Reconstruction of flaw images by the C-SAFT method from echo signals measured by an antenna array in the triple-scanning mode

The application of antenna matrices (AMs) for obtaining flaw images during automated nondestructive ultrasonic testing is considered. The conventional technique of using an AM as a phased AM (PAM) has a number of drawbacks. One of them is related to the small number of AM elements and consists in a low frontal resolution of the thus-formed images. Scanning with an AM operating in the double scanning mode, viz., the so-called triple-scanning mode, allows coherent summation of partial images for each position and obtaining a resulting image with a frontal resolution that cannot be attained with a PAM. In order to test the serviceability of the proposed algorithm in the CIVA program, echo signals reflected from a crack model with a height of 6 mm and a length of 30 mm in a tested object, which simulated a welded joint of a pipeline with a conventional diameter of 800 mm (дy800), were calculated. The results of the reconstruction of images of model objects in the form of a drilled side hole with a diameter of 6 mm at a depth of 15 mm in a CO-2 specimen and a fatigue crack in a welded joint of a д y800 pipeline are presented. To reduce the influence of reverberation noise, a B-type median template was subtracted from echo signals. The flaw images that were reconstructed in numerical and model experiments demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.     

Obtaining flaw images that take the effect of multiple ultrasonic pulse reflections from the boundaries of a test object into account

The problem of obtaining flaw images from echo signals multiply reflected from the boundaries of a test object and modifications of the FT-SAFT and SAFT algorithms for obtaining flaw images in a test object with plane-parallel boundaries are considered. The reason that a transducer operating on transverse waves in the transceiver mode cannot yield information on flaw location depth is stated. It is shown that the detecting signals in the double-scanning mode, obtaining a set of partial images by the SAFT method, and combining them into a final image allow one to solve this problem. To obtain a combined image, the moduli of partial images were summed and their median was calculated. Because of difficulties in determining the velocity of sound and the thickness of a particular object, the coherent summation, which is potentially the most efficient combining technique among the considered ones, does not allow one to obtain a high-quality image. The results of a numerical simulation of the procedure of obtaining images of point defects are presented. The results of model experiments aimed at obtaining an image of a 1-mm-deep groove in a 20-mm-thick metal slab are presented as well. It is shown that measuring echo signals in the double-scanning mode and obtaining images by the DS-M-SAFT method make it possible to determine the flaw location depth.     

Shape reconstruction of three-dimensional flaw from backscattering data

Three dimensional Born and Kirchhoff inverse scattering methods are modified to convenient forms for a cylindrical specimen that includes three dimensional defect. One aluminum cylinder with flaw model is prepared and ultrasonic measurements are carried out. The measurement area in the modified methods is restricted in the plane perpendicular to the axis of cylindrical specimen. That is to say that the methods are modified to convenient form to use measured waveforms in the x₁–x₂ plane. The measured wave data are fed into the inversion method and cross-sectional images are obtained. Then, three dimensional shape reconstruction of flaw model in aluminum specimen is performed by piling up the cross-sectional images.     

The use of an ultrasonic flaw detector with a phased antenna array for the recording of echo signals to reconstruct the images of reflectors by the method of projection in the spectral space

A method of automated ultrasonic testing based on the use of a PAA flaw detector for the recording of echo signals followed by the reconstruction of the image of reflectors by applying the 3D variant of the method of projection in the spectral space (3D-PSS) is considered. Customized setting of the PAA flaw detector makes it possible to simulate the operation of many single-element transducers with different angles of incidence. This approach allows one to obtain the images of reflectors with a high resolution and a high signal-to-noise ratio at a depth of more than 100 mm. A procedure for the calibration of an antenna array on a prism operating in the mode of emulation of several piezoelectric transducers with different angles of incidence is discussed. The results of a testing a fragment of the support billet for the ITER diverter when obtaining the images by the classical PAA method and with the use of 3D processing, which demonstrate the efficiency of the developed testing technology, are presented.     

Application of an ultrasonic antenna array for registering echo signals by the double-scanning method for obtaining flaw images

The prospects for applying the double-scanning mode in ultrasonic nondestructive testing for recording echo signals are considered. A variant of implementing the double-scanning mode using a phased antenna array is proposed. Algorithms for reconstructing flaw images by the method of projection in the spectral space and the combined SAFT (C-SAFT) method are presented. It is shown that, to obtain high-quality flaw images, the ultrasound propagation velocity in a tested object must be known to within a high accuracy (at least 0.5%). The results of numerical and model experiments in which images were obtained by these methods are presented.     

Application of a Double Scanning Method in Ultrasonic Nondestructive Testing to Improve the Quality of Flaw Images

An algorithm for obtaining flaw images by a double scanning method for application in ultrasonic nondestructive testing, in which a radiator and a receiver move independently along parallel straight lines, is considered. A formula for reconstruction of flaw images is presented. The advantages and drawbacks of the double scanning method are discussed in comparison with the method of projection in the spectral space (PSS), which is also used for a coherent reconstruction of flaw images. The efficiency of the double scanning technique in suppressing the phantom images produced by transformed and rescattered pulses is shown in numerical and model experiments. The immunity of this method to the distortions introduced by an irregular measurement surface and the higher noise immunity compared to the PSS method are also demonstrated.     

Use of the Harmonic Analysis of an Induction Probe's Signal for Increasing the Information Content of Test Results

The harmonic content of a probe's electromotive force when magnetic testing is conducted with the use of alternating fields is significantly affected by the possible presence of a flaw in the specimen. Magnetic biasing of the specimen with a static field enables identification of internal flaws in addition to surface flaws. The electromotive force's harmonic content depends on the flaw's dimensions and depth. This circumstance can be used to determine these parameters in a separate way. The effect of a gap between the surface of a tested specimen and the probe is significantly weaker on the topography and amplitude of higher harmonics than on the corresponding parameters of the first harmonic. This observation, which holds for both internal and surface flaws, enables testing of larger gaps.     

Determination of the profile of the surface of a test object during automated nondestructive ultrasonic testing in the immersion mode and reconstruction of flaw images using the SAFT method

The problem of using an elastic organosilicon polymer (??aquapolymer??) as an immersion medium for providing a stable acoustic contact between a test object and a piezoprobe in the process of automated ultrasonic testing of objects with rough surfaces is considered. The use of an ??aquapolymer?? allows one to decrease the consumption of water during ultrasonic testing. Flaw images were reconstructed using a modification of the SAFT method, which takes the profile of a test object into account; this allows improvement of the image quality. An algorithm for obtaining information on the profile of the surface of a test object and taking this profile into account during reconstruction of flaw images with the SAFT method is proposed. Model experiments yielded flaw images with the refraction of beams on a rough surface taken into account.     

Determination of the reflector type from an image reconstructed using echo signals measured with ultrasonic antenna arrays

The application of the digital image focusing (DFA) method to the determination of the types of detected reflectors is considered. For this purpose two antenna arrays (AAs) are used, which are placed on opposite sides of the reflector and using which echo signals are recorded in three acoustic channels in the double-scanning mode. The first and second acoustic channels transmit and receive echo signals using the first and second AA, respectively, and the third channel is tuned so that the first AA transmits pulses and the second AA receives echo signals. Using signals in each channel, many partial images can be reconstructed in a common coordinate system according to different acoustic schemes with allowance for both multiple reflections from irregular boundaries of a tested object and effects of transformation of the wave types. Combining partial images makes it possible to obtain a high-quality image, in which the entire boundary of the reflector is seen and using which an attempt to automate the procedure of evaluating the reflector size and determining its type was made. Such an approach allows one to reduce the subjective influence of an operator on the testing results. It is shown that in order to increase the image resolution, the spectrum of echo signals can be extrapolated by the spectrum splitting method jointly with the construction of an AR model of their spectrum. The results of model experiments that confirm the possibility of determining the reflector type are presented.     

Imaging of flaws with allowance for multiple reflections of ultrasonic pulses from plane-parallel boundaries of a tested object

The possibility of applying coherent methods to imaging of flaws in objects with plane-parallel boundaries during ultrasonic inspection is considered. A version of the SAFT method for obtaining flaw images on the basis of one or several echo signals measured in the transceiver mode and the correlation imaging method are considered. A variant of using the maximum-entropy method for obtaining flaw images from measured echo signals is proposed. A substantial advantage of the maximum-entropy method over the SAFT and correlation methods is demonstrated. The results of numerical experiments in which images were obtained with the use of the aforementioned methods are presented. It is shown that the obtainment of high-quality flaw images requires knowledge of the velocity of ultrasound propagation and the object thickness with a low error (no worse than 0.5%). For this purpose, additional measurements must be performed, e.g., in the dual-probe operating mode, which will allow determination of the velocity of sound and the thickness of the tested object. The results of using these methods for obtaining images in model experiments are presented     

