Nondestructive technique for identifying nuclides using neutron resonance transmission analysis at CSNS Back-n

Nondestructive and noninvasive neutron assays are essential applications of neutron techniques.Neutron resonance transmission analysis(NRTA)is a powerful nondestructive method for investigating the elemental composition of an object.The back-streaming neutron line(Back-n)is a newly built time-of-flight facility at the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS)that provides neutrons in the eV to 300 MeV range.A feasibility study of the NRTA method for nuclide identification was conducted at the CSNS Back-n via two test experiments.The results demonstrate that it is feasible to identify different elements and isotopes in samples using the NRTA method at Back-n.This study reveals its potential future applications.

A novel nondestructive detection approach for seed cotton lint percentage using deep learning

Background The lint percentage of seed cotton is one of the most important parameters for evaluating seed cotton quality and affects its price.The traditional measuring method of lint percentage is labor-intensive and time-consuming;thus,an efficient and accurate measurement method is needed.In recent years,classification-based deep learning and computer vision have shown promise in solving various classification tasks.Results In this study,we propose a new approach for detecting the lint percentage using MobileNetV2 and transfer learning.The model is deployed on a lint percentage detection instrument,which can rapidly and accurately determine the lint percentage of seed cotton.We evaluated the performance of the proposed approach using a dataset comprising 66924 seed cotton images from different regions of China.The results of the experiments showed that the model with transfer learning achieved an average classification accuracy of 98.43%,with an average precision of 94.97%,an average recall of 95.26%,and an average F1-score of 95.20%.Furthermore,the proposed classification model achieved an average accuracy of 97.22%in calculating the lint percentage,showing no significant difference from the performance of experts(independent-sample t-test,t=0.019,P=0.860).Conclusion This study demonstrated the effectiveness of the MobileNetV2 model and transfer learning in calculating the lint percentage of seed cotton.The proposed approach is a promising alternative to traditional methods,providing a rapid and accurate solution for the industry.

Recent developments in photoacoustic imaging and sensing for nondestructive testing and evaluation

Photoacoustic(PA)imaging has been widely used in biomedical research and preclinical studies during the past two decades.It has also been explored for nondestructive testing and evaluation(NDT/E)and for industrial applications.This paper describes the basic principles of PA technology for NDT/E and its applications in recent years.PA technology for NDT/E includes the use of a modulated continuous-wave laser and a pulsed laser for PA wave excitation,PA-generated ultrasonic waves,and all-optical PA wave excitation and detection.PA technology for NDT/E has demonstrated broad applications,including the imaging of railway cracks and defects,the imaging of Li metal batteries,the measurements of the porosity and Young’s modulus,the detection of defects and damage in silicon wafers,and a visualization of underdrawings in paintings.

Excitation and Detection of Shear Horizontal Waves with Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers for Nondestructive Testing of Plates

The fundamental shear horizontal（SH0） wave has several unique features that are attractive for long-range nondestructive testing（NDT）. By a careful design of the geometric configuration, electromagnetic acoustic transducers（EMATs） have the capability to generate a wide range of guided wave modes, such as Lamb waves and shear-horizontal（SH） waves in plates. However, the performance of EMATs is influenced by their parameters. To evaluate the performance of periodic permanent magnet（PPM） EMATs, a distributed-line-source model is developed to calculate the angular acoustic field cross-section in the far-field. Numerical analysis is conducted to investigate the performance of such EMATs with different geometric parameters, such as period and number of magnet arrays, and inner and outer coil widths. Such parameters have a great influence on the directivity of the generated SH0 waves that arises mainly in the amplitude and width of both main and side lobes. According to the numerical analysis, these parameters are optimized to obtain better directivity. Optimized PPM EMATs are designed and used for NDT of strip plates. Experimental results show that the lateral boundary of the strip plate has no perceivable influence on SHO-wave propagation, thus validating their used in NDT. The proposed model predicts the radiation pattern ofPPM EMATs, and can be used for their parameter optimization.

RAPID NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING OF HEAT-TREATMENT QUALITY OF 2014 ALUMINIUM ALLOY

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Preliminary Studies on Thickness of Nondestructive Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Leaf Blade

