
data of different transducer positions with their corresponding varied propagating time
and it is currently applied in several industrial applications. SAFT enhances the SNR
and the spatial resolution and is thus a valuable tool when it comes to improved
defect detection and sizing. A tomographic-like data mapping is illustrated on several
examples, where adapted phased array systems were used for the inspection of turbine
components and also for a cladded mock-up of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel. In a
statistical investigation we also performed a comparison with other defect sizing
methods like TOFD (Time of flight diffraction).
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 numerical approach for the computation of dispersion relations for three-dimensional waveguides with arbitrary cross-section is proposed. The formulation is based on the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM). It is an extension of the approach previously derived for plate structures. It is shown that the wavenumbers of guided waves in a waveguide can be obtained as the eigenvalues of the Z matrix, which is well known in the SBFEM. The Hamiltonian properties of this matrix are utilized to derive an efficient way to compute the group velocities of propagating waves as eigenvalue derivatives. The cross-section of the waveguide is discretized using higher-order spectral elements. It is discussed in detail how symmetry axes can be utilized to reduce computational costs. In order to sort the solutions at different frequencies, a mode-tracking algorithm is proposed, based on the Padé expansion.
In diesem Beitrag wird die numerische Modellierung und deren messtechnische Validierung der elastischen Wellenausbreitung in austenitischen Schweißnähten vorgestellt. Die Ultraschallprüfung von austenitischen Schweißverbindungen war und ist immer noch eine der schwierigsten Aufgaben der ZfP. Für eine optimierte Prüfkonfiguration ist es notwendig, verschiedene Prüfparameter wie Einschallwinkel, Prüfkopfposition und -Orientierung richtig einzustellen. Um die beste Anordnung zu ermitteln, wurde die Schallausbreitung in den austenitischen Schweißnähten mit verschiedenen Verfahren wie elastische finite Integrationstechnik (EFIT) und Raytracing simuliert. Mit Hilfe der Simulationsergebnisse wurde die verwendete Gruppenstrahlerprüftechnik optimiert. Es wurden zahlreiche Untersuchungen an anisotropen Testkörpern in V-Durchschallung und an bezüglich der Schweißnaht transversal orientierten Rissen durchgefühlt. Die Ergebnisse der auf Raytracing bzw. EFIT basierenden Simulationstools wurden untereinander und auch mit den Messergebnissen verglichen.
In this contribution a simulation tool is developed to compute the energy skewing angles and energy coefficients
for the reflected and refracted plane waves in following general cases: (1) reflection and refraction
of plane elastic waves at an interface between isotropic and transversely isotropic solid, (2) reflection
and refraction of plane elastic waves at an interface between transversely isotropic and isotropic solid, (3)
reflection and refraction of plane elastic waves at an interface between two general transversely isotropic
solid and (4) reflection of plane elastic waves from a stress free boundary of a transversely isotropic solid.
Computational results for analytically evaluated acoustic wave energy skewing angles and energy reflection
and transmission coefficients in acoustically anisotropic materials such as austenitic steel materials
exhibiting columnar grain orientation are presented. The obtained results show that the acoustic energy
skewing angles and coefficients in austenitic steel materials strongly depend upon the columnar grain
orientation and are less influenced by the grain orientations which are parallel and perpendicular to the
interface.
Thermoacoustic generation of airborne ultrasound using carbon materials at the micro- and nanoscale
(2011)
Lamb waves travel in plates and hollow cylinders over large distances and propagate with multiple mode shapes. Therefore the waves can be used for integrity tests of large scale structures. Each propagating wave mode has a unique dispersive character and a frequency dependent vibration pattern. Therefore, by interacting with flaws each mode is assumed to generate an individual reflection pattern depending on the flaw type, flaw orientation and size. To extract this information a frequency as well as wave number dependent mode excitation is required ensuring a single mode excitation. The challenge, however, is to control the selective mode excitation electronically to allow a sequence of consecutive tests with different wave modes to collect the data. A method is proposed using phased array wedge transducers with fluid coupling for normal force excitation of Lamb wave modes. The excitation principle is investigated analytically on plates by modelling the wave generation in the wedge and the coupling between wedge and structure. The analytical results of the excitation principle are validated by corresponding experiments where the field patterns on the wedge surface and on the plate were scanned using a laser vibrometer. The directivity of the radiated field is investigated together with the direction dependent analysis of the mode content.
In diesem Beitrag wird ein neuartiger Ansatz zur Erzeugung von Luftultraschall vorgestellt, der auf dem thermoakustischen Prinzip beruht. Mikro- und nanostrukturierte Kohlenstoffmaterialien werden dabei mit einem harmonischen Wechselstrom gespeist und erfahren durch ohmsche Verluste eine Temperaturänderung, die sich auf das umgebende Fluid überträgt. Daraus resultieren Druckmodulationen, und es wird eine ausbreitungsfähige Schallwelle erzeugt. Dabei tritt Frequenzverdopplung gegenüber der Anregungsfrequenz auf. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass der entscheidende Parameter für die Effizienz der Methode, d.h. für ein möglichst großes Verhältnis von Schalldruck zu eingebrachter Leistung, die Wärmekapazität pro Flächeneinheit ist. Da dieser Quotient für Kohlenstoffmaterialien sehr klein sein kann, erlaubt das thermoakustische Prinzip hier die effiziente Erzeugung von Luftultraschall. Schalldruckmessungen an verschiedenen Materialproben wurden bis 100 kHz mit einem Mikrofon durchgeführt, oberhalb von 100 kHz wurde eine laservibrometrische Schnellemessung eingesetzt. In experimentellen Untersuchungen wurde die Schallerzeugung in Abhängigkeit der Materialeigenschaften analysiert und systematisiert. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse wurden mit numerischen und analytischen Berechnungsergebnissen verglichen.
This contribution describes a computationally efficient ray tracing algorithm for evaluating transducer generated ultrasonic wave fields in anisotropic materials such as austenitic cladded and austenitic weld components. According to this algorithm, ray paths are traced during its propagation through various layers of the material and at each Interface the problem of reflection and transmission is solved. The presented algorithm evaluates the transducer generated ultrasonic fields accurately by taking in to account the directivity, divergence, density of rays, phase relations as well as transmission coefficients. The ray tracing algorithm is able to calculate the ultrasonic wave fields generated by a point source as well as a finite dimension transducer. The simulation results are compared quantitatively with the results obtained from Elastodynamic Finite Integration Technique (EFIT) on several configurations generally occuring in the ultrasonic non destructive testing of anisotropic materials. The excellent agreement between both models confirms the validity of the presented ray tracing algorithm. Finally, the ray tracing model results are also validated by means of experiments.
In this study a method for early damage detection is investigated based on the directed excitation and measuring of Lamb waves (guided waves). The objective is to make a statement about the practicability of a Lamb wave generator (LWG) and about the application relevant parameters (specimen materials and dimensions, wave characteristics, excitation, transmission und reflection). Guided waves enable an effective differentiation of structural and defective indications as well as a classification of different defect types. For the investigations, a LWG was developed which combines the advantages of the single excitation of a piezoelectric actuator and the possibility of a group excitation. Algorithms were developed to identify and analyze damage patterns (cracks, wholes, weakening).
In this paper a numerical approach, based on the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM), is described to obtain dispersion relations for propagating modes in wave guides. While the formulation is developed for plate structures, it can easily be extended to wave guides with arbitrary cross-section. The cross-section is discretized in the Finite Element sense while all equations remain analytical in the direction of propagation. The wave numbers of all propagating modes are obtained as the solutions of a standard eigenvalue problem. The group velocities can be calculated accurately as the eigenvalue derivatives. The use of higher-order elements drastically increases the efficiency and accuracy of the computation. This approach can be used for wave guides with arbitrary distribution of material parameters.
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.
Ultrasonic examination of anisotropic inhomogeneous austenitic welds is challenging, because of the columnar grain structure of the weld leads to beam skewing and splitting. Modeling tools play an important role in understanding the ultrasound field propagation and optimization of experimental parameters during the ultrasonic testing of austenitic welds as well as the interpretation of the test results. In this contribution, an efficient theoretical model based on the ray tracing concepts is developed to calculate the ultrasonic fields in inhomogeneous austenitic welds quantitatively. The developed model determines the ultrasound fields by taking into account the directivity of the ray source, the inhomogenity of the weld as well as ray transmission coefficients. Directivity of the ray source in columnar grained austenitic materials (including layback orientation) is obtained in three dimensions based on Lamb's reciprocity theorem. Ray energy reflection and transmission coefficients at an interface between two general columnar grained austenitic materials are calculated in three dimensions. The ray tracing model predictions on inhomogeneous austenitic weld material are compared against those from CIVA, a commercial non-destructive modeling and simulation tool. The ultrasonic modeling tools in CIVA are based on semi-analytical solutions. For beam propagation simulation, a so-called 'pencil method' is used, which involves modeling the probe as a set of individual source points, each radiating 'a bundle' of diverging rays into the medium and integrating those elementary contributions. Inhomogenity in the weld region is approximated by mapping the grain orientations on weld macrograph. Simulation results for ultrasonic field profiles for an austenitic weld are shown to be in good agreement with the corresponding experimental results.
Limited access to the object of relevance is often an essential problem in testing routines, e.g. for non-destructive testing of industry facilities or components of means of transportation. The presented project is about the development of a non-destructive testing method for application over great distances (up to 100 m). The method is based on directed excitation and measuring of Lamb waves (guided waves). It enables an effective differentiation of structural and defective indications as well as a classification of different defect types.
The advantage of guided waves is the ability of propagation over great distances. This offers innovative possibilities for the investigation of large or difficult to access constructions. The testing method can be helpful in a broad variety of applications. It is useable for the characterization of plane or cylindrical, thin-walled surfaces of metal or fiber laminated materials. Particularly the investigation of aircraft wings and other aerospace components as well as the investigation of pipelines are addressed fields of application.
In this contribution we present a novel thermo-acoustic approach for the generation of broad band airborne ultrasound and investigate the applicability of resonance-free thermo-acoustic emitters for very short high pressure airborne ultrasound pulses. We report on measurements of thermo-acoustic emitter consisting of a 30 nm thin metallic film on a usual soda-lime glass substrate, generating sound pressure values of more than 140 dB at 60 mm distance from the transducer and compare the results with conventional piezoelectric airborne ultrasound transducers. Our experimental investigations show that such thermo-acoustic devices can be used as broad band emitters using pulse excitation.
This paper presents an automated system for the evaluation and visualization of structural vibrations on the surface of solid materials in an ultrasonic frequency range using a single head laser Doppler vibrometer. For this method, the vibrometer performs a continuous scan of the surface driven by a two-axes robotic system. Scan and measurement parameters can be adapted to the requirements of geometry, frequency and resolution. Data processing techniques are employed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and minimize the effect of inconvenient laser beam reflections caused by speckles.
This article describes a comprehensive quantitative analysis on effect of columnar grain orientation on ultrasonic plane wave energy reflection and transmission behaviour in acoustically anisotropic austenitic weld materials. The quantitative results are presented for following general interfaces (a) Isotropic-Anisotropic, (b) Anisotropic-Isotropic, (c) Fluid-Anisotropic, (d) Anisotropic-Fluid, (e) Anisotropic-Anisotropic, (f) Anisotropic-Free surface occur during the ultrasonic non destructive evaluation of austenitic weld materials. Explicit analytical expressions are presented for energy reflection and transmission coefficients at an interface between two arbitrarily oriented transversely isotropic materials. By applying explicit analytical expressions for energy reflection and transmission coefficients, numerical results are presented for several columnar grain orientations of the transverse isotropic austenitic weld material including both real and complex domain of the reflected and transmitted normal component of slowness vectors. Valid domains of incident wave vector angles, angular dependency of energy reflection and transmission coefficients and critical angles for reflected and transmitted waves are discussed. The existence of a reflected (or) transmitted second branch of quasi shear vertical waves and its consequence to the ultrasonic non destructive testing of austenitic weld materials are investigated. The presented comprehensive quantitative evaluation provides an overview on the effect of anisotropic properties on energy reflection and transmission coefficients in columnar grained austenitic weld materials.
Defect sizing is required for a quantitative assessment of the quality and reliability of safety relevant components and materials using ultrasonic non-destructive testing. The SAFT (Synthetic Aperture Focussing Technique) and the TOFD technique (Time Of Flight Diffraction) are such promising sizing candidates, extracting more information from the raw ultrasound echo data and the corresponding crack tip response. In this work the phased array technique is used to inspect a clad mock-up model of a pressure vessel section. The full scale model contains artificial test reflectors which are located in the weld and in the cladding region as well. The defects—representing typical flaws at a very early stage—are analysed with different frequencies, beam angles and directions of incidence.
For the reconstruction of reflector indications a SAFT algorithm is applied to the phased array measurement results. Additionally the reflectors are analysed by means of the TOFD technique, using different beam angles at the same time. Both analysis methods are performed using different directions of incidence considering the complex cladding structure underneath the inner surface of the mock-up model. A direct comparison of the SAFT and TOFD techniques shows that, besides the clarity of the results, the detection and sizing capabilities of SAFT are far better.
We present a generalized analytical model of thermo-acoustic sound generation based on the analysis of thermally induced energy density fluctuations and their propagation into the adjacent matter. The model provides exact analytical prediction of the sound pressure generated in fluids and solids; consequently, it can be applied to arbitrary thermal power sources such as thermophones, plasma firings, laser beams, and chemical reactions. Unlike existing approaches, our description also includes acoustic near-field effects and sound-field attenuation. Analytical results are compared with measurements of sound pressures generated by thermo-acoustic transducers in air for frequencies up to 1 MHz. The tested transducers consist of titanium and indium tin oxide coatings on quartz glass and polycarbonate substrates. The model reveals that thermo-acoustic efficiency increases linearly with the supplied thermal power and quadratically with thermal excitation frequency. Comparison of the efficiency of our thermo-acoustic transducers with those of piezoelectric-based airborne ultrasound transducers using impulse excitation showed comparable sound pressure values. The present results show that thermo-acoustic transducers can be applied as broadband, non-resonant, high-performance ultrasound sources.
Numerical simulation of ultrasonic guided waves using the scaled boundary finite element method
(2012)
The formulation of the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method is applied for the computation of dispersion properties of ultrasonic guided waves. The cross-section of the waveguide is discretized in the Finite Element sense, while the direction of propagation is described analytically. A standard eigenvalue problem is derived to compute the wave numbers of propagating modes. This paper focuses on cylindrical waveguides, where only a straight line has to be discretized. Higher-order elements are utilized for the discretization. As examples, dispersion curves are computed for a homogeneous pipe and a layered cylinder.
SAFT-Rekonstruktion für die Querfehlerprüfung in austenitischen Schweißnähten und Mischnähten
(2013)
Die Untersuchung austenitischer Schweißnähte ist eine Herausforde-rung für die zerstörungsfreie Prüfung mit Ultraschall, bei der die Anwendung her-kömmlicher Prüftechniken häufig keine zufriedenstellenden Ergebnisse liefert. Die Ursache dafür ist das inhomogen-anisotrope Gefüge im Schweißnahtbereich, das zu einer Verzerrung des Schallfeldes und damit zu Schwierigkeiten bei der Auffindbarkeit und bei der Größenbestimmung von Fehlern führt. Eine neue Her-ausforderung ist die Detektion von Querfehlern in Rohrleitungen des Primärkreises von Kernkraftwerken, aber auch in längsnahtgeschweißten, plattierten Rohrleitun-gen, die zunehmend an Bedeutung gewinnt. Dabei können die Prüfköpfe auf Grund einer unbeschliffenen Decklage meist nicht direkt auf die Naht aufgesetzt werden. Vielmehr muss eine SE-Anordnung der Köpfe verwendet werden, bei der durch die längeren Schallwege der negative Einfluss des austenitischen Gefüges noch ver-stärkt wird.
Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird eine RT-SAFT-Prüftechnik vorgeschlagen, mit der die Fehlerdetektion deutlich verbessert werden konnte. Dabei wurde die SAFT-Rekonstruktion mit einem Ray-Tracing-Ansatz zur Bestimmung der Schalllaufwege und -laufzeiten und mit einem Schweißnahtmodell kombiniert. Das Schweißnaht-modell repräsentiert die Kornorientierung und die elastischen Konstanten in einer diskretisierten Form und macht so die komplexe Nahtstruktur für die Berechnung zugänglich.
Die Aufnahme der Messdaten erfolgt mit zwei Gruppenstrahlerprüfköpfen in V-Anordnung, die beidseitig der Schweißnaht geführt werden sind.
Im Beitrag werden die Prüfanordnung und das Rekonstruktionsverfahren vor-gestellt und die Ergebnisse von experimentellen Untersuchungen an austenitischen Schweißnähten und Mischnähten mit künstlich eingebrachten Testfehlern präsen-tiert. Die Ergebnisse der direkten Fehlergrößen- und -lagebestimmung werden mit den Resultaten konventioneller Prüftechniken verglichen.
Thermoacoustic generation of airborne ultrasound using carbon materials at the micro- and nanoscale
(2012)
The generation of airborne ultrasound is presented using the thermoacoustic principle applied to carbon materials at the micro- and nanoscale. Such materials are shown to be capable of emitting ultrasound when being fed by an alternating current. We tested the acoustic performance of carbon fibers, bucky papers and electrospun polyacrylonitrile-derived carbon nanofibers and determined the sound pressure for frequencies up to 350 kHz. A comparison between the experimental results and the theoretical prediction showed remarkable agreement for frequencies up to 150 kHz. Beyond 150 kHz, we found slight deviations from the expected sound pressure dependence on the square root of the frequency.
A method has been developed for the generation of airborne ultrasound using the thermoacoustic principle applied to carbon materials at the micro- and nanoscale. Such materials are shown to be capable to emitting the ultrasound. We tested the acoustic performance of electrospun polyacrylonitrile-derived carbon nanofibers tissues and determined the sound pressure for frequencies up to 350 kHz. The experimental results are compared to analytic calculations.
The simulation of Lamb waves in a cracked plate using the scaled boundary finite element method
(2012)
The scaled boundary finite element method is applied to the simulation of Lamb waves for ultrasonic testing applications. With this method, the general elastodynamic problem is solved, while only the boundary of the domain under consideration has to be discretized. The reflection of the fundamental Lamb wave modes from cracks of different geometry in a steel plate is modeled. A test problem is compared with commercial finite element software, showing the efficiency and convergence of the scaled boundary finite element method. A special formulation of this method is utilized to calculate dispersion relations for plate structures. For the discretization of the boundary, higher-order elements are employed to improve the efficiency of the simulations. The simplicity of mesh generation of a cracked plate for a scaled boundary finite element analysis is illustrated.
Ultrasound propagation in inhomogeneous anisotropic materials is difficult to examine because of the directional dependency of elastic properties. Simulation tools play an important role in developing advanced reliable ultrasonic non destructive testing techniques for the inspection of anisotropic materials particularly austenitic cladded materials, austenitic welds and dissimilar welds. In this contribution we present an adapted 2D ray tracing model for evaluating ultrasonic wave fields quantitatively in inhomogeneous anisotropic materials. Inhomogeneity in the anisotropic material is represented by discretizing into several homogeneous layers. According to ray tracing model, ultrasonic ray paths are traced during its energy propagation through various discretized layers of the material and at each interface the problem of reflection and transmission is solved. The presented algorithm evaluates the transducer excited ultrasonic fields accurately by taking into account the directivity of the transducer, divergence of the ray bundle, density of rays and phase relations as well as transmission coefficients. The ray tracing model is able to calculate the ultrasonic wave fields generated by a point source as well as a finite dimension transducer. The ray tracing model results are validated quantitatively with the results obtained from 2D Elastodynamic Finite Integration Technique (EFIT) on several configurations generally occurring in the ultrasonic non destructive testing of anisotropic materials. Finally, the quantitative comparison of ray tracing model results with experiments on 32 mm thick austenitic weld material and 62 mm thick austenitic cladded material is discussed.
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.
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.
A novel approach for the generation of broadband airborne ultrasound by using the thermo-acoustic effect is presented in this contribution. We investigate the applicability of resonance-free thermo-acoustic emitters for generation of very short high pressure airborne ultrasound pulses. A thermoacoustic emitter consisting of a 30 nm thin metallic film on a usual soda-lime glass substrate generates sound pressure values of more than 140 dB at 60 mm distance. The results are compared with conventional piezoelectric airborne ultrasound transducers. Our investigations show the applicability of the thermo-acoustic devices for broadband and high pressure ultrasound emitters using pulse excitation.
SAFT-Rekonstruktion für die Querfehlerprüfung in austenitischen Schweißnähten und Mischnähten
(2013)
Temperature Compensation Strategies for Lamb Wave Inspection using Distributed Sensor Networks
(2022)
The application of temperature compensation strategies is crucial in structural health monitoring approaches based on guided waves. Actually, the varying temperature influences the performance of the inspection system inducing false alarms or missed detection, with a consequent reduction of reliability. This paper quantitatively describes a method to compensate the temperature effect, namely the optimal baseline selection (OBS), extending its application to the case of distributed sensor networks (DSN). The effect of temperature separation between baseline time-traces in OBS are investigated considering multiple couples of sensors employed in the DSN. A combined strategy that uses both OBS and frequent value warning is considered. Theoretical results are compared, using data from two several experiments, which use different frequency analysis with either predominantly A0 mode or S0 mode data or both. The focus is given on the fact that different paths are available in a sensor network and several possible combination of results are available. Nonetheless, introducing a frequent value warning it is possible to increase the efficiency of the OBS approach making use of fewer signal processing algorithms. These confirm that the performance of OBS quantitatively agrees with predictions and also demonstrate that the use of compensation strategies improve detectability of damage.
Robotergeführte Ultraschallprüfung von Gasturbinenschaufeln mit adaptiver TFM im ZfP 4.0-Umfeld
(2022)
Leit- und Laufschaufeln stationärer Gasturbinen sind im Betrieb anspruchsvollen Bedingungen ausgesetzt. Die Prüfung, Wartung und Reparatur der hochbelasteten Teile sind notwendig, um Sicherheit und Effizienz über längere Zeiträume zu gewährleisten. Eine der in diesem Prozess angewandten Methoden ist die Ultraschallprüfung.
Im Zuge der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung ist es das Ziel des Projektes MRO 2.0, den Aufbereitungsvorgang um digitale Prozesse zu erweitern und somit zu modernisieren. Eine der Aufgaben ist es, dabei anstelle der konventionellen Ultraschallprüfung eine Array-Technik mit rekonstruierenden Verfahren einzusetzen und eine automatisierte, digital eingebundene Methode im Rahmen von ZfP 4.0 zu entwickeln.
Um die Ist-Geometrie der Oberfläche und die verbleibende Wanddicke flächendeckend an den Turbinenschaufeln zu bestimmen, wird ein adaptives TFM Verfahren (Total Focusing Method) in Tauchtechnik eingesetzt, welches die Brechung der Schallwellen an der Grenzfläche zum Prüfkörper in der Rekonstruktion berücksichtigt. In der hierfür entwickelten Prüfanlage führt ein Roboterarm einen Array-Prüfkopf und scannt das Bauteil normal zur inspizierten Oberfläche. Somit kann ein 3D-Modell des Ist Zustandes des zu prüfenden Bauteils erstellt werden.
