基于阵列超声成像法的混凝土裂缝深度检测

针对传统超声法检测混凝土裂缝深度时人为影响因素较多,检测效率十分低下的问题,引入了阵列超声成像法,研究了阵列超声成像法检测裂缝深度的原理及其计算方法,并在实验室设计制作了一块预设7条不同深度裂缝的素混凝土试件,进行了跨单裂缝和试件整体成像检测试验。试验结果表明:阵列超声成像法根据缝底反射超声波的传播时间来检测裂缝深度,生成的二维图像可以显示缝底位置,但无法显示缝身;该检测法的检测精度较高,并且随着裂缝深度的加深逐渐提高;检测时应考虑边界效应,否则无法准确检测裂缝深度;检测时存在盲区,当缝底位于盲区内时会出现漏检。     

A simple device for detecting impact time in impact-echo testing of concrete

The objective of this paper is to describe a simple device for detecting the time of an impact and to demonstrate its efficiency in measuring the depth of surface-opening cracks in concrete. Surface-opening cracks in concrete are relatively deep so that a mechanical impact instead of an ultrasonic transmitter is used to generate stress waves with enough energy for successful evaluation. A technique called the time-of-flight diffraction technique with impact-generated stress waves is an efficient method for detection of surface-opening cracks in concrete. Because the initial time of the impact is unavailable in a mechanical impact device, two receivers are employed in the test. One of the receivers is used to determine the time of the impact indirectly. The present study developed a simple device to record the time of impact initiation. The device comprises a conductive impact device, a sensing film, and an auxiliary circuit. With the device, stress waves are generated and the time of impact is detected so that the evaluation work needs only a single receiver. Laboratory studies were carried out on concrete specimens containing cracks with depths of 0.158 and 0.90 m. Field studies were performed on a dam damaged by an earthquake. Experimental results show that the new device can be used to accurately determine the crack depth in concrete. Using the device, the cost and effort for evaluation and signal analysis are reduced, which largely enhances the evaluation efficiency.     

Ultrasonic imaging of concrete members using an array system

The use of an ultrasonic array system is described, which can be used combined with 3D reconstruction calculations. In this way ultrasonic reflection and backscatter from the inside of concrete members can be imaged and interpreted. The application of the system is demonstrated for two examples: measuring the concrete cover of utility pipes in a tunnel and the examination of transversal ducts in a bridge plate.     

Non-contact ultrasonic detection of angled surface defects

Non-destructive testing is an important technique, and improvements are constantly needed. Surface defects in metals are not necessarily confined to orientations normal to the sample surface; however, much of the previous work investigating the interaction of ultrasonic surface waves with surface-breaking defects has assumed cracks inclined at 90° to the surface. This paper explores the interaction of Rayleigh waves with cracks which have a wide range of angles and depths relative to the surface, using a non-contact laser generation and detection system. Additional insight is acquired using a 3D model generated using finite element method software. A clear variation of the reflection and transmission coefficients with both crack angle and length is found, in both the out-of-plane and in-plane components. The 3D model is further used to understand the contributions of different wavemodes to B-Scans produced when scanning a sample, to enable understanding of the reflection and transmission behaviour, and help identify angled defects. Knowledge of these effects is essential to correctly gauge the severity of surface cracking.     

A neural network for crack sizing trained by finite element calculations

A neural network is combined with a self-compensating ultrasonic technique to size cracks emanating from rivet holes. The network is trained with a combination of experimental and synthetic data. A 2-D finite element (FE) method is used to generate synthetic data for scattering of ultrasound by cracks emanating from rivet holes in a thin aluminium sheet. Both the back and forward scattered fields are calculated at several positions parallel to the crack line. An experimental pulse from an ultrasonic transducer is applied as input excitation to the FE grid. The FE program generates a set of back- and forward-scattered signals for cracks of various lengths in the range; 0.25–3.00 mm with length increments of 0.25 mm. Data obtained in this way are used to train the neural network (NN) classifier that categorizes the data according to crack length. Once the network is trained, its performance is tested on self-compensated experimental data obtained by ultrasonic testing of specimens containing cracks of lengths in the range 0.50–3.00 mm with length increments of 0.50mm. The use of FE modelling to train the NN eliminates the need for a large number of experiments.     

