Ultra-low noise front-end electronics for air-coupled ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation

Air-coupled ultrasonic inspection has been demonstrated to be a non-contact method of great interest in non-destructive evaluation (NDE) applications. The absence of direct contact or a liquid couplant provides this technique very attractive benefits in front of the well-known and well-developed liquid-coupled ultrasonic inspection systems. A wide range of defects can be detected by means of ultrasound coupled to and harvested from the specimen in absence of contact when using appropriate transducers designed for their operation in air.This paper presents an easy way to integrate air-coupled piezoelectric transducers in conventional ultrasonic NDE equipment. The design of a specific front-end electronics by using an ultra-low noise amplifier enables existing inspection systems to be used for the dry-coupled ultrasonic test of materials and structures. The amplifier provides the receiver with a signal-to-noise ratio large enough for good quality signal processing and imaging. System dynamic ranges of more than 100 dB are achieved.     

Ultrasonic surface wave propagation and interaction with surface defects on rail track head

Electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) are non-contact ultrasonic transducers capable of generating wide band ultrasonic surface waves on metallic samples. A lab-based laser-EMAT system has been developed to observe the ultrasonic surface wave propagation and interaction with surface breaking defects on the sample rail head surface. A wide band EMAT generating surface waves with a frequency content between approximately 50 and 500 kHz is used to propagate ultrasonic waves on the surface of a rail head down the length of the sample. A stabilised Michelson interferometer is used to measure the out-of-plane displacement of the surface wave. A complete picture of the ultrasonic surface wave on the sample surface over time is reconstructed using this technique, with exceptionally high spatial and temporal resolution. Despite the curvature of the rail head, the ultrasonic surface wave propagating down the rail is found to have similar properties to Rayleigh waves by direct comparison to those observed on flat samples using the same technique.     

Damage mechanism of a nodular cast iron under the very high cycle fatigue regime

Fatigue behaviour in the very high cycle regime (VHCF) of 10¹⁰ cycles were investigated with a cast iron (GS51) under ultrasonic fatigue test system (20 kHz) in ambient air at room temperature with a stress ratio R = −1.

The influence of frequency was examined by comparing similar data generated on conventional servo hydraulic test systems. An advanced, high-speed, and high-sensitivity infrared imaging system was used to measure the temperature changes during ultrasonic fatigue test at various load levels caused by internal damping due to a very high frequency cycling. The temperature field on the surface specimen was determined by using a non-destructive measurement technique called infrared pyrometer. An infrared camera made up of a matrix of 320 × 240 detectors was used.

The S-N curves obtained show that fatigue failure occurred beyond 10⁹ cycles, fatigue limit does not exist for the cast iron and there is no evidence of frequency effect on the test results. A detailed study on fatigue specimens subjected to ultrasonic frequency shows that the temperature evolution of the cast iron specimen is very evident, the temperature increased just at the beginning of the test, the temperature increased depending on the maximum stress amplitude. Under the current test conditions, the high cycle fatigue (VHCF) behaviour of the cast iron exhibited a typical fatigue crack growth process, that is, fatigue initiation takes place always at the surface graphite or subsurface void; the distinctive stable fatigue crack growth zone can be found around the fatigue crack initiation site, the change of fatigue initiation site from surface to subsurface is associated with the complex effects of applied maximum stress level, surface condition.

Under lower stress amplitude and high cycle condition, surface graphite fatigue initiation is predominantly depended on cyclic stress amplitude; subsurface void fatigue initiation is determined by maximum cyclic stress.

In the process of small crack propagation, the temperature in local plastic zone increase very sharply. The temperature field of ultrasonic fatigue specimen can be changed with the cooling condition; internal heating can accelerate surface fatigue crack initiation and propagation.

Fatigue properties in VHCF regime were studied for cast iron (GS51) at 20 kHz frequency and for the first time, crack initiation and propagation stages were analyzed using a high-sensitivity infrared camera. The new Paris's model for fish eye formation in the gigacycle fatigue were also confirmed by this study.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF ULTRASONIC NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING FOR WELDS

A computer simulation technique for ultrasonic propagation is utilized for the simulation of ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT).In this paper,one goal of the simulation is to compute ultrasonic field radiated by arbitrary transducers into pieces under examination.The other simulates a testing experiment.The simulation approach is based on the model for the computation of the ultrasonic field in isotropic media radiated from actual NDT transducers.After the field is known, remaining to be modeled is the interaction between this field and the scatters (defect) and the echo structure. The model of beam-defect interaction is based on the Kirchhoff‘s diffraction approximations theory applied to elastodynamics.We assumed that the incident wave fronts on the defect are plane in the case of a focused immersed transducer and material is isotropic and homogeneous.The simulating results demonstrate that the model in ultrasonic NDT of welds is practical in further research and useful in optimizing testing configurations.     