Two varieties, Yuexinzhan and Guangchao 3, were used to study leaf thickness in rice in this experiment. The thickness of the leaf blade was measured by the nondestructive leaf thickness instrument, which was modified from the thickness instrument for steel objects （John Bull, England）. The contacting area between the leaf and the probe of the instrument was 0.5 cm^2. There was no significant difference between the thickness of steel materials measured by the nondestructive rice leaf thickness instrument and the micrometer. The correlation between the thickness of the rice leaf blade measured by the nondestructive rice leaf thickness instrument and the specific leaf weight （SLW） was significant （P 〈 0.05 or P〈 0.01）. The results also showed that the rice leaf thickness was uneven and asymmetric. The thickness and SLW of flag leaf tended to increase from the base to the tip of the leaf blade. The middle part of the second and third top leaf was the thickest, but no significant difference in thickness between the basal part and the fore part was found. Drawing a line on the main vein in the top three leaves, the left part was thinner than the right part. The thickness of the lower leaves （6/0-9/0） on the main culm tended to increase with increasing positions of the leaves in the early and middle stages, but the tendency was not the same for the higher leaves （10/0 upwards）, although the higher leaves （10/0 upward） were thicker than the lower leaves （9/0 or downward）. Furthermore, different CO2 concentrations （550±30, 460 ± 30 μmol mol^-1） in the growth boxes had no effect on the thickness of rice leaf blades. It can be concluded that the measurement of rice leaf thickness using the nondestructive rice leaf thickness instrument is simple, precise, and nondestructive.

Nondestructive Quantitative Analysis of Cofrel Medicines by Double ANN-NIR Spectroscopy

In this paper, a double artificial neural network （DANN） algorithm was used to parse near infrared （NIR） reflectance spectrum of Cofrel medicines. The contents of benproperine phosphate, which is the effective ingredient in Cofrel medicines, were accurately nondestructive quantitatively predicted. Compared the results with those of HPLC, the relative errors （RE %） were less than 0.18%. The analytical results could be applied to qualitative control of Cofrel medicines.

Nondestructive Testing and Characterization of Residual Stress Field Using an Ultrasonic Method

To address the difficulty in testing and calibrating the stress gradient in the depth direction of mechanical components, a new technology of nondestructive testing and characterization of the residual stress gradient field by ultrasonic method is proposed based on acoustoelasticity theory. By carrying out theoretical analysis, the sensitivity coefficients of different types of ultrasonic are obtained by taking the low carbon steel（12%C） as a research object. By fixing the interval distance between sending and receiving transducers, the mathematical expressions of the change of stress and the variation of time are established. To design one sending-one receiving and oblique incidence ultrasonic detection probes, according to Snell law, the critically refracted longitudinal wave（LCR wave） is excited at a certain depth of the fixed distance of the tested components. Then, the relationship between the depth of LCR wave detection and the center frequency of the probe in Q235 steel is obtained through experimental study. To detect the stress gradient in the depth direction, a stress gradient LCR wave detection model is established, through which the stress gradient formula is derived by the relationship between center frequency and detecting depth. A C-shaped stress specimen of Q235 steel is designed to conduct stress loading tests, and the stress is measured with the five group probes at different center frequencies. The accuracy of ultrasonic testing is verified by X-ray stress analyzer. The stress value of each specific depth is calculated using the stress gradient formula. Accordingly, the ultrasonic characterization of residual stress field is realized. Characterization results show that the stress gradient distribution is consistent with the simulation in ANSYS. The new technology can be widely applied in the detection of the residual stress gradient field caused by mechanical processing, such as welding and shot peening.

Statistical analysis of nondestructive testing results of cast steel joints in civil engineering structures

To study the distribution law and random characteristics of casting defects in steel castings,24 civil engineering structural cast steel joints were divided into two groups:simple cast steel joints and complex cast steel joints.Three kinds of nondestructive testing(NDT)methods,namely,visual,magnetic particle,and ultrasonic inspections,were used to detect the macroscopic defects in joints.The NDT results were then statistically analyzed.The results show that the unfused core support is a common defect of complex cast steel joints,and the defect can be seen visually,so excavation and repair welding should be carried out before castings leave factories.Casting cracks are extremely likely to occur in the intersection area of tubes,which is called the ultrasonic inspection blind zone.The occurrence probability of gas pores on simple cast steel joints is the largest,and the occurrence probability of core support incomplete fusions on complex cast steel joints is the largest.However,when cast steel joints are counted as a whole sample,the occurrence probability of gas pores is larger than that of core support incomplete fusions.Therefore,it is the most common defect in cast steel joints.

Nondestructive testing for crack of tunnel lining using GPR

Lining craze, as a common engineering damage, affects the bearing capacity and the safety of tunnels.To improve the capabilities of the surface crack detection in the tunnel lining, ground penetrating radar(GPR) was employed. The principle and method of GPR for cracks investigation of tunnel lining were expounded. As an application example, some field measurements in order to detect the depth of cracks for the tunnel lining were achieved in a new tunnel. All GPR investigations were made with the antennae of 1 GHz. The cracks of concrete structure were located, and the distributing and depth of cracks are inspected and estimated by GPR. The results of investigation show GPR is accurate and efficient to detect cracks of tunnel lining.

