Steel Plate Thickness Measurement using Impact-Echo Method

Abstract

A force that is applied dynamically in a short period of time is called an impact force (shock wave). Due to the concentrated application of force on a small area in a fraction of a second, unique applications have emerged that other types of loadings are not capable of performing. Explosions, an impact of a hammer, impact of waves on a shore wall, or the collision of two automobiles are examples where impact waves occur. In this research the effects of impact on solid materials and the motion of stress waves due to the impact are studied and some of their industrial applications are described. The primary objective of this work is further development of some elastic and plastic impact wave methods, aiming to reduce the energy consumption of explosive welding (EXW) as well as the cost of NDT technologies. Many numerical simulations and a vast amount of experimental work were employed to reach this goal. The impact wave creates elastic deformations that move the particles of the body. In this research we focused on dimensional measurement by calculating the time of wave travel between the source of energy and a discontinuity in the part studied. The impact echo (IE) method can be used for determining the location and extent of all kinds of flaws, such as cracks, de-lamination, holes and de-bonding in concrete structures, columns and hollow cylinders with different cross-sections and materials. In the present study, simulation of the impact-echo method was carried out numerically using direct and indirect methods. In the direct method a steel ball directly impacts on the upper surface of a concrete plate-like structure, whereas in the indirect method the impact impulse transmits to the concrete plate via a steel bar, in order to adapt the method for situations where there is no access to the plate being measured. In each method a two-dimensional finite element analysis (in axisymmetric geometry) was performed for the thickness measurement of concrete plates using the LS-DYNA program. Numerical results are presented for different values of plate thickness and different projectile speeds for both the direct and the indirect method and the indirect results are validated by comparison with the results obtained by the direct method. The method was validated against experimental measurements. A high energy impact wave produces plastic deformations in metals. In this research explosive welding was studied as an application of high energy impact waves. A new method for joining different, non-compatible metals (Al and Cu-based materials) was introduced. This method may be extended for use in offshore applications. Many 3-D numerical simulations were performed using the ABAQUS explicit commercial software. The model was validated against experimental measurements. The outcome of this research work could be summarized as follows: a) Introducing an indirect IE method in NDT technology for thickness measurement in particularly inaccessible structures. b) Introducing a new, grooved method in EXW technology to join surfaces made of different materials, in particular Al-Cu joints. The results could be employed to reduce the energy consumption and cost associated with EXW and IE technologies. The methodology can be used in many other applications in all kinds of process industries.