Enhancement of detecting defects in pipes with focusing techniques

Ultrasonic guided waves have been widely utilized for long range inspection of structures such as oil and petrochemical pipes. However, weldments, support, insulation, and attenuation make it difficult to examine pipe-like structures. In order to overcome such difficulties, it is desired to focus ultrasonic guided wave at the area under interrogation. In this paper, we discuss two focusing techniques: angular profile tuning and signal based focusing. The angular profile tuning approach relies on a theoretical prediction of pressure field of ultrasonic guided wave produced by an ultrasonic transducer mounted on the pipe. And, the signal based focusing is focusing ultrasonic guided waves using cross-correlation analysis. To compare the performance of these two techniques, non-axisymmetric guided waves are focused to abnormalities such as a through-wall hole and a circumferential notch, using an ultrasonic guided wave array system that has been specially fabricated for this purpose. The advantages and limitations of these two focusing techniques are addressed.     

Characterization of ultrasonic Rayleigh surface waves in asphaltic concrete

This research examines the application of ultrasonic Rayleigh surface waves to the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of asphaltic concrete in the frequency range 40–100 kHz. Two ultrasonic parameters, the phase velocity and amplitude attenuation, are considered to be sensitive to local compositional and structural variations and are measured. A wedge technique is used to generate Rayleigh surface waves in an asphaltic concrete beam with uniformly distributed aggregate, and this technique is shown to be effective in launching Rayleigh waves in this highly viscoelastic (absorptive) and heterogeneous medium. Three different ultrasonic detection setups using contact and non-contact transducers as receivers are examined and their results are compared. The experimental results show that the wedge generation technique along with an air-coupled receiving transducer with a finite-size aperture is the most reliable for characterizing Rayleigh waves in asphaltic concrete. It is also experimentally demonstrated that the proposed setup may be used to detect aggregate segregation in asphaltic concrete.     

Synthesis and characterization of 0.3 Vf TiC–Ti3SiC2 and 0.3 Vf SiC–Ti3SiC2 composites

In this work, two composite compositions—one with 30% (v/v) SiC, the other with 30% (v/v) TiC, balance Ti₃SiC₂—were synthesized and characterized. Fully dense samples were fabricated by hot isostatically pressing Ti, SiC and C powders for 8 h at 1500 or 1600 °C and a pressure of 200 MPa. Both TiC and SiC lower grain boundary mobility in Ti₃SiC₂. Coarsening of the SiC particles was also observed. At comparable grain sizes, all composites tested were weaker in flexure than the unreinforced Ti₃SiC₂ matrix, with the reduction in strength being the worst for the SiC composites. This reduction in strength is most probably due to thermal expansion mismatches between the matrix and reinforcement phases. The composite samples were exceptionally damage tolerant; in one case a 100 N Vickers indentation (in a 1.5-mm thick bar) did not reduce the flexural strength as compared to an unindented or as-fabricated samples. The same is true for thermal shock resistance; quenching samples from 1400 °C in room temperature water, resulted in strength reductions that were 12% at best and 50% at worst. In the 25–1000 °C temperature range, the thermal expansion coefficients of the two composites were indistinguishable at 8.2×10⁻⁶ K⁻¹. The Vickers hardness values depended on load; at 100 N, the hardnesses were ≈15 GPa; at 300 N, they asymptote to 7–8 GPa. For the most part, very few cracks emanate from the corners of the Vickers indents even at loads as high as 500 N. In the few cases where cracks did initiate, fracture toughness values were crudely estimated to lie in the 5–7.5 MPa √m range.     

Acoustic investigations of the ZrV2–H system

Elastic modulus and internal friction of the ZrV₂H_x system have been measured by the method of low-frequency acoustics (1 kHz) in a wide range of hydrogen concentrations (0 ≤ x ≤ 6) and temperatures (65 K < T < 300 K). It is established that an increase of the hydrogen concentration shifts the structural phase transformation from the rhombohedral to the cubic phase of the ZrV₂ compound towards high temperatures and leads to its suppression. An anomaly of the elastic modulus in the concentration range 0.7 < x ≤ 6 with a corresponding peak of the internal friction was detected at a temperature of 200 K, characteristic of the phase transition. The relaxation peak of the internal friction observed above 200 K is caused by dissipation of elastic energy on interphase boundaries.     