Spezielle Herausforderungen an die Aufgabe stellen die komplexe Geometrie des Prüfobjektes sowie dessen geringe und ortsabhängige Wanddicke dar. Ein weiterer Fokus liegt auf der Optimierung der Prüfparameter, Verbesserung der Prüfgeschwindigkeit sowie der Zuverlässigkeit der Methode.
In diesem Beitrag werden die während des Projektes entwickelte Methode und die im zweiten Projektjahr erarbeiteten Ergebnisse vorgestellt, mit dem Schwerpunkt auf die entwickelten Rekonstruktionsalgorithmen und den Versuchsaufbau.
In non-destructive testing and structural health monitoring with ultrasonic waves, the quantification of damage in components is one of the main tasks. In many shell-like structures, such as plates, pipes, or laminate components, ultrasonic waves propagate as guided waves. Although guided waves enable the testing of large areas, their multimodal and dispersive properties make it challenging to analyze signals. So, there is a need for more advanced algorithms to handle these properties, especially when reconstructing damage position and geometry.
The reconstruction can be formulated as an inverse problem where the measured signals are fitted with a simulative forward model. Due to the small wavelength of ultrasonic waves, classic forward models based on, e.g., the Finite Element Method are computationally intensive. In contrast, the authors use the semi-analytical Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM) to reduce the computational effort. The SBFEM approximates arbitrary long, undamaged parts of the structure with only a few degrees of freedom.
This contribution summarizes a general inverse procedure based on algorithmic differentiation in combination with the SBFEM. Results are presented for damaged 2D cross-sectional models of waveguides. These results include an analysis of the robustness of the proposed algorithms against noise.
This paper considers an indirect measurement approach to reconstruct a defect in a two-dimensional waveguide model for a non-destructive ultrasonic inspection via derivative-based optimization. The propagation of the mechanical waves is simulated by the scaled boundary finite element method that builds on a semi-analytical approach. The simulated data are then fitted to given data associated with the reflected waves from a defect which is to be reconstructed. For this purpose, we apply an iteratively regularized Gauss-Newton method in combination with algorithmic differentiation to provide the required derivative information accurately and efficiently. We present numerical results for three kinds of defects, namely, a crack, delamination, and corrosion. The objective function and the properties of the reconstruction method are investigated. The examples show that the parameterization of the defect can be reconstructed efficiently as well as robustly in the presence of noise.
Ein Hauptziel der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung und der Strukturüberwachung (engl. Structural Health Monitoring - SHM) mit Ultraschallwellen ist die Charakterisierung von Schäden in Bauteilen. In vielen schalenförmigen Bauteilen, wie zum Beispiel Rohrleitungen, Laminaten und Platten, breitet sich der Ultraschall in Form geführter Wellen aus. Zwar erlauben geführte Wellen eine großflächige Prüfung durch das langsame Abklingen der Wellen. Jedoch breiten sich die Wellen in verschiedenen dispersiven Moden aus, was die Analyse der vom Schaden erzeugten Reflexionen erschwert. Eine Möglichkeit, die Messsignale zu interpretieren, um Schäden zu charakterisieren, ist der direkte Vergleich mit einem Simulationsmodell. Die Rekonstruktion des Schadens stellt ein inverses Problem dar. Das inverse Problem kann als Optimierungsproblem formuliert werden. Für die Optimierung werden mehrere Vorwärtsrechnungen gebraucht, um das Schadensmodell an die Messdaten anzupassen.
Aufgrund der kurzen Wellenlängen von Ultraschallwellen sind klassische Methoden für die Vorwärtsrechnung, wie z.B. die Finite Elemente Methode (FEM), rechenintensiv. Eine Möglichkeit den Rechenaufwand zu reduzieren, bietet die Approximation der Wellenausbreitung mittels der semi-analytischen Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM). Frühere Untersuchungen haben gezeigt, dass die benötigten Freiheitsgrade im Vergleich zur FEM wesentlich geringer sind [1].
Im Beitrag wird eine Optimierung basierend auf einem Gradientenverfahren in Kombination mit der SBFEM vorgestellt und an verschiedenen Schadenstypen in 2D-Querschnittsmodellen von Stahlplatten getestet. Der Gradient des Vorwärtsmodells wird durch Algorithmisches Differenzieren berechnet, wodurch eine genaue und schnelle Optimierung ermöglicht wird. Es werden Untersuchungen zum inversen Problem und das Finden einer geeigneten Zielfunktion präsentiert. Es wird verdeutlicht, dass der entwickelte Algorithmus robust gegenüber von Rauscheinflüssen ist. In diesen Untersuchungen werden zunächst „Messdaten“ aus unabhängigen Simulationen verwendet [2]. Erste Schritte für die experimentelle Validierung und Erweiterung auf 3D Modelle werden anschließend vorgestellt.
Data-driven analysis for damage assessment has a large potential in structural health monitoring (SHM) systems, where sensors are permanently attached to the structure, enabling continuous and frequent measurements. In this contribution, we propose a machine learning (ML) approach for automated damage detection, based on an ML toolbox for industrial condition monitoring. The toolbox combines multiple complementary algorithms for feature extraction and selection and automatically chooses the best combination of methods for the dataset at hand. Here, this toolbox is applied to a guided wave-based SHM dataset for varying temperatures and damage locations, which is freely available on the Open Guided Waves platform. A classification rate of 96.2% is achieved, demonstrating reliable and automated damage detection. Moreover, the ability of the ML model to identify a damaged structure at untrained damage locations and temperatures is demonstrated.
An approach to adhesive bond characterisation using guided acoustic waves in multi-layered plates
(2021)
An approach for the non-destructive characterisation of adhesive bonds using guided ultrasonic waves is presented. Pulsed laser radiation is used to thermoacoustically excite broadband ultrasonic waves in a multi-layered sample, consisting of a metal plate adhesively joined to a polymeric layer using synthetic resin. The resulting signals are received by a purpose-built piezoelectric transducer. Varying the distance between excitation and detection yields spatio-temporal measurement data, from which the dispersive properties of the propagating waves can be inferred using a two-dimensional Fourier transform, assuming the plates to act as coupled waveguides. Coupled multi-layered waveguides show an effect referred to as mode repulsion, where the distance between certain modes in the frequency-wavenumber domain is assumed to be a measure of coupling strength. Measurements at different stages of curing of the adhesive layer are performed and evaluated. A comparison of the results shows changes in the dispersive properties, namely an increased modal bandwidth for the fully cured sample as well as an increased modal distance.
Бегущие упругие волны часто используются в области неразрушающего контроля для определения механических характеристик материалов. Поскольку склеивание различных материалов является широко используемым методом в автомобильной и авиационной промышленности, необходима надежная система измерения для определения качества таких клеевых соединений. Дисперсионные кривые для многослойных волноводов при наличии клеевых прослоек характеризуются появлением эффекта расталкивания нормальных мод в тех областях, где соответствующие моды для отдельных материалов пересекались бы. Таким образом, в зависимости от качества клеевого соединения расстояние между этими модами изменяется. Используя комбинацию экспериментальных и численных данных, в настоящей работе представлен подход к определению параметра, указывающего на качество клеевого соединения.
Detailliertes Wissen über die mechanischen Eigenschaften verwendeter Materialien ist Grundvoraussetzung für viele ingenieurtechnische Aufgaben und Dienstleistungen. Zur Bestimmung der elastischen Materialparameter gibt es verschiedene klassische, zerstörende Prüfverfahren. Eine Möglichkeit der zerstörungsfreien Bestimmung liegt in der Auswertung von Messergebnissen, die auf Basis des Ausbreitungsverhaltens geführter Ultraschallwellen gewonnen wurden. Das Ausbreitungsverhalten geführter Ultraschallwellen kann mittels Dispersionsabbildungen dargestellt werden.
Um aus messtechnisch ermittelten Dispersionsabbildungen Rückschlüsse auf die Materialparameter zu ziehen, werden in der aktuellen Forschung verschiedene inverse Methoden diskutiert. Maschinelles Lernen und insbesondere Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) stellen eine Möglichkeit der automatisierten inversen Modellierung und Evaluierung von Bilddaten dar.
In diesem Beitrag wird gezeigt, wie das Ausbreitungsverhalten von geführten Ultraschallwellen unter Verwendung von CNNs genutzt werden kann, um die isotropen elastischen Konstanten einer plattenförmigen Struktur zu bestimmen. Hierfür werden die verwendeten Daten analysiert, das Preprocessing erläutert und eine grundlegende CNN-Architektur gewählt. Zur Auswertung des generierten Modells werden verschiedene Verfahren wie Gradienten-Mapping und die Visualisierung der verschiedenen Schichten vorgestellt. Die Anwendbarkeit der Methode wird anhand synthetischer Daten demonstriert.
In the field of non-destructive testing, Lamb waves are often used for material characterisation. The increasing computational capabilities further enable complex and detailed simulations to predict the material behaviour in reality. Since adhesive bonding of different materials is a widely used method in modern applications, a reliable measurement system to determine the quality of these adhesive bonds is needed. Investigations of the dispersive behaviour of acoustic waves in adhesively bonded multi-layered waveguides show mode repulsions in the dispersion diagrams in regions where the modes of the single materials would otherwise intersect. In previous works, changes of the distance between those modes with respect to the bonding quality are observed. The experimental data for this investigation is generated using pulsed laser radiation to excite broadband acoustic waves in plate like specimens which are detected by a piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer. Numerical data is generated using simulations via a semi-analytical finite element method. Using a combination of experimental and numerical data, the present work introduces an approach to determine a parameter which indicates the bonding quality in relation
to an ideal material coupling.
Composite-overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV) are increasingly used in the transportation industry due to their high strength to mass ratio. Throughout the years, various designs were developed and found their applications. Currently, there are five designs, which can be subdivided into two main categories - with a load-sharing metal liner and with a non-load-sharing plastic liner. The main damage mechanism defining the lifetime of the first type is fatigue of the metal liner, whereas for the second type it is fatigue of the composite overwrap. Nevertheless, one damage type which may drastically reduce the lifetime of COPV is impact-induced damage. Therefore, this barely visible damage needs to be assessed in a non-destructive way to decide whether the pressure vessel can be further used or has to be put out of service. One of the possible methods is based on ultrasonic waves. In this contribution, both conventional ultrasonic testing (UT) by high-frequency bulk waves and wavenumber mapping by low frequency guided waves are used to evaluate impact damage. Wavenumber mapping techniques are first benchmarked on a simulated aluminium panel then applied to experimental measurements acquired on a delaminated aluminium-CFRP composite plate which corresponds to a structure of COPV with a load-sharing metal liner. The analysis of experimental data obtained from measurements of guided waves propagating in an aluminium-CFRP composite plate with impact-induced damage is performed. All approaches show similar performance in terms of quantification of damage size and depths while being applied to numerical data. The approaches used on the experimental data deliver an accurate estimate of the in-plane size of the large delamination at the aluminium-CFRP interface but only a rough estimate of its depth. Moreover, none of the wavenumber mapping techniques used in the study can quantify every delamination between CFRP plies caused by the impact, which is the case for conventional UT. This may be solved by using higher frequencies (shorter wavelengths) or more advanced signal processing techniques. All in all, it can be concluded that imaging of complex impact damage in fibre-reinforced composites based on wavenumber mapping is not straightforward and stays a challenging task.
In the context of Industry 4.0 and especially in the field of Structural Health Monitoring, Condition Monitoring and Digital Twins, simulations are becoming more and more important. The exact determination of material parameters is required for realistic results of numerical simulations of the static and dynamic behavior of technical structures. There are many possibilities to determine
elastic material parameters. One possibility of non-destructive testing are ultrasonic guided waves. For the evaluation of the measurement results, mostly inverse methods are applied in order to be able to draw conclusions about the elastic material parameters from analysing the ultrasonic guided wave propagation. For the inverse determination of the elastic material Parameters with ultrasonic guided waves, several investigations were carried out, e.g. the determination of the isotropic material parameters through the point of zero-groupvelocity or anisotropic material parameters with a simplex algorithm. These investigations are based on the evaluation of dispersion images. Machine learning and in particular Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are one possibility of the automated evaluation from Image data, e.g. classification or object recognition problems. This article shows how the dispersive behavior of ultrasonic guided waves and CNNs can be used to determine the isotropic elastic constants of plate-like structures.
Lamb waves are a common tool in the field of non-destructive testing and are widely used for materialcharacterisation. Further, the increasing computational capability of modern systems enables the Simulation of complex and detailed material models. This work demonstrates the possibility of simulating an adhesive-bonded multilayer system by characterising each layer individually, and introduces an Approach for determining the dispersive behaviour of acoustic waves in a multilayer system via real measurements.
Eine zentrale Aufgabe der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung und der Strukturüberwachung (engl. Structural Health Monitoring - SHM) mit Ultraschallwellen ist die Bewertung von Schäden in Bauteilen. In vielen Bauteilen, wie zum Beispiel platten- und schalenförmigen Strukturen, Rohrleitungen oder Laminaten, breitet sich der Ultraschall in Form geführter Wellen aus. Zwar haben geführte Wellen eine relativ große Reichweite innerhalb des Bauteils und ermöglichen so eine großflächige Prüfung, ihre multimodalen und dispersiven Eigenschaften erschweren jedoch die Analyse der vom Schaden kommenden Reflexionen. Eine Möglichkeit, die Messsignale zu interpretieren und die Schäden zu charakterisieren, ist deren Vergleich mit der Wellenausbreitung in einem digitalen Modell. Hierbei stellt sich die Aufgabe, den Schaden im digitalen Modell anhand der Messdaten zu rekonstruieren. Diese Rekonstruktion beschreibt ein inverses Problem, das mehrere Vorwärtsrechnungen braucht, um das Schadensmodell an die Messdaten anzupassen. Durch die kleine Wellenlänge von Ultraschallwellen sind klassische Vorwärtsmethoden wie die Finte Elemente Methode rechenintensiv, weshalb die Autoren die semi-analytische Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM) benutzen, um den Rechenaufwand zu verringern. Im Beitrag wird ein inverses Verfahren basierend auf dem Automatischen Differenzieren in Kombination mit der SBFEM vorgestellt und an verschiedenen Schadenstypen in 2D-Querschnittmodellen von Wellenleitern getestet. In der präsentierten Vorstudie werden dafür „Messdaten“ aus unabhängigen Simulationen verwendet.
Interdigital transducers (IDTs) are a well-known tool for excitation of surface acoustic waves. The use of IDTs is versatile, but they are most commonly employed as actuators for excitation of ultrasonic guided waves (UGWs). However, they are still a relatively new technology, which leaves many possibilities for future research, especially in the scope of newly emerging structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. IDTs offer low weight, design flexibility and beam directivity, which make them ideal candidates for employment in such systems.
Due to the IDTs’ and waves’ complexity, problems often cannot be described analytically, therefore they require numerical solutions and experimental validations. In this contribution, a novel, simple use of IDTs, in the scope of SHM is described. Firstly, numerical findings acquired with finite element method are presented. To validate those results, experiments in a plate-like waveguide are carried out. A good agreement between them is found. The results show the potential of the IDTs in yet another prospective application, which could be attractive for adoption in the future.
Temperature compensation strategies play a key role in the implementation of guided wave based structural health monitoring approaches. The varying temperature influences the performance of the inspection system inducing false alarms or missed detection, with a consequent reduction of reliability. This paper quantitatively assesses two temperature compensation methods, namely the optimal baseline selection (OBS) and the baseline signal stretch (BSS), with the aim to extend their use to the case of distributed sensor networks (DSN). The effect of temperature separation between baseline time-traces in OBS and BSS are investigated considering multiple couples of sensors employed in the DSN. A decision strategy that uses frequent value warning to define the optimal baseline or stretching parameter is found to be effective analyzing data from two several experiments, which use different frequency analysis with either predominantly A0 mode or S0 mode data or both. The focus is given on the fact that different paths are available in a sensor network and several possible combinations of results are available. Nonetheless, introducing a frequent value warning it is possible to increase the efficiency of the OBS and BSS approach making use of fewer signal processing algorithms. In addition, the effectiveness of those approach is quantified using damage indicators as metric, which confirms that the performance of OBS and BSS quantitatively agree with predictions and also demonstrate that the use of compensation strategies improve detectability of damage with a higher reliability of the system.
Structural health monitoring techniques associate strongly with damage detection and characterization. Ultrasonic guided waves (UGW), for such scope, arise as one of the most promising methods for many reasons i.e. UGW are able to travel long distances and they have high sensitivity to damage. In this context, the necessity to model realistic wave-defect interaction occurs to be critical.
Realistic damage scenarios can be modeled through the usage of image-based quadtree meshes. Images, such as the outcome from X-ray scans, C-scans, etc., can be converted into meshes for further integration in a computational domain. Quadtree meshes are created by converting the intensity of the pixels to quadrilateral cells. Homogeneous regions inside one image result in one quad, whereas fine features such as discontinuities can be described with smaller quads.
This contribution proposes an efficient methodology to model wave defect interaction, using as a framework the scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) and quadtree meshes. Problems as non-conforming regions in the mesh due to the space tree decomposition can be easily avoided using SBFEM’s polygonal elements. Moreover, the semi-analytical nature of the SBFEM allows the modeling of arbitrarily long prismatic/undamaged regions of the waveguides without an increase in the computational burden.
Ray tracing boundary value problems: simulation and SAFT reconstruction for ultrasonic testing
(2016)
The application of advanced imaging techniques for the ultrasonic inspection of inhomogeneous anisotropic materials like austenitic and dissimilar welds requires information about acoustic wave Propagation through the material, in particular travel times between two Points in the material. Forward ray tracing is a popular approach to determine traveling paths and arrival times but is ill suited for inverse problems since a large number of rays have to be computed in order to arrive at prescribed end points.
In this contribution we discuss boundary value problems for acoustic rays, where the ray path between two given points is determined by solving the Eikonal equation. The implementation of such a two Point boundary value ray tracer for sound field simulations through an austenitic weld is described and its efficiency as well as the obtained results are compared to those of a forward ray tracer. The results are validated by comparison with experimental results and commercially available UT simulation tools.
As an application, we discuss an implementation of the method for SAFT (Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique) reconstruction. The ray tracer calculates the required travel time through the anisotropic columnar grain structure of the austenitic weld. There, the formulation of ray tracing as a boundary value Problem allows a straightforward derivation of the ray path from a given transducer Position to any pixel in the reconstruction area and reduces the computational cost considerably.
The synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) is an imaging technique commonly used in ultrasonic inspection. In order to apply SAFT to the inspection of austenitic welds, the inhomogeneous anisotropic nature of the weld structure has to be taken into account. A suitable approach to accomplish this, is to couple the SAFT-algorithm with a ray tracing program (RT-SAFT). While SAFT-imaging of cracks in austenitic welds by use of ray tracing has been carried out before, all attempts so far were limited to longitudinal cracks which usually allows a treatment as 2-dimensional problem. In case of transverse cracks, a full 3-dimensional ray tracing is necessary in order to perform a SAFT-reconstruction. In this paper, we give an outline of our attempts to reconstruct images of transverse cracks in austenitic welds, utilizing 3-dimensional ray tracing and a layered structure model derived from an empirical model of grain orientations in welds. We present results of this RT-SAFT on experimental data taken from transverse cracks in different austenitic welds, which show that size and position of the cracks can be estimated with good accuracy, and compare them to images obtained by assuming an isotropic homogeneous medium which corresponds to the application of the classical SAFT-algorithm.
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.
Mit der Gruppenstrahlertechnik der Bundesanstalt für
Materialforschung und -prüfung sind umfangreiche Untersuchungen an einer
plattierten Druckbehälter-Testwand durchgeführt worden. In der vorliegenden
Testwand mit einer Wanddicke von 149 mm befinden sich künstliche
Testreflektoren im Schweißnaht- und Plattierungsbereich, die mit Gruppenstrahler-
Prüfköpfen mit unterschiedlichen Frequenzen, Einschallwinkeln und
Einschallrichtungen nachgewiesen und in ihrem Anzeigenverhalten analysiert
wurden.
Zur Rekonstruktion der Reflektoranzeigen wurde ein SAFT - Algorithmus
verwendet, der die Variation der Einschallwinkel berücksichtigt. Zum Vergleich
sind die Reflektoren auch mit der TOFD - Technik analysiert worden. Ziel der
Untersuchungen war der direkte Vergleich der Eignung der SAFT- und TOFDTechnik
zur quantitativen Reflektorgrößenbestimmung.
Geführte Wellen breiten sich in Platten und Hohlzylindern über weite
Entfernungen aus. Aus dieser Eigenschaft ergibt sich ein hohes Anwendungspotential
dieser Wellenart für die zerstörungsfreie Prüfung ausgedehnter Bauteile und
Strukturen mittels Ultraschall. Nachteilig für die Anwendung geführter Wellen sind
ihr dispersives Verhalten und die zunehmende Anzahl ausbreitungsfähiger Wellenmoden
bei hohen Frequenzen.
Ziel des Einsatzes der Gruppenstrahlertechnik ist es, eine ausgewählte Wellenmode
selektiv anzuregen bzw. zu empfangen. Durch die Änderung des Schwenkwinkels
im Gruppenstrahlerprüfkopf wird eine definierte Spurwellenlänge auf dem
Interface zwischen Prüfkopf und Struktur festgelegt, die zur Anregung einer Welle
mit entsprechender Phasengeschwindigkeit führt. Da der Schwenkwinkel elektronisch
verändert werden kann, lässt sich auch die angeregte Wellenmode elektronisch
auswählen, worin der große Vorteil des vorgestellten Verfahrens liegt.
In den vorgestellten Untersuchungen wurde die Anwendbarkeit der Methode
experimentell demonstriert. Der Anregemechanismus wurde theoretisch beleuchtet
und die Wellenausbreitung im Prüfkopf mit verschiedenen analytischen Ansätzen
modelliert. Mit diesen Modellen können Fragen der Richtwirkung und der Effizienz
der Anregung detailliert untersucht werden. Die modellierten Wellenfelder
wurden mit den experimentellen Ergebnissen verglichen und die Anwendbarkeit
der theoretischen Ansätze beurteilt, wobei die Ergebnisse der theoretischen Untersuchungen
im Experiment verifiziert werden konnten.
The diffuse field assumption employed in basic statistical energy analysis (SEA) and in statistical room acoustics is violated for source and receiver positions close to boundaries or discontinuities. A simple approach is proposed to include the correction initially suggested by Waterhouse based on spherical Bessel functions in SEA predictions for rectangular rooms. With this modification the SEA results will be augmented by a position dependence and an additional frequency dependence. The approach is applied and demonstrated also for plate-like structures with different boundary conditions. An analytical solution is shown for the corner position on a simply supported plate and for edge positions on plates with more complex boundary conditions. The validity of the approach is confirmed by means of comparisons with modal analysis and finite element calculations.
The diffuse field assumption employed in Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) and in statistical
room acoustics is violated for source and receiver positions close to boundaries or discontinuities.
An approach is suggested to include the correction made by Waterhouse based on
spherical Bessel functions in SEA predictions. With this modification the SEA results will be
augmented by a position dependence and an additional frequency dependence. The approach
is extended and demonstrated for plate-like structures with different boundary conditions. The
validity of the approach is confirmed by means of comparisons with modal analysis and finite
element calculations.