Numerical evaluation of the ill-posedness of eddy current problems to size real cracks

This study evaluates whether or not eddy current testing is applicable to the sizing of cracks that appear in a general structure. Two 10 mm thick specimens with artificial stress corrosion cracking are prepared, eddy current testing is performed to gather eddy current signals that result from cracking, and numerical inversions are performed to evaluate the maximum depths of the cracking. The inversions estimate the depths of the cracks are 0.8 and 1.6 mm. Although the simulated signals agree well with the measured ones, destructive tests reveal that the true depths are 1.27 and 2.58 mm. Another numerical simulation is conducted to discuss the ill-posedness of the inverse problem of sizing crack depths from eddy current signals. The simulation simply models a crack as a rectangular region with a constant length and uniform conductivity inside and calculates the eddy current signals of 1024 cracks having variety of depths, widths, and conductivities. Analyzing the results of the simulation reveal that information contained in conventional single-frequency eddy current tests is not sufficient to size conductive cracks in a general sense.     

Synthetic aperture imaging for flaw detection in a concrete medium

This paper investigates the performance of the Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT) for the detection of air void defects at various locations inside a reinforced concrete medium. Elastic wave propagation, generated by the Impact-Echo method is simulated in two dimensions, using the Finite Difference in Time Domain (FDTD) method. Waveforms received at various receiver locations on the surface are cross-correlated with a reference point scatterer response function to form an interior image of the concrete medium. Traditional SAFT employs the scattered compressional wave field to form an image of the interior of the medium. In this paper, we extend the conventional approach using all mode conversions of the scattered field to synthesize the image of the medium resulting in a more robust sensing algorithm.The SAFT is able to detect air voids (especially those which are linear in shape, such as long straight cracks) embedded in various locations within the subsurface of the concrete along with the steel reinforcement bars. The straight horizontal cracks are strong scatterers and appear as bright regions in the image of the medium, thereby indicating the presence of an anomaly. Simulation examples depicting a severe loss of structural integrity due to the lack of a bond between the concrete and steel and the associated deterioration are investigated where multiple air-voids surround the reinforcement steel bars. A bright area near the anomaly is observed. Imaging of cracks, located at shallow depths close to the surface is also considered. The ones that are located very close to the surface cannot be identified very well by SAFT because the flexural resonance of the layer between the crack and the surface dominates the response. However, with increasing depth of the crack, by isolating the first arrival of the multiple reflections of the compressional wave component between the crack and the top surface, an image can be formed with SAFT. Thus SAFT qualifies as a useful diagnostic tool for structural health monitoring purposes.     

Weep hole inspection by circumferential creeping waves

This paper reports the development of a novel ultrasonic inspection technique that detects radial fatigue cracks on the far side of thin airframe stiffener ‘weep’ holes. These cracks are located on the upper part of the weep hole (12 o'clock position), away from the lower skin of the wing. Cracks in this position are not readily detectable by conventional ultrasonic inspection techniques, particularly for short cracks. A special technique using circumferential creeping waves was adapted to inspect for these cracks. The conventional creeping wave technique experiences a strong specular reflection from the near surface of the hole that masks the creeping wave signal that arrives later in time. In order to overcome this difficulty, a split-aperture (two-element) transducer was used that resulted in the specular and creeping wave echoes being approximately equal in magnitude. The two separate transducers allowed us to alternate between pulse-echo and pitch-catch modes of operation with a resulting improvement in detection sensitivity. In the case of 0.25-inch-diameter weep holes, optimum sensitivity was calculated to be around 5 MHz. The detection threshold was found to be approximately 0.003 inches and the signal saturated at crack lengths in excess of 0.020 inches. The original paint and surface finish had no substantial adverse effects on the technique's sensitivity. Similarly, changing the weep hole diameter or chamfer conditions did not significantly affect the technique's performance. These results were obtained using specimens with both machined notches and real fatigue cracks.     

混凝土梁三点弯曲负荷下声发射特性研究

研究混凝土梁受三点弯曲负荷时的声发射（ＡＥ）特性,结果表明在加载妆期裂缝在混凝土中的形成和扩展是间歇的,达到临界状态后裂缝的扩展呈失稳;切噪上对深对混凝的发射特性有着显著影响,切口相对深化度增大,声发射事件突发性明显减小,表明其产脆性程度降低。利用声发射可以对内部裂缝进行定位。     

Ultrasonic detection and sizing of compressed cracks in glass- and carbon-fibre reinforced plastic composites