Effect of sintering temperature on the structure and properties of cerium-doped 0.94(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3–0.06BaTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics

Phase structure, microstructure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of 0.4 wt% CeO₂ doped 0.94(Bi_0.5Na_0.5)TiO₃–0.06BaTiO₃ (Ce-BNT6BT) ceramics sintered in the temperature range from 1120 to 1200 °C have been investigated as a candidate for lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. Tetragonal phase played an important role in improvement of electrical properties and the density of the ceramics. Dielectric constant decreased slightly with the increase of sintering temperature in ferroelectric region but a reverse phenomenon occurred in antiferroelectric and paraelectric regions, suggesting that interfacial polarizations were improved with the increase of sintering temperature and domain walls of ferroelectricity became active after depolarization. At room temperature, Ce-BNT6BT ceramics sintered at 1180 °C showed good performances: dielectric constant was 914 at 1 kHz, thick coupling factor k_t was 0.52, and the ratio of k_t/k_p was 2.3. The ceramics were suitable for narrowband filters and ultrasonic transducers in commercial applications.     

基于KRG代理模型的超声悬浮夹具设计

在超精密制造领域,如晶圆、硅片的制造与运输,需要在非接触、超净化条件下进行。为提高非接触式夹具的夹持稳定性,分析了无侧向约束力的超声悬浮夹具存在的不足,设计了一种有侧向约束力的新型超声悬浮夹具。基于KRG代理模型技术,建立了新型超声悬浮夹具的设计模型,并用遗传算法优化了新型超声悬浮夹具的结构参数。为验证新型超声悬浮夹具非接触夹持效果,运用工业视觉测量技术,搭建了试验平台。试验结果表明,新型超声悬浮夹具能够稳定夹持工件。     

Nuclear structure and magnetic properties of perovskite compounds La1−xNdxFe0.5Cr0.5O3 (x = 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2)

Perovskite oxides with the composition La_1−xNd_xFe_0.5Cr_0.5O₃ (x = 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) have been studied. The samples have been prepared using the standard solid-state reaction method in air. The X-ray and neutron diffractograms indicates that the samples crystallize in the orthorhombic perovskite structure with space group Pnma (No. 62). The Nd-substitution causes minor changes in the cell parameters and bond lengths but the nuclear structure remains orthorhombic in the whole range of substitutions and in the temperature range of 10–700 K. The magnetic structure of the samples at room temperature and below is G-type antiferromagnetic with an average magnetic moment of the Fe/Cr ions of 3.29(3) μ_B/atom at 10 K independent of the Nd content. At room temperature the average magnetic moment of the Fe/Cr ions reduces to 1.23 μ_B/atom. At temperatures below 250 K a weak but increasing uncompensated spontaneous magnetic moment develops that reaches a magnitude of about 0.5 emu/g (or 0.02 μ_B per Fe/Cr site) at 10 K. This moment saturates rather rapidly in the magnetization versus magnetic field curve and is at higher field superposed on the response of the antiferromagnetic spin system.     

Magneto-mechanical damping and ΔE-effect in ferritic steel at different levels of ultrasound strain amplitudes

The magneto-mechanical damping and Young’s modulus (ΔE-effect) of reactor pressure vessel steels were investigated in a wide amplitude range for both amplitude-independent (AID) and amplitude-dependent (ADD) damping ranges. Two JRQ (Japanese reference quality) steel samples, one in the as-received and the other in the thermally aged condition were used in the experiments. The measurements were made using the composite oscillator technique at resonance frequencies of about 100 kHz. Longitudinal vibrations of the rod samples were used. Magnetic field up to 26,000 A/m was applied along the length of the rod. Amplitude and field dependencies of the damping and resonant frequencies (Young’s modulus) have been measured. Computer controlled acoustic measurements were made simultaneously at two amplitude levels. The data about the influence of high amplitude ultrasonic excitation (HAUE) of the samples (with the amplitudes in the ADD range) on hysteretic field behaviour of AID, ADD and resonant frequencies (ΔE-effects) have been obtained. The experiments showed that the ΔE-effect at low amplitudes (AID range) was qualitatively changed by HAUE, whereas the AID remained almost the same during the experiments with and without HAUE. It was found that annealing of the JRQ steel for 3 years at 300°C slightly increased magneto-mechanical damping and ΔE-effects for both AID and ADD ranges, but it qualitatively changed neither amplitude nor magnetic field dependencies. The analysis of the experimental data shows that the influence of annealing can be explained by relaxation of internal stresses in the sample material. This is confirmed by the higher level of flow stresses for the ‘as received’ sample as compared with the stresses for the ‘thermally aged’ one. The newly found effect of HAUE is supposed to be caused by reversible changes (due to high vibrational amplitude) of the internal stresses as well.     