Guided waves travel in plates and hollow cylinders over large distances and propagate with multiple mode shapes. Therefore the waves can be used viably for integrity tests of large scale structures. The number of propagating modes increases with frequency. Due to their dispersive character the different modes are manageable only in a limited frequency range. Depending on the wave length and on the angle of impingement of the wave front to the coupling surface between transducer and structure, a trace wavelength is predefined and a selective excitation of single modes becomes feasible. By using phased array technique the excited wave mode can be selected by controlling the input signal of the transducer. Different modes are excitable with a sin-gle mechanical set-up. In a first step of the investigation, a calculation model is developed modelling the wave propagation and the selective excitation of guided wave modes depending on the control parameters. Dedicated experiments show the applicability of the method presented. The flaw detection of different sized cracks and of material thickness reductions is examined depending on the excitation wave mode.
In this work we experimentally verify the theoretical prediction of the recently published Energy Density Fluctuation Model (EDF-model) of thermo-acoustic sound generation. Particularly, we investigate experimentally the influence of thermal inertia of an electrically conductive film on the efficiency of thermal airborne ultrasound generation predicted by the EDF-model. Unlike widely used theories, the EDF-model predicts that the thermal inertia of the electrically conductive film is a frequency-dependent parameter. Its influence grows non-linearly with the increase of excitation frequency and reduces the efficiency of the ultrasound generation. Thus, this parameter is the major limiting factor for the efficient thermal airborne ultrasound generation in the MHz-range. To verify this theoretical prediction experimentally, five thermo-acoustic emitter samples consisting of Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO) coatings of different thicknesses (from 65 nm to 1.44 lm) on quartz glass substrates were tested for airborne ultrasound generation in a frequency range from 10 kHz to 800 kHz. For the measurement of thermally generated sound pressures a laser Doppler vibrometer combined with a 12 lm thin polyethylene foil was used as the sound pressure detector. All tested thermo-acoustic emitter samples showed a resonance-free frequency response in the entire tested frequency range. The thermal inertia of the heat producing film acts as a low-pass filter and reduces the generated sound pressure with the increasing excitation frequency and the ITO film thickness. The difference of generated sound pressure levels for samples with 65 nm and 1.44 lm thickness is in the order of about 6 dB at 50 kHz and of about 12 dB at 500 kHz. A comparison of sound pressure levels measured experimentally and those predicted by the EDF-model shows for all tested emitter samples a relative error of less than ±6%. Thus, experimental results confirm the prediction of the EDF-model and show that the model can be applied for design and optimization of thermo-acoustic airborne ultrasound emitters.
Online-Strukturüberwachungssysteme sind eine Möglichkeit, den Anforderungen hinsichtlich Leichtbau und Zuverlässigkeit gleichzeitig gerecht zu werden. Die Integration solcher Systeme liefert aktuelle Informationen über die Integrität der sicherheitsrelevanten Struktur, wodurch sich Aussagen über notwendige Instandhaltungsarbeiten und möglicherweise über die zu erwartende Restlebensdauer ableiten lassen. Der zielgerichtete Einsatz der Überwachungssysteme ermöglicht es somit, die benötigten Sicherheitsfaktoren bei der Auslegung der Bauteile zu reduzieren und Wartungsintervalle zu verlängern. Dadurch können Kosten gesenkt werden, ohne die Zuverlässigkeit zu verringern. Im Rahmen einer Studie zur Machbarkeit eines Online-Überwachungssystems für Eisenbahn-Radsatzwellen wurde der Einsatz geführter Ultraschallwellen, die von Sensoren an einer Stirnseite der Wellen angeregt werden, demonstriert. Aufgrund der Bauteilgeometrie und der dispersiven, multimodalen Wellenausbreitung stellt die Interpretation der Echosignale eine wesentliche Herausforderung dar. Basierend auf dem a-priori-Wissen über die Wellenausbreitung wurden in der Studie klassifizierende Auswertealgorithmen entwickelt und erfolgreich an maßstabsgetreuen Labormodellen getestet.
Durch den Einsatz von faserverstärkten Kunststoffen und Multi-Material-Konstruktionen zur Gewichtsreduzierung erlangen Klebeverbindungen immer stärkere Bedeutung. Die Prüfung dieser Fügeverbindungen stellt neue Anforderungen an die zerstörungsfreie Prüfung. Hinzu kommt, dass die Zugänglichkeit häufig eingeschränkt und die Verwendung flüssiger Koppelmittel aufgrund konstruktiver oder fertigungstechnischer Gegebenheiten ausgeschlossen ist. Unter Berücksichtigung dieser Beschränkungen wurde ein Prüfverfahren entwickelt, das eine luftgekoppelte Anregung geführter Ultraschallwellen mit einer laserbasierten Detektion kombiniert. Nachdem das Prüfverfahren zunächst mit einer einfachen Signalauswertung im Zeitbereich getestet wurde, konnte in nachfolgenden Untersuchungen die örtliche Auflösung durch die Implementierung von Filteralgorithmen im Frequenz-Wellenzahl-Bereich und zusätzlich durch direktionale Filter erhöht werden. Das resultierende bildgebende Prüfverfahren wurde an realitätsnahen Klebeproben mit künstlichen Fehlern getestet. Die Zuverlässigkeit und Ortsauflösung des Verfahrens wurde im Vergleich mit herkömmlichen Prüfverfahren validiert. Mithilfe des Verfahrens können Poren, Einschlüsse und Bereiche mit ungenügender Verklebung detektiert werden.
In diesem Beitrag präsentieren wir innovative Methoden für die breitbandige und resonanzfreie Messung und Anregung von Ultraschall. Das Messverfahren verwendet eine Kunststofffolie und ein Laser-Vibrometer als breitbandigen und resonanzfreien Empfänger. Im Allgemeinen ermöglicht dieses Verfahren eine präzise Messung der Schallschnelle und des Schalldruckes in beliebigen, für das Laserlicht transparenten Flüssigkeiten und Gasen mit bekannter Dichte und Schallgeschwindigkeit. Das resonanzfreie Senden von Ultraschall basiert auf einem elektro-thermo-akustischen Wandlerprinzip und ermöglicht, im Gegensatz zu herkömmlichen Ultraschallwandlern, die Erzeugung von beliebig geformten akustischen Signalen ohne Resonanzen und ohne Nachschwingen.
Guided waves are increasingly a subject of great interest in nondestructive testing. An example of research in this field is the development of a novel procedure for ultrasonic testing of wheelset-axles using guided waves, which requires to treat the wheelset-axle as a thick walled cylinder with varying thickness. In order to describe ultrasound propagation in a waveguide with non-constant thickness, a multimodal approach, which allows to avoid extensive mesh-based numerical calculations, seems to be promising. The method treats the modes of a corresponding waveguide with constant thickness as a base in which an arbitrary sound field can be expressed. Since the local sound field at any given position in the waveguide with varying thickness will be a combination of these base modes, the problem is reduced to solving the differential equation that governs the evolution of the coefficients in the mode spectrum along the waveguide. Once the description of the sound field along the waveguide is obtained, the time dependence is added by multiplication with a simple oscillating term. Simulations of pulse propagation through the waveguide can then be constructed by adding up a sufficient number of mono-frequent continuous wave solutions. As an early stage in developing a simulation tool for sound propagation in thick walled cylinders with varying thickness, the multimodal approach was implemented and tested for the simple case of plate geometries. In this work, an overview of the simulations carried out for plates with non-constant thickness is presented. The performance of the algorithm based on the multimodal approach and the obtained results are compared to those of mesh-based simulation tools.
Die Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT) ist ein Verfahren zur Verarbeitung von HF-Bildern, die an unterschiedlichen Prüfkopfpositionen aufgenommen wurden. Es wird in der zerstörungsfreien Werkstoffprüfung genutzt, um eine Abbildung von Materialfehlern innerhalb des Gebietes zu erstellen, auf das die Rekonstruktion angewandt wird. Die nach Abschluss der SAFT-Rekonstruktion zusammengestellten Informationen über Reflektoren liegen zunächst nach wie vor in Form von HF-Daten vor. Die Interpretierbarkeit der SAFT-Bilder ist im Allgemeinen davon abhängig, wie diese Daten vor der endgültigen Darstellung aufbereitet werden. Die Bildung der Amplitudeneinhüllenden aus dem zugehörigen analytischen Signal stellt eine Möglichkeit einer solchen Aufbereitung nach Anwendung des SAFT-Algorithmus dar. Sie ist jedoch nur im eindimensionalen Fall eindeutig definiert. In diesem Beitrag wird das Konzept der analytischen Signale mit single-orthant-Spektren aufgegriffen, um eine Detektion der Einhüllenden an mehrdimensionalen HF-Daten durchzuführen. Dabei wird über die Betragsquadrate aller möglichen nach dieser Definition zu bildenden analytischen Signale gemittelt. Es wird gezeigt, dass die Anwendung des beschriebenen Verfahrens einem Separationsansatz entspricht. Außerdem wird eine Möglichkeit aufgezeigt die Gültigkeit dieses Ansatzes anhand der totalen und partiellen Hilberttransformationen des Signals im konkreten Fall zu überprüfen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Methode zur Verbesserung von SAFT Bildern werden unter Verwendung synthetischer und experimenteller Daten an rekonstruierten Abbildungen verschiedener Reflektorarten beispielhaft dargestellt.
Schäden an Rohrleitungen können zu hohen Umweltbelastungen und wirtschaftlichen Schäden führen. Um die dauerhafte Verfügbarkeit der Infrastruktur zu gewährleisten, wird im Rahmen des Projekts AGIFAMOR an der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) erprobt, inwiefern das Verfahren der verteilten akustischen faseroptischen Sensorik (Distributed acoustic sensing – DAS) zur kontinuierlichen Überwachung von Rohrleitungen eingesetzt werden kann. Neben der DAS werden erprobte Verfahren der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung wie Schallemissionsanalyse (SEA) und Beschleunigungssensoren eingesetzt. An dieser Stelle soll detailliert auf die Hauptschadensursachen an Rohrleitungen, den Versuchsstand zur mechanischen Belastung von Rohren sowie die Möglichkeiten zu Untersuchungen im Realmaßstab eingegangen werden.
Guided waves cover comparably long distances and thus allow for online structural health monitoring of safety relevant components, e.g. lightweight composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV) as used for the transportation of pressurised gases. Reliable non-destructive assessment of COPVs’ condition is not available yet due to their complex composite structure comprising a thin metal liner and a fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) overwrap. The conventional overload hydrostatic pressure testing used for the metal vessels is not suitable for the composite vessels, because it may damage the FRP overwrap reducing the service life of the COPV. Therefore, ISO and CEN defined a maximum service life of composite pressure vessels as of 15 to 20 years. To extend the COPVs’ service life and to ensure a safer usage a structural health monitoring system based on guided ultrasonic waves is to be developed.
In this contribution first results of guided waves propagation in a flat composite plate consisting of an aluminium layer firmly bonded to a carbon fibre reinforced plastic laminate are presented. Based on experimental results material properties of FRP are reconstructed by means of the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM).
The Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM) is a semi-analytical method that shows promising results in modelling of guided ultrasonic waves. Efficiency and low computational cost of the method are achieved by a discretisation of the boundary of a computational domain only, whereas for the domain itself the analytical solution is used. By means of the SBFEM different types of defects, e.g. cracks, pores, delamination, corrosion, integrated into a structure consisting of anisotropic and isotropic materials can be modelled.
In this contribution, the SBFEM is used to analyse the propagation of guided waves in a structure consisting of an isotropic metal bonded to anisotropic carbon fibre reinforced material. The method allows appropriate wave types (modes) to be identified and to analyse their interaction with different defects. Results obtained are used to develop a structural health monitoring system for composite pressure vessels used in automotive and aerospace industries.
The Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM) is a semi-analytical method that shows promising results in modelling of guided ultrasonic waves. Efficiency and low computational cost of the method are achieved by a discretisation of the boundary of a computational domain only, whereas for the domain itself the analytical solution is used. By means of the SBFEM different types of defects, e.g. cracks, pores, delamination, corrosion, integrated into a structure consisting of anisotropic and isotropic materials can be modelled.
In this contribution, the SBFEM is used to analyse the propagation of guided waves in a structure consisting of an isotropic metal bonded to anisotropic carbon fibre reinforced material. The method allows appropriate wave types (modes) to be identified and to analyse their interaction with different defects. Results obtained are used to develop a structural health monitoring system for composite pressure vessels used in automotive and aerospace industries.
The Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM) is a semi-analytical method that shows promising results in modelling of guided ultrasonic waves. Efficiency and low computational cost of the method are achieved by a discretisation of the boundary of a computational domain only, whereas for the domain itself the analytical solution is used. By means of the SBFEM different types of defects, e.g. cracks, pores, delamination, corrosion, integrated into a structure consisting of anisotropic and isotropic materials can be modelled.
In this contribution, the SBFEM is used to analyse the propagation of guided waves in a structure consisting of an isotropic metal bonded to anisotropic carbon fibre reinforced material. The method allows appropriate wave types (modes) to be identified and to analyse their interaction with different defects. Results obtained are used to develop a structural health monitoring system for composite pressure vessels used in automotive and aerospace industries.
Die Scaled Boundary Finite Elemente Methode (SBFEM) ist eine semi-analytische Methode, die speziell für Modellierung von geführten Wellen weiterentwickelt und optimiert wurde. Da nur den Rand der Rechendomäne diskretisiert wird, hat die SBFEM einen geringen Rechenaufwand. In diesem Beitrag wird die SBFEM benutzt, um die Ausbreitung geführter Wellen in einer Metall-Faserverbund-Werkstoffstruktur zu analysieren. Mittels der SBFEM ist es möglich, verschiede Fehlertypen, z.B. Ermüdungsrisse, Poren, Delaminationen, Korrosion, in das numerische Modell zu integrieren und damit Defekt-Mode-Wechselwirkung zu analysieren. Die Ergebnisse wurden für die Entwicklung einer Methode zur Zustandsüberwachung von Composite-Druckbehältern verwendet.
Austenitic stainless steel welds as well as dissimilar metal welds with nickel alloy filler material, used in safety relevant parts of nuclear power plants, still challenge the ultrasonic inspection. The weld material forms large oriented grains which lead on the one hand to high sound scattering and on the other hand – to inhomogeneity and to the acoustic anisotropy of the weld structure. The ultrasonic wave fronts propagate not linearly, as in ferritic weld joints, but along the curves, which depend on the specific grain structure of the weld. Due the influence of these phenomena, it is difficult to analyze the inspection results and to classify the ultrasonic indications, which could be both from the weld geometry and from the material defects. A correct flaw sizing is not possible.
In an ongoing research project, different techniques to improve the reliability of ultrasonic testing at these kinds of welds are investigated. In a first step (in the previous research project) two ultrasonic inspection techniques were developed and validated on plane test specimens with artificial and realistic flaws. In the ongoing project, these techniques are applied to circumferential pipe welds with longitudinal and transverse flaws.
The technique developed at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in Germany uses a combination of ray tracing and synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT). To investigate the unknown grain structure, the velocity distribution of weld-transmitting ultrasound waves is measured and used to model the weld by ray tracing.
The second technique, developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing (IZFP) in Germany, uses Sampling Phased Array (Full Matrix Capture) combined with the reverse phase matching (RPM) and the gradient elastic constant descent algorithm (GECDM). This inspection method is able to estimate the elastic constants of the columnar grains in the weld and offers an improvement of the reliability of ultrasonic testing through the correction of the sound field distortion. The unknown inhomogeneity and anisotropy are investigated using a reference indication and the special optimization algorithm.
Both reconstruction techniques give quantitative inspection results and allow the defect sizing. They have been compared to conventional ultrasonic testing with techniques, which are state of the art for components in nuclear power plants. The improvement will be quantified by the comparison of the probability of detection (POD) of each technique.