Pulse-echo Ultrasonic Propagation Imaging System Research Articles

Development of rotational pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imaging system capable of inspecting cylindrical specimens

A rotational pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imager that can inspect cylindrical specimens for material nondestructive evaluations is proposed herein. In this system, a laser-generated ultrasonic bulk wave is used for inspection, which enables a clear visualization of subsurface defects with a precise reproduction of the damage shape and size. The ultrasonic waves are generated by a Q-switched laser that impinges on the outer surface of the specimen walls. The generated waves travel through the walls and their echo is detected by a Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) at the same point. To obtain the optimal Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the measured signal, the LDV requires the sensed surface to be at a right angle to the laser beam and at a predefined constant standoff distance from the laser head. For flat specimens, these constraints can be easily satisfied by performing a raster scan using a dual-axis linear stage. However, this arrangement cannot be used for cylindrical specimens owing to their curved nature. To inspect the cylindrical specimens, a circular scan technology is newly proposed for pulse-echo laser ultrasound. A rotational stage is coupled with a single-axis linear stage to inspect the desired area of the specimen. This system arrangement ensures that the standoff distance and beam incidence angle are maintained while the cylindrical specimen is being inspected. This enables the inspection of a curved specimen while maintaining the optimal SNR. The measurement result is displayed in parallel with the on-going inspection. The inspection data used in scanning are mapped from rotational coordinates to linear coordinates for visualization and post-processing of results. A graphical user interface software is implemented in C++ using a QT framework and controls all the individual blocks of the system and implements the necessary image processing, scan calculations, data acquisition, signal processing and result visualization.

Development of autonomous target recognition and scanning technology for pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imager

This article proposes a pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imaging system that is capable of autonomous target recognition and scanning an area of a customizable shape for the non-destructive evaluation of structural defects. The proposed system employs through-the-thickness bulk waves for ultrasonic inspection, which is achieved by joining two laser beams: one each for the ultrasonic wave generation and sensing. Moreover, the system is capable of autonomously suggesting a suitable inspection area for a specimen placed in front of the scanning head. The scan area delimitation algorithm uses the specimen image and ascertains the specimen border by means of edge and contour detection operations, following which a scan area closely conforming to the specimen boundary is suggested. The system can scan an area of any arbitrary shape, thereby preventing any wasteful operations that may result from fixed shape (rectangular or square) scanning. A Q-switched laser is used for generating the aforementioned ultrasonic waves, while a laser Doppler vibrometer is used for sensing these signals. A dual-axis automated translation stage is applied for raster scanning of the specimen, and a data acquisition card is employed for taking measurements. A camera mounted on the scan head is used for imaging the specimen for the scan area detection. Graphical user interface software controls all the individual blocks of the system, while implementing the required image processing, scan area detection, signal acquisition, signal processing, and result display. The graphical user interface is created in C++ using the Qt framework. Moreover, Qt Widgets for Technical Applications is used for the result display, and the Open Source Computer Vision Library is employed for the implementation of basic image processing algorithms. Multi-threading is used for real-time updating of the scan results while the scanning is ongoing.

Composite repair patch evaluation using pulse-echo laser ultrasonic correlation mapping method

Composite patch bonding repair is widely applied to metal and composite aircraft repair owing to its light weight and high resistance to fatigue and corrosion. However, composite patch repairing is done by vacuum bag processing in general, and the process itself is susceptible to manufacturing defects. In addition, the composite repair patches require more frequent inspections owing to the difficulty of the damage prediction. In this paper, we propose pulse-echo laser ultrasonic correlation mapping for a rapid quality evaluation method of composite repair patching. This method uses a pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imaging system as a tool for in-situ and full-field inspection, and an ultrasonic correlation mapping (UCM) method was developed for fast and straightforward defect visualization. Two composite patch repair specimens were tested, and then UCM results were compared with other results using existing visualization methods. We also tested a composite laminate plate to verify the applicability of UCM to general composite parts. The UCM results showed similar or better performance than current visualization methods in all cases. Test results showed that the proposed system is suitable for both in-process quality evaluation and in-service field inspection.

전영역 펄스-에코 초음파전파영상화 시스템의 CN-235의 도색된 샌드위치 조종면 In-situ 비파괴평가 기술

전영역 펄스-에코 초음파전파영상화 시스템의 CN-235의 도색된 샌드위치 조종면 In-situ 비파괴평가 기술

Defect visualization of aircraft UHF antenna radome using full-field pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imaging system

Most of aircraft antennas usually have various types of radome made of composite materials for protecting antenna structures. However, these antenna radome structures, which are installed on the outside of airplane, are easy to be damaged by external forces such as drag, foreign object, bird strike and others. In this study, full-field pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imaging (PE UPI) system is proposed as the non-destructive inspection technique to visualize manufacturing defects in composite antenna radome. Based on the results of the sample case study, it is shown that the ultrasonic wave propagation imaging (UWPI) that is generated by the proposed full-field PE UPI system is able to highlight the intact internal condition of antenna structure and its defect area. Additional damage visualization techniques like ultrasonic energy mapping (UEM), variable time window amplitude map (VTWAM) and also ultrasonic spectral imaging (USI) algorithms are applied to improve the reliability of the damage visualization. It can be concluded that the proposed PE UPI system is an effective non-destructive inspection technique for the composite radome structures.