Nondestructive testing method of wood moisture content based on a planar capacitance sensor model

For our research, a new hybrid experimental-computational method is presented. We applied a least squares fitting method （LSFM） to reconstruct the wood moisture content （WMC） from the data measured with a planar capacitance sensor. A boundary element method （BEM） was used to compute the relationship between capacitance and the dielectric constant. A functional relationship between MC and the dielectric constant was identified by LSFM. The agreement of this final computation result with the experimental data indicates that this method can be used to estimate the WMC quickly and effectively with engineering analysis. Compared with popular statistical methods, a large number of experiments are avoided, some costs of testing are reduced and the efficiency of testing is enhanced.

Dynamic Elastic Modulus of Cement Paste at Early Age based on Nondestructive Test and Multiscale Prediction Model

This paper introduced a nondestructive testing method to evaluate the dynamic elastic modulus of cement paste. Moreover, the effect of water-cement ratio and conventional admixtures on the dynamic elastic modulus of cement paste was investigated, in which three kinds of admixtures were taken into account including viscosity modifying admixture （VMA）, silica.fume （SF）, and shrinkage-reducing admixture （SRA）. The experimental results indicate that the dynamic elastic modulus of cement paste increases with decreasing water-cement ratio. The addition of SF increases the dynamic elastic modulus, however, the overdosage of VMA causes its reduction. SRA reduces the dynamic elastic modulus at early age without affecting it in later period. Finally, a multiscale micromechanics approach coupled with a hydration model CEMHYD3D and percolation theory is utilized to predict the elastic modulus of cement paste, and the predictive results by the model are in accordance with the experimental data.

Nondestructive Skeletal Imaging of Hyla suweonensis Using Micro-Computed Tomography

We successfully obtained 3D skeletal images of Hyla suweonensis, employing a nondestructive method by applying appropriate anesthesia and limiting the radiation dose. H. suweonensis is a tree frog endemic to Korea and is on the list of endangered species. Previous studies have employed caliper-based measurements and two-dimensional （2D） X-ray imaging for anatomical analyses of the skeletal system or bone types of H. suweonensis. In this work we reconstructed three-dimensional （3D） skeletal images of H. suweonensis, utilizing a nondestructive micro-computed tomography （micro-CT） with a short scan and low radiation dose （i.e. 4 min and 0.16 Gy）. Importantly, our approach can be applied to the imaging of 3D skeletal systems of other endangered frog species, allowing both versatile and high contrast images of anatomical structures without causing any significant damages to the living animal.

The Application of Impact Echo Scanning on Nondestructive Test of Pavement

A new nondestructive test method-Impact Echo Scanning was introduced. Application of this method on pavement structure test was discussed. A method to increase the measurement accuracy of the test on multi-layers was proposed, and was verified by field test. The test results show that the basic structural information can obtained rapidly and accurately by 3-D scanning of the impact echo system.

Analytical model of tilted driver–pickup coils for eddy current nondestructive evaluation

A driver-pickup probe possesses better sensitivity and flexibility due to individual optimization of a coil.It is fre-quently observed in an eddy current(EC)array probe.In this work,a tilted non-coaxial driver-pickup probe above a multilayered conducting plate is analytically modeled with spatial transformation for eddy current nondestructive evalua-tion.Basically,the core of the formulation is to obtain the projection of magnetic vector potential(MVP)from the driver coil onto the vector along the tilted pickup coil,which is divided into two key steps.The first step is to make a projection of MVP along the pickup coil onto a horizontal plane,and the second one is to build the relationship between the pr,ojected MVP and the MVP along the driver coil.Afterwards,an analytical model for the case of a layered plate is established with the reflection and transmission theory of electromagnetic fields.The calculated values from the resulting model indicate good agreement with those from the finite element model(FEM)and experiments,which validates the developed analytical model.

Ultrasonic Nondestructive Testing of Superplastic Solid-State Welding Joint for Different Steels

Based on quantitative microscopic examinations of welds and welding rate for different steels(40Cr and T10A) joint,which possess the ultra-fine microstructure after high frequency hardening(HFH) and salt-bath cyclic quenching(SCQ),the suitable defect grey scale threshold value was determined,and the welding rate of superplastic solid-state welding of different steels(40Cr and T10 A steel) was systematically inspected and analyzed by means of self-made ultrasonic imaging inspection system.The experimental results showed that the superplastic solid-state weld of different steels can be inspected more accurately,reliably and quickly by this system,and the results were in good accordance with that of metallographic observation.The welding rate of superplastic welding is in linear relation with tensile strength of joint.

Deterministic nondestructive state analysis for polarization-spatial-time-bin hyperentanglement with cross-Kerr nonlinearity

We present a deterministic nondestructive hyperentangled Bell state analysis protocol for photons entangled in three degrees of freedom(DOFs),including polarization,spatial-mode,and time-bin DOFs.The polarization Bell state analyzer and spatial-mode Bell state analyzer are constructed by polarization parity-check quantum nondemolition detector(P-QND)and spatial-mode parity-check quantum nondemolition detector(S-QND)using cross-Kerr nonlinearity,respