Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer Research Articles

Weak bond evaluation of lap bonding structures by SH guided waves using EMATs

ABSTRACT In this research, simulations and experiments were conducted for the bonding quality evaluation of an aluminum bonding structure, based on the SH guided wave analysis. In order to simulate the propagation of SH waves in the bonded structure, a 3D finite element model was established based on interfacial spring stiffness modeling. The frequency-wavenumber diagram was obtained by doing Fourier transform along the spatial axis in the time frequency domain simulation results. At the same time, the influence of the bonding interface weakening on the propagation characteristics of the guided wave was analyzed. The simulated dispersion curves of SH-guided waves in different bonding states were in good agreement with the theoretically results. In addition, a periodic permanent magnet electromagnetic acoustic transducer (PPM-EMAT) 3D finite element model was established. An optimized transducer was fabricated to excite pure SH0 mode. Then, a series of aluminum lap bonding structures with different bonding states were prepared. The effect of bonding interfaces on the propagation characteristics of SH waves was investigated. The interfacial spring stiffness can be determined when the STFT of the SH waves matches the theoretical dispersion curves. Thus, this method demonstrated an ultrasonic way to distinguish the weakening of the bonding structures.

Electromagnetic Acoustic Detection of Pipe Defects Hidden above T-Type Support Structures with Circumferential Shear Horizontal Guided Wave.

When pipe defects are generated above the T-type support structure location, it is difficult to distinguish the reflection signals caused by the weld bead at the support structure from the reflection echoes of pipe defects. Therefore, in order to effectively detect pipe defects, a waveform subtraction method with a circumferential shear horizontal (CSH) guided wave is proposed, which is generated by an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT). First, a CSH0 guided wave mode with a center frequency of 500 kHz is selected to establish a three-dimensional model with and without pipe defects above the support structure. Following this, the influence of different widths of support structures on the echo signal is compared. Moreover, simulation and experimental results are used to compare the influence of different welding qualities on the detection results. Finally, the waveform subtraction method is used to process the simulation and experimental signals, and the influence of pipe defects with different lengths and depths is discussed. The results show that the non-through crack defect of 5 mm × 1 mm (length × depth) can be detected. The results show that this method can effectively detect the cracks by eliminating the influence of the weld echo, which provides a new concept for the detection of the defect above the support structure.

A new diamond-shaped periodic permanent magnet electromagnetic acoustic transducer for side-lobe suppression of shear horizontal ultrasonic waves

Periodic permanent magnet electromagnetic acoustic transducers (PPM EMATs) effectively generate shear horizontal (SH) ultrasonic guided waves in metallic media. Depending on their construction parameters, PPM EMATs can generate ultrasonic waves towards unwanted directions, due to the presence of side lobes in their radiation pattern. In this paper, a new PPM-like EMAT is proposed with the objective of reducing the side-lobe level in the radiation pattern of PPM EMATs. This was achieved by altering the magnets’ dimension in the PPM array following a diamond-like shape, reducing their width as one gets further from the centre of the transducer. The radiation behaviour of the EMAT was evaluated by means of an apodization factor, defined as the aperture reduction ratio. The side-lobe level showed a maximum reduction for an apodization factor of approximately 2. Four different configurations of the new PPM-like EMAT design and two reference conventional PPM EMATs were fabricated and experimentally evaluated on an aluminium plate. Experimental radiation patterns were compared to analytical model results showing good agreement. Relative to the conventional PPM EMAT, the new apodized diamond-shaped PPM EMAT presented a side lobe suppression of up to approximately 8 dB.