超声相控阵声束控制特性分析

超声相控阵技术通过对超声阵列换能器中各阵元进行相位控制,获得灵活可控的合成波束,从而实现对整个检测对象的扫描。它具有可进行动态聚焦、可成像检测、可检测复杂形状物体等一些优点,近年来正成为国际无损检测领域的研究热点,并已经在医学和工业领域得到应用。在研究超声相控阵技术原理的基础上,建立了数字声束模型来分析线阵换能器参数对声束控制的影响,并用计算机软件进行仿真分析声束的偏转聚焦。通过这种方法,可以很清楚的了解超声相控阵声束控制特性。     

超声相控阵检测技术及其应用

简述超声相控阵检测技术的发展、原理、特点及相控阵换能器的分类。介绍国外超声相控阵检测成像技术在焊缝和火车轮轴检测方面的应用。超声相控阵检测技术较常规超声波检测具有高速、高效、适合复杂结构件以及能实时成像等优点，在压力容器、核电站和海洋平台结构等工业无损检测领域具有良好的应用前景。     

超声换能器声场的模拟和可视化研究

了解超声换能器声场的分布对于检测精度和灵敏度的提高、检测工艺参数的优化都起着至关重要的作用。为了更直观地分析超声换能器的声场,提高对超声波产生和传播机理的理解,利用多元高斯声柬模型,对超声换能器辐射的声场进行了计算机模拟和可视化,开发了具有良好用户界面接口的声场模拟程序。试验结果表明,模拟结果能够比较准确地反映声场的实际分布。     

Growth and characterization of tetragonal bismuth ferrite–lead titanate thin films

Thin films of tetragonal bismuth ferrite–lead titanate (1 − x)BiFeO₃–xPbTiO₃ with x = 0.9–0.7 were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The films exhibit a dense columnar grain growth. XRD analysis reveals that the films have a perovskite structure and exhibit a preferred (1 1 1) texture. The film microstructure was studied using SEM. The ferroelectric properties of the films are discussed in the light of polarization-field hysteresis behaviour and impedance spectroscopy. The remanent polarization values ranged between 2P_r  45 and 60 μC cm⁻² at a field amplitude of 500 kV cm⁻¹ and −10 °C, while the dielectric permittivity of the films ranged between 375 and 1096 at a frequency of 2 kHz.     

Efficient optimization of single and multiple element transducers for the inspection of complex-shaped components

Ultrasonic inspection of components of complex geometry often suffers from loss of sensitivity, beam distortions and beam misorientations if the transducer is not perfectly matched to the specimen. A procedure is presented which allows to optimize single and multiple element transducers where—depending on the specific inspection configuration under concern—the shape of the piezoelement is determined to ensure a proper focusing of the beam field in the range of interest. The method is based on delay time calculation for multiple element transducers and employs a superposition technique for beam field calculation. The procedure is exemplified for a standard pipe inspection problem.     

Configuration optimization of magnetostrictive transducers for longitudinal guided wave inspection in seven-wire steel strands

The configuration of magnetostrictive transducers for both transmitter and receiver was optimized for the generation and reception of ultrasonic longitudinal guided waves in seven-wire steel strands in a pitch catch arrangement. Three axisymmetric permanent magnets significantly improved the capability of magnetostrictive transducers compared to two permanent magnets, and effectively increased the amplitude of the longitudinal guided wave mode, L(0, 1) at 160 kHz. Experimental results show that the maximum amplitude of a received guided wave signal could be obtained by using a receiver with a three-layer coil in parallel and a transmitter with a three-layer coil in series. The amplitudes of the defect-reflected signal increased by as much as 50% or more as compared with those when both transducers used a single layer coil. As a result, magnetostrictive transducers with an optimized configuration, including permanent magnet distribution and multilayer coil connection, could be efficiently used for the inspection of seven-wire steel strands by using ultrasonic guided waves in a pitch catch arrangement.     

光纤阵列的超声椭圆振动辅助化学机械抛光

为了获得平整的光纤阵列端面,设计了一套超声椭圆振动辅助化学抛光系统,并进行常规化学机械抛光和超声椭圆振动辅助化学机械抛光的对照试验。结果表明,应用超声椭圆振动辅助化学机械抛光技术加工光纤阵列,选择合理的抛光工艺参数,可获得质量较好的光纤阵列端面,相比于常规化学机械抛光技术,光纤的表面粗糙度降低了25%。采用单因素试验法,分别研究了抛光粒子材料及抛光液酸碱性对于超声椭圆振动辅助化学机械抛光的作用效果,并利用Vecco表面轮廓仪对抛光后光纤阵列端面进行观察和分析。采用正交试验法获得了一组超声椭圆振动辅助化学机械抛光光纤阵列的优化工艺参数,最佳工艺参数组为:超声振动频率25 k Hz,抛光液流量35 m L/min,抛光压力50 k Pa,抛光盘转速20 r/min,抛光粒子质量分数0.5%。     

超声相控阵成像方法研究

通过动态光弹法观察超声相控阵发射信号在固体中的传播特性,来确定超声回波信号同相位叠加积分路径。利用荷兰试块对以上方法进行验证,对获取的22路A扫描超声信号进行处理,以缺陷或试件边界处为虚拟焦点,逐点扫描。根据合成信号幅值不同,反映在图像上的灰度不同,实现B扫描成像,初步证明了该方法的可行性。