Coherent Reconstruction of Flaw Images during Detection of Echo Signals in a Separate Mode

The possibility of using a scheme for separate detection of echo signals for obtaining high-quality flaw images is substantiated. A conventional algorithm for obtaining images by the projection method in the spectral space and an algorithm for obtaining images that is not limited by the approximation of a plane incident wave are considered. Coherent storage of images reconstructed from echo signals, which were detected in a separate scheme but at different positions of the radiator (transmitter), reduces the speckle-noise level and increases the resolution of flaw images. Positive and negative features of these algorithms are analyzed. Numerical and model experiments have demonstrated the feasibilities of different schemes of detecting echo signals for obtaining flaw images.     

Application of the TANDEM scheme for reconstructing flaw images by the SAFT method

The question of applying the TANDEM scheme for reconstructing flaw images by the SAFT method is considered. When the reflection of rays from a bottom is taken into account, it becomes possible to reconstruct the image of a boundary of a vertically oriented planar flaw. Formulas are proposed for calculating the optimal parameters of the scanning scheme for data collection according to the TANDEM scheme and the resolution is estimated. It is shown that the depth resolution for images obtained taking into account the reflection from the bottom is much worse than that for a direct beam. To increase the resolution, it is necessary to use coherent summation of images obtained for the same test object at different bases. This is confirmed by model experiments.     

Application of linear interpolation for improving the quality of flaw images obtained by the spectral projection method during ultrasonic nondestructive testing

The possibility of applying the linear interpolation of a 2D spatial spectrum during reconstruction of flaw images by the Fourier transform synthetic aperture focusing technique (FT-SAFT) from the data of ultrasonic nondestructive testing is considered. Different interpolation algorithms are analyzed. The results of numerical and model experiments in which images were obtained with and without interpolation are presented. The efficiency of applying the algorithm proposed for improving the quality of images obtained by the FT-SAFT method is shown.     

火炮身管疵病深度测量系统

为了准确获取火炮身管疵病深度参数,提出了一种新的基于等效多基线立体成像的疵病深度测量方法,并采用单摄像机建立了疵病深度自动测量系统。首先,对摄像机采用Tsai两步法进行标校。接着,采用等效多基线立体成像法获取疵病图像。在此基础上,利用标校数据和图像的位置参数,通过疵病特征提取和疵病图像立体匹配处理,获取疵病深度图像的输出,从而得到准确的疵病深度值,实现对火炮身管疵病深度参数的精确测量。测试结果表明:该疵病测量系统得到的疵病深度测量绝对误差0.1 mm,相对误差5%,完全满足火炮身管疵病深度测量的需要,能够为火炮鉴定试验和伴装保障提供重要的技术支持。     

Comparison of systems for ultrasonic nondestructive testing using antenna arrays or phased antenna arrays

This paper considers the features of forming the images of reflectors using phased antenna array technology and the images obtained by the C-SAFT method by echo signals measured in by double-scanning mode. It is shown that in some cases the images obtained by the phased antenna array technology are less informative, while the images obtained by the C-SAFT method have a higher frontal resolution over the entire area of image restoration; the partial images restored at different positions of the antenna array can be coherently combined to obtain a high and homogeneous resolution throughout the entire volume of thickwalled articles and increasing the signal/noise ratio. For the sake of brevity, the registration of echo signals in the double-scanning mode and restoration of the images of reflectors by the C-SAFT method will be called digital focusing by an antenna array (DFA). The ability to restore the partial images of reflectors by once measured echo signals according to many acoustic schemes with their consequent combination into one high-quality image should provide reliable automation of the process of recognition and dimensioning of scatterers. Another advantage of the images obtained by the C-SAFT method with three-dimensional focusing is the possibility of restoring images in the same coordinate system when using antenna arrays on prisms of different configurations. This facilitates the joint analysis of the images. Speeds of forming the images by the technology of phased-antenna arrays and the images obtained by the C-SAFT method are comparable. If the testing technique is based on the use of nonlinear effects, then in this case PA flaw detectors have a distinct advantage over DFA flaw detectors. However, within the framework of linear acoustics, PA flaw detectors have no fundamental advantages over DFA flaw detectors. It is fairer to say that PA flaw detectors have drawbacks. This article shows images that illustrate the features of the images that were obtained by PA and DFA flaw detectors.     

Application of Superresolution Methods for Expert Control of Cylindrical Objects

The possibility of the combined application of the extrapolation procedure to the spectrum of echo signals during construction of its AR model and of the algorithm for the production of flaw images using a multibeam method of projection in the spectral space (PSS) for testing cylindrical objects is shown. Improvement of the quality of flaw images due to a significant decrease in the “side lobe” levels in the point-spread function is demonstrated in a model experiment. These methods may prove to be especially efficient for testing metallurgical flaws in wheel pairs of rolling stock, workpieces for turbine rotors, and similar items.     

Experimental determination of the depth and size of a cylindrical flaw in a ferromagnetic plate using a magnetic-field-visualizing film

A method for the experimental determination of the size of an internal flaw in a ferromagnetic object while taking the depth of the flaw into account was developed. A film for visualizing magnetic fields was used to record fields of flaws. The information parameters of a flaw-induced signal were determined when testing a ferromagnetic plate in an applied field. Nomograms that allow determination of the depth and size of a flaw were constructed.     

Ultrasonic Flaw Detection: Adjustment and Calibration of Equipment Using Samples with Cylindrical Drilling

Questions related to adjusting an ultrasonic flaw detector using cylindrical bores in reference and tuning samples are considered with allowance for the specific features of single- and double-crystal testing schemes, including when a bore is sonified perpendicularly and at an angle to its axis. Requirements have been determined in each scheme to the drilling diameter and the duration of ultrasonic pulses such that signals specularly reflected from the drilling surface not be distorted by creeping and other signals diffracted by the cylinder. It is indicated that under these conditions, cylindrical drilling can be used not only for adjusting the “flaw detector–transducer” system, but also for calibrating the time scan, verifying the accuracy of the depth gage, and checking the flaw-detector attenuator. This approach makes it possible to simplify the construction of measures and tuning samples by eliminating excess reflectors. Examples are given in the echo and TOFD techniques for testing welded joints using traditional and special double-crystal schemes with different probes orientations.     

A nonlinear effect-based ultrasonic flaw detector for detecting cracks

The operation of an ultrasonic flaw detector using a nonlinear modulation method of crack detection that is suitable for effectively testing cracks in wafers is considered. It differs from analogues in the technique of modulation of elastic characteristics of flaws, namely, a sequence of phase-inverted pulses of Lamb waves. The results of testing of an ultrasonic flaw detector intended for detecting model flaws (single cracks and cavities) in wafers are presented.     

Nondestructive testing and characterization of residual stress field using an ultrasonic method

To address the difficulty in testing and calibrating the stress gradient in the depth direction of mechanical components, a new technology of nondestructive testing and characterization of the residual stress gradient field by ultrasonic method is proposed based on acoustoelasticity theory. By carrying out theoretical analysis, the sensitivity coefficients of different types of ultrasonic are obtained by taking the low carbon steel(12%C) as a research object. By fixing the interval distance between sending and receiving transducers, the mathematical expressions of the change of stress and the variation of time are established. To design one sending-one receiving and oblique incidence ultrasonic detection probes, according to Snell law, the critically refracted longitudinal wave (LCR wave) is excited at a certain depth of the fixed distance of the tested components. Then, the relationship between the depth of LCR wave detection and the center frequency of the probe in Q235 steel is obtained through experimental study. To detect the stress gradient in the depth direction, a stress gradient LCR wave detection model is established, through which the stress gradient formula is derived by the relationship between center frequency and detecting depth. A C-shaped stress specimen of Q235 steel is designedto conduct stress loading tests, and the stress is measured with the five group probes at different center frequencies. The accuracy of ultrasonic testing is verified by X-ray stress analyzer. The stress value of each specific depth is calculated using the stress gradient formula. Accordingly, the ultrasonic characterization of residual stress field is realized. Characterization results show that the stress gradient distribution is consistent with the simulation in ANSYS. The new technology can be widely applied in the detection of the residual stress gradient field caused by mechanical processing, such as welding and shot peening.