Attached ultrasonic sensors can detect changes caused by crack initiation and growth if the wave path is directed through the area of critical crack formation. Dynamics of cracks opening and closing under load cause nonlinear modulation of received ultrasonic signals, enabling small cracks to be detected by stationary sensors. A methodology is presented based upon the behavior of ultrasonic signals versus applied load to detect and monitor formation and growth of cracks originating from fastener holes. Shear wave angle beam transducers operating in through transmission mode are mounted on either side of the hole such that the transmitted wave travels through the area of expected cracking. Time shift is linear with respect to load, and is well explained by path changes due to strain combined with wave speed changes due to acoustoelasticity. During subsequent in situ monitoring with unknown loads, the measured time of flight is used to estimate the load, and behavior of the received energy as a function of load is the basis for crack detection. Results are presented from low cycle fatigue tests of several aluminum specimens and illustrate the efficacy of the method in both determining the applied load and monitoring crack initiation and growth.
The propagation of Lamb waves in elastic plates is analyzed both numerically and experimentally. A Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer (SLDV) is here used to detect and visualize transient waveforms propagating in an elastic plate at low ultrasonic frequencies. The waves are excited by a piezoelectric crystal glued to the plate surface and actuated by sinusoidal pulses of varying frequency. The pulse sequence is triggered by the SLDV internal controller so that phase and delay information are preserved. Such information allows visualization of the waveform pattern as it propagates over the plate surface. The experiment produces animated displacement maps where the interaction with discontinuities in the plate such as defects becomes apparent. This capability suggests application of the SLDV technique as part of an overall damage detection methodology which combines the recognized sensitivity of ultrasonic waves with the localization of damage via wavefield visualization. The interpretation of the experimental results is aided by numerical simulations of ultrasonic waves in plate structures. The simulations are performed using a Local Interaction Simulation Approach (LISA), which represents a simple and effective tool for simulating and visualizing waveforms in isotropic or orthotropic plate-like structures.
A methodology is presented for health monitoring and subsequent inspection of critical structures. Algorithms have been developed to detect and approximately locate damaged regions by analyzing signals recorded from a permanently mounted, sparse array of transducers. Followup inspections of suspected flaw locations are performed using a dual transducer ultrasonic approach where a permanently mounted transducer is the source and an externally scanned transducer is the receiver. Scan results are presented as snapshots of the propagating ultrasonic wavefield radiating out from the attached transducers. This method, referred to here as Acoustic Wavefield Imaging (AWI), provides an excellent visual representation of the interaction of propagating ultrasonic waves with the structure. Preflaw and post-flaw ultrasonic waveforms are analyzed from an aluminum plate specimen with artificially induced damage, and the AWI results show the location and spatial extent of all of the defects. 938
A real-time ultrasound-based system for controlling robotic weld quality by monitoring the weld pool is presented. The weld penetration depth is one of the most important geometric parameters that define weld quality, hence, remains a key control quantity. The sensing system is based on using a laser phased array technique to generate focused and steered ultrasound, and an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) as a receiver. When a pulsed laser beam is incident on the surface of a condensed matter, either the thermoelastic expansion or ablation induces mechanical vibrations that propagate as ultrasound within the specimen. Both the ultrasound generation by the laser phased array and the reception by the EMAT are noncontact, which eliminates the need for a couplant medium. They are capable of operating at high temperatures involved in the welding process. The ultrasound generated by the laser phased array propagates through the weld pool and is picked up by the EMAT receiver. A signal-processing algorithm based on a cross-correlation technique has been developed to estimate the time-of-flight (TOF) of the ultrasound. The relationship between the TOF and the penetration depth of the weld has been established experimentally and analytically. The analytical relationship between the TOF and the penetration depth, which is obtained by the ray-tracing algorithm and geometric analysis, agrees well with the experimental measurements.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.