Nondestructive evaluation of compressed cracks is a major challenge. A quantitative study of the effect of crack-tip closure on the pulse-echo ultrasonic sizing of delaminations in fibre-reinforced polymer-matrix composites (FRP) is presented. In particular, this study focuses on the interaction of ultrasound with a closed crack or kissing disbond, and their effect on the ultrasonic inspectability of FRP laminates consisting of carbon and glass plies. The compression of laminar cracks in these two different laminate types is clearly detectable via both pulse-echo and through-transmission ultrasonic measurements, but the reflected ultrasonic pulses in the two material types exhibit markedly different behaviour. The glass-fibre laminates show a drop in the reflected signal for crack openings up to approximately half the crack growth load, whereas the corresponding carbon-fibre laminates show the expected increase in the reflected signal as the crack opens. The origins of the observed effect of crack closure on the reflection and transmission of ultrasound are analysed in detail to ascertain possible mechanisms responsible for these effects.     

Simplified NDE of multiple cracks by means of the potential drop technique

A method is developed for the simplified evaluation of multiple cracks, based on the d.c. potential drop technique. A subregion containing cracks is considered. The distribution of the potential drop for the cracks except for end cracks in the subregion is measured and calculated numerically by assuming a value for the depths of the end cracks and by assuming any value for the depths of other cracks. Modifying the depths of the other cracks is repeated until the difference between measured and calculated potential drops is minimized, where the depths of the end cracks are fixed. Evaluation of the centre crack in the subregion is made for different assumed depths of the end cracks. To make the evaluation independent of the depths of the end cracks, a subregion is extended to increase successively the number of cracks considered. Multiple cracks are sized well enough by this method.     

Accurate depth measurement of small surface-breaking cracks using an ultrasonic array post-processing technique

In this paper, the half-skip configuration of the Total Focusing Method (TFM) is used to image and size surface-breaking cracks. The TFM is an ultrasonic array post-processing technique which is used to synthetically focus at every image point in a target region. This paper considers the case of inspecting for cracks which have initiated from the far surface of a parallel-sided sample using an array on the near surface. Typically, only direct ray paths between the array and image points are included in the TFM algorithm and therefore the image obtained for this case consists only of root and tip indications; no specular reflection from the crack faces is captured. The tip indication often has such a poor signal-to-noise ratio that reliable crack depth measurement is challenging. With the Half-Skip TFM, instead of using directly-scattered signals, the image is formed using ultrasonic ray paths corresponding to the ultrasound that has reflected off the back surface and has then undergone specular reflection from the crack face back to the array. The technique is applied to experimental and simulated array data and is shown to measure the depth of small cracks (depth <1 mm) with greater reliability than methods which rely on tip diffraction.     

套筒灌浆饱满性的超声检测

为了快速判断套筒灌浆是否饱满,基于超声波的传播原理和反射特性,结合灌浆不饱满的出浆口特征,分析了灌浆饱满性的超声检测方法.设计制作了3组试件,考虑在灌浆不饱满、出浆孔道倾斜及破损面倾斜等工况下进行试验,结果表明,该方法可快速有效地确定内部是否饱满,通过盲区以外的首波信号可确定不饱满处灌浆料破损面的位置,与实际位置的误差...     

基于太赫兹技术的热障涂层平行裂纹监测研究

目的监测热障涂层内部的平行裂纹。方法针对采用大气等离子喷涂方法制备的热障涂层,在内部预制不同规格的两种平行裂纹,利用反射式太赫兹时域光谱系统进行测试,获取时域谱图,联合Hanning窗函数-小波降噪滤波方法进行反卷积处理,提取不同反射峰间的时间间隔,建立数学模型进行裂纹规格参数计算。结果太赫兹时域光谱可以有效测量服役前未出现平行裂纹的热障涂层的陶瓷顶层厚度D。针对不同类型和规格的平行裂纹,通过提取时域光谱反射峰1和反射峰2的时间间隔Δt1,用于计算裂纹上端距涂层表面预制值d1和判断裂纹的位置类型。当d1相似文献   

A comparative study of two non-destructive testing methods to assess near-surface mechanical damage in concrete structures

Concrete specimens displaying surface-breaking cracks are tested using two non-destructive testing techniques: the measurement of electrical resistivity and the transmission of ultrasonic surface waves. The capacity of each method to detect, localize and characterize the induced crack pattern—i.e. its width and depth—is investigated. The specimens are made of concrete with three different mixes. A major crack is induced in the middle of the specimen using a three point bending setup. As the bending strength is increased, three different loading levels are obtained. Both methods were able to correctly localize the main crack and follow its evolution. However, due to the complex crack pattern, the crack depth could not be estimated. Nevertheless, the ultrasonic technique was able to detect a change of state of the material before cracks became visible. As the crack intensity increases, variations of ultrasonic parameters in the apparently undamaged area surrounding the main crack were observed, thus highlighting the sensitivity of ultrasonic waves to distributed damage. The obtained results have also thrown bases for further research to couple resistivity and ultrasonic non-destructive methods.     

An arrayed uniform eddy current probe design for crack monitoring and sizing of surface breaking cracks with the aid of a computational inversion technique

This study demonstrates that eddy current testing can be an effective method for monitoring the growth of surface breaking cracks with the aid of computational inversion techniques. A uniform eddy current probe with 23 arrayed detectors was designed, and pseudo monitoring tests were carried out to measure signals due to six mechanical fatigue cracks introduced into type 316L austenitic stainless steel plates. In the test the position of the probe was fixed to simulate monitoring. The depths of the cracks were evaluated using a computational inversion method developed on the basis of k-nearest neighbor algorithm. The depths of the mechanical fatigue cracks whose actual depths were 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 5.5, 6.7, and 8.5 mm were evaluated to be 0.9, 1.9, 3.8, 4.3, 7.0, and 5.7 mm, respectively. Additional simulations were conducted to demonstrate the stability of the method.     

超声源的位置对激发裂纹热成像的影响

超声激发裂纹热成像是针对表面和亚表面裂纹及缺陷的无损评价和检测新技术。由于在强超声脉冲作用下,裂纹两边缘的振动幅度和相位不同而使裂纹区域温度升高。试验中观察到当超声源激发的位置改变时,裂纹区域的温度升高（加热）明显不同。根据超声在板中的传播理论,提出了一个理论模型来计算裂纹两边缘的振动。计算中考虑了多个谐波成分的传播,得到裂纹两边缘振动之间的振幅和相位差。这种差异与超声源和裂纹之间的相对方位和距离有关,而且引起裂纹区域不同的温度上升。最后,对结果进行了分析和讨论,理论计算与试验测量相符。     

High-selectivity imaging of closed cracks in a coarse-grained stainless steel by nonlinear ultrasonic phased array

In measuring crack depths by ultrasonic testing, there are two difficulties; crack closure and coarse grains. Crack closure can cause the underestimation or miss-detection. Coarse grains can hide crack tip responses due to strong linear scatterings at coarse grains. To solve these problems, a combination of a crack opening method, global preheating and local cooling (GPLC) and a high-selectivity imaging method, load difference phased array (LDPA) was proposed. However, it has yet to be verified. Here we formed a tightly closed fatigue crack in a coarse-grained stainless-steel specimen using a stepwise-decremental method. In the specimen, we demonstrated that our method is useful in selectively imaging closed cracks in coarse-grained materials.     

超声波检测中61°和45°缺陷反射波形的识别

在对某锻造环件进行超声波检测时,在一个端面发现有较大面积的超标反射回波,但是在另一端面却没有对应的波形显示,并且未发现缺陷波时的底波却下降了,由于该环形件的高度和衰减系数均较小,所以初步判定存在与声束入射面夹角较大的缺陷或密集小缺陷。荧光与金相验证试验证明,零件的端面和内圆周面存在锻造折叠裂纹,该裂纹与入射纵波声束轴线成61°和45°夹角。定性分析了超声波检测时深度位置为33和20格处的两个特殊波形,通过定量计算,证实了其为61°和45°缺陷的特殊反射波形。试验分析为在实际检测中区别61°纵波产生的变形横波以及45°反射纵波提供了思路,避免了缺陷的误判。     

Imaging of internal cracks in concrete structures using the surface rendering technique

The impact echo method is effective in the inspection of concrete defects. If the test area is large and many tests are performed, it is difficult to get a picture of the concrete interior by examining a series of test spectra. In order to provide the engineers with a more direct way of detecting the defects in the structure, this study proposes a three-dimensional (3D) imaging method to depict the internal cracks in concrete structures. To acquire the test data, a mesh is drawn on the surface of the concrete. Then, impact echo tests are performed at the grids. The recorded signals are processed to obtain the depth spectra of the concrete. Finally, the surface rendering technique is adopted to construct the 3D image of the concrete interior. Both numerical simulations and model tests are used to verify the proposed imaging method. It is seen that surface rendering technique can be used to show the internal cracks in the concrete specimens successfully.