An Online Monitoring Method for High- Temperature Environments Combining Eddy Current Testing and Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer Techniques

An Online Monitoring Method for High- Temperature Environments Combining Eddy Current Testing and Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer Techniques

Research on sector scanning imaging technology of EMAT for through-hole defects in aluminium plates

ABSTRACT To overcome the drawbacks of traditional electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) that depend on mechanical scanning, adding to both cost and complexity, this study introduces a sector scanning imaging method utilizing Electromagnetic Ultrasonic Shear Vertical (SV) waves. A simulation model for EMAT was developed, optimizing through variable frequency and unidirectional line focusing coils. The simulation revealed that a novel composite magnetic structure significantly enhanced the magnetic flux density to 1.318 T, a 159.44% increase over conventional magnets, leading to a 102.08% rise in ultrasonic signal intensity and a marked improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio. By converting echo signal time data into spatial coordinates, the technology enables high-resolution defect imaging. The variable frequency-EMAT (VF-EMAT) technique accurately identified defects, with minor discrepancies from actual defect centers, showcasing its precision. The unidirectional line focusing-EMAT (ULF-EMAT) method further improved defect detection accuracy and shape restoration. However, the technique’s reliance on the main-pulse limits its ability to detect near-surface defects, suggesting an avenue for future research.

A lift-off measurement and compensation method based on a comprehensive EMAT-PEC probe

In the field of industrial testing, lift-off fluctuations of the probe are inevitable, leading to unstable signals and inconsistent detection results, especially in electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT). Besides, EMAT has a low energy utilization, since the induced pulsed eddy current (PEC) is not fully utilized during the transduction process. To address these issues, this paper proposes a novel composite detection method which is able to measure the lift-off based on PEC and compensate for the lift-off effect on EMAT using a designed comprehensive EMAT-PEC probe. A finite element (FE) model of the EMAT consisting of a permanent magnet and a type of butterfly coil is established, and the spatial distribution of the PEC density induced by the butterfly coil is analyzed. Based on this, comparison of the effectiveness among different EMAT-PEC probe configurations for lift-off detection is implemented, and an optimal EMAT-PEC probe with a compact structure is designed. This probe is capable of obtaining both EMAT signal and PEC signal synchronously through a single excitation, ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of the compensation process. The blind test is then performed to simulate the random lift-off fluctuation, and the experimental results demonstrate that the relative errors of the measured lift-off and the compensated peak amplitudes of EMAT signals are all less than 7%, verifying the effectiveness of the method. For industrial applications, based on the developed method, a probe array with different lift-off combinations is designed to simplify the calibration process, and an application in probe inclination detection is introduced, proving the method has good application foreground.

Excitation of Odd Harmonics of SH0 Mode Ultrasonic Guided Waves Using Magnetostriction-Based EMAT: Theoretical Modeling

ABSTRACT Magnetostriction-based electromagnetic acoustic transducer (M-EMAT) is a promising tool for generating fundamental shear-horizontal (SH0) mode guided waves in plate. Though the M-EMAT possesses high-order harmonics excitation ability in nature, its conventional way can only generate a fundamental component of SH0 mode. The analytical modeling was performed in this study to releasing the ability of M-EMAT in generating odd harmonics of SH0 mode. First, the inaccurate conditions of magnetic fields for relative permeability calculation in the existing model are corrected in the proposed model. Second, the error of the existing model in predicting the spectrum of the SH0 mode generated in Nickel plate is estimated. Third, numerical solutions are provided by the improved model to examine the key factors governing the ability of M-EMAT in generating odd harmonics of SH0 mode. The conclusions demonstrated that the intensity ratio (H S /H D ) of static and dynamic magnetic fields is adjusted below 1 and the ability of M-EMAT in generating odd harmonics of SH0 mode can be activated. The normalized amplitude of 3rd harmonics decays exponentially with the increase of H S /H D , which is independent of geometrical parameters of M-EMAT. The improved model can effectively optimize excitation parameters of M-EMAT and generate odd harmonics of SH0 mode in plate.

Measurement of nonlinear three-wave interaction using shear-vertical-wave point-focusing electromagnetic acoustic transducers

Abstract We developed a method of nonlinear three-wave interaction using shear-vertical-wave point-focusing electromagnetic acoustic transducers (SV-wave PF-EMATs). EMATs can excite and detect ultrasonic waves without couplants through interaction between electromagnetic fields and solid mechanics and are generally unsuitable for the nonlinear ultrasound measurement due to their low signal conversion efficiency. However, our originally developed PF-EMAT can focus SV waves at a focal point in phase, achieving a large local displacement. Here, two PF-EMATs with different driving frequencies are placed facing each other so as to match their focal points, where the focused SV waves intersect to induce the third waves with the frequencies of the sum and difference of the incident frequencies through the nonlinear three-wave interaction. We demonstrate that the local nonlinearity can be measured by this method with EMATs and demonstrate its applicability to evaluation of fatigue damage in a fatigue crack initiation phase with aluminum alloy specimens.

Reflection behaviour of SH0 from small defects in thin sheets, with application to EMAT inspection of titanium

ABSTRACT Defects can arise within the weld during the laser welding process of thin titanium sheets, and it is critical that these defects are detected. Shear horizontal (SH) waves offer good potential for defect detection, but require an understanding of how the ultrasonic waves interact with defects, in order to develop an optimised inspection setup, increasing the probability of defect detection. The geometry of a defect strongly affects the reflected signal magnitude, with finite element simulations showing that defect width and length determine the maximum SH0 wave reflection. Experiments confirm this behaviour. The defect width is shown to affect the reflection behaviour due to wave interference. Phase differences between the front face reflection and back face reflection cause a shift in the peak position. In addition, the experimental work presented in this paper also shows the potential for electromagnetic acoustic transducers to be used for the inspection of titanium components.

Soft magnetostrictive patches for guided wave ultrasonics using Wiedemann effect-based MPTs and EMATs

Magnetically soft and malleable magnetostrictive (MS) alloys are highly promising as low-cost solutions for high-efficiency generation of guided waves in industrial applications and a variety of magnetostrictive patch transducers (MPTs) have been described in the literature. This work focuses on understanding the mechanisms and behaviour of soft MPTs used in the Wiedemann effect geometry, generating shear horizontal (SH) guided waves using FeCo alloy patches. MPT operation is explored in relation to patch geometry, size, magnetic field directions and guided wave wavelength. MPTs are compared with electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) and EMATs are also placed on MS and copper foil patches bonded to large glass plates for some of the measurements. Periodic permanent magnet (PPM) array EMATs operating on MPTs bonded to ferritic steel samples produced significant enhancements in the generated wave amplitude and the detected signal amplitude when compared to directly generating on the steel substrate, which primarily operates through the Lorentz mechanism. This enhanced performance was investigated and was found to be due to the magnetic fringing fields at the magnet edges. Moreover, EMAT lift-off behaviour was significantly improved when an EMAT was placed above a magnetostrictive patch, with 50 mm lift-off between the EMAT and the patch demonstrated for SH wave generation at a 22 mm nominal wavelength at a 170 kHz excitation frequency on a glass plate sample.

Impact of magnetostriction mechanism on frequency manipulation ultrasonic steering in electromagnetic acoustic transducers

AbstractIn this paper, the impact of the magnetostriction mechanism is considered as the focus. An axisymmetric FEM model of the spiral‐coil electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT) is established to conduct the simulation. The simulation results demonstrate that the directivity of ultrasonic wave can be controlled by manipulating the frequency. Furthermore, it is found that the direction of the dominant Lorentz force in the rail varies with time, while the magnetostrictive force compels the ultrasonic wave generated by the Lorentz force towards the axis. It effectively illustrates that the combined power of two mechanisms surpasses that of the Lorentz‐force mechanism alone, particularly at low frequencies.

Birefringence Technique for Evaluating Thermal Stresses in Railroad Rails

This paper discusses the development of an in situ noncontact electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) nondestructive evaluation technology to determine rail neutral temperature and estimate rail stress in continuous welded rail (CWR). Stresses develop in CWR due to a lack of expansion joints to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction of the rail when ambient temperatures vary over time. The novelty of the work presented is the usage of ultrasonic birefringence properties using EMATs to estimate thermally induced stresses in rails. EMATs produce polarized shear waves propagating through the rail web in the pulse-echo mode. Experimental tests were performed on machined 136RE and 141RE rail material with applied compressive and tensile stresses to explore the stress-birefringence behavior. Two additional sets of experimental tests were conducted on full-size rail sections with in situ surface conditions to study variations in the in situ birefringence and the acoustic stress constant in different rail materials including 115RE rail, 119RE rail, two different 136RE rails, and 141RE rail. The results show a highly linear relationship between the stresses applied and the measured acoustic birefringence.

Propagation Characteristics of Ultrasonic Guided Wave S0 Mode Transmitted to Metamaterial by Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer

Propagation Characteristics of Ultrasonic Guided Wave S0 Mode Transmitted to Metamaterial by Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer

In-Motion Railcar Wheel Inspection using Magnetostrictive EMATs

Due to cyclic mechanical loading, railcar wheels are subject to the development of internal fatigue cracks in the rim underneath the tread surface. Off-line inspections are extremely laborious and require extended out-of-service time, and most existing in-line inspection systems that use conventional ultrasonics or electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) techniques have several drawbacks that limit their full-scale deployment in service. This paper discusses the work performed on the initial research and development of a proof-of-concept novel magnetostrictive EMAT sensor for in-motion railcar wheel inspection. Wheelsets with known internal discontinuities and a 3.7 m long panelized track were used to demonstrate the feasibility of the developed approach and methods. The results obtained from these tests have shown that the magnetostrictive EMAT sensor that generates 5 mm wavelength shear horizontal waves detects both surface defects and internal fatigue cracks with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio. Different wavelengths can also be added to the sensors to enhance or complement the detection of fatigue cracks at different depths. A total of four or five sensors located at standard concrete crosstie spacing along each rail would be able to provide complete coverage on wheels ranging from 711 to 965 mm in diameter with ±90° wheel coverage per sensor, and a theoretical inspection speed of 56 kph can be achieved using this approach.

Eddy current array developments for remote deployment on the ITER project

The inspection of welds and components for nuclear applications can be more challenging due to extreme levels of radiation and temperature. A development project in collaboration with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is being conducted to develop non-destructive testing (NDT) procedures for inspecting the remotely welded joints within the ITER facility. Initially, a feasibility study has been carried out to identify the most suitable non-destructive technique. Eddy current array (ECA), phased array ultrasonics and guided wave electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) were considered as candidate solutions and, following the feasibility study, ECA was selected to be taken forward for further development. Subsequently, dedicated high- and low-frequency array probes have been developed and tested to detect and size surface and buried defects employing encoder and calibration curves. The research has been extended to characterise defects such as tungsten inclusions using the phase angle. To avoid damage to the electronics in extreme environments, the ECA probe coils were separated from the excitation and data acquisition unit with 60 m coaxial coils to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio. The results revealed that the ECA technique can successfully be deployed remotely for the detection and sizing of defects down to 3 mm in extreme environments.

Design and Analysis of Meander Coil Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) for Multi-mode Lamb Waves in Thin Plate

Design and Analysis of Meander Coil Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) for Multi-mode Lamb Waves in Thin Plate

Study of the relationship between the parameters of electromagnetic-acoustic transformation and the stress-strain state of the metal to solve the problem of remote monitoring of power equipment

The implementation of Russia’s energy strategy provides for the creation of an intelligent control system for active-adaptive electrical networks of the electric power complex, which contains a system for remote diagnostic monitoring of energy equipment, including metal load-bearing structures of electrical energy generation, transmission and consumption facilities. Promising in this regard is the use of a high-performance electromagnetic-acoustic method, which allows non-contact detection of metal defects and monitoring of their stress-strain state. But existing electromagnetic-acoustic diagnostic tools do not have sufficient sensitivity and information content to solve this problem. The article presents the results of experimental studies aimed at identifying and processing informative parameters of electromagnetic-acoustic transformation for the implementation of remote diagnostic monitoring of the stress-strain state and metal damage of power equipment. Based on the research results, it was proposed to use a frequency model formed as a result of spectral analysis of the electromagnetic-acoustic transducer signal as an integral parameter characterizing the state of the metal.

Cut-off frequency analysis of SH-like guided waves in the three-dimensional component with variable width

ABSTRACT The component with variable width (such as railway turnout) is one of the most critical configurations in infrastructure. Guided waves have already been employed for flat plates, however, the influence of cross-section width change for guided waves can’t be ignored. In this study, the theoretical cut-off frequency of shear-horizontal (SH)-like guided waves in rectangular plate was analysed. The dispersion curves of rectangular plate with different widths were calculated by the periodic finite element (FE) method. Theoretical calculations and dispersion curves both show that the cut-off frequency of SH-like guided waves decreases when the width of rectangular plate increases. A periodic-permanent-magnet (PPM) electromagnetic-acoustic-transducer (EMAT) at the excitation frequency of 200 kHz was constructed and used in the experiments to generate SH-like guided waves on rectangular plates with the widths of 12 mm and 20 mm, respectively. Experimental results show that multiple wave modes of SH-like guided waves appear as the width of the rectangular plate increases. When the SH-like guided waves propagates in a rectangular plate with variable width, the high-order modes will be cut-off and reflected as the width decreases.

NEURAL NETWORK PROCESSING OF ELECTROMAGNETIC ACOUSTIC SIGNALS TO IDENTIFY THE STRESS-STRAIN STATE AND DAMAGE OF POWER EQUIPMENT

The purpose of the study is to develop and train an artificial neural network to identify the stress-strain state and damage to the metal of power equipment based on the values of the parameters of the harmonic components of the electromagnetic-acoustic transducer signal.
 
 Materials and methods. Experimental study of the relationship between the parameters of the harmonic components of the signal of an electromagnetic-acoustic transducer with the stress-strain state and damage to the structure of standard metal samples, development of an artificial neural network and methods for its training to identify the stress-strain state and damage to the structure of the metal according to the loading diagram.
 
 Results. Analysis of changes in the microstructure and frequency models of standard steel samples used in power engineering confirmed the possibility of identifying the stress-strain state and damage to the structure of metals based on the values of the parameters of the harmonic components of the electromagnetic-acoustic transducer signal. To solve this problem, an artificial neural network has been developed and trained. After training, the effectiveness of the network in identifying the stress-strain state and damage to the structure of metals reached 92.16%, which is acceptable for the tasks of recognizing the technical condition of metal structural elements of electrical installation equipment.
 
 Conclusions. The use of an artificial neural network to identify the stress-strain state and damage to metal structures based on the harmonic parameters of the electromagnetic-acoustic transducer signal enables to identify areas of concentration of mechanical stress and damage to the metal structure at the early stage of development, thereby increasing reliability and safety operation of electrical equipment.

Ultrasonic Methods for Characterizing Layered Electrodes of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion battery electrodes have a multilayered structure consisting of active porous electrode materials coated on one or both sides of a thin metal current collector. The porosity and tortuosity of the active materials play a vital role in determining the battery's performance metrics, such as energy density and power density. However, existing methods for quantifying these parameters are often limited and cannot be easily applied in a production environment. In this work, we propose two ultrasonic methods based on a newly developed stiffness matrix theory [1] to achieve in-production quantification. The first method establishes a quantitative relationship to link angled ultrasound transmission to the porous parameters of electrodes. This relationship is then used to inversely determine porosity and tortuosity from ultrasonic transmission measurements using a non-contact, air-coupled setup. From the first method, we observe that ultrasound is highly transmissible as guided wave modes are excited in electrodes. Based on this phenomenon, our second method directly excites guided waves in the layers using electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs), enabling us to obtain more accurate measurements with a better signal-to-noise ratio. Both methods have demonstrated good sensitivity to porosity and tortuosity, thus providing accurate quantification using ultrasonic transmission and guided wave results. We anticipate that our methods have the potential to provide real-time online characterization of electrodes during production, which would enable closed-loop control of the manufacturing processes and thus dramatically reduce wastage and improve product quality. Reference [1] M. Huang, F. Cegla, and B. Lan, Stiffness matrix method for modelling wave propagation in arbitrary multilayers, http://arxiv.org/abs/2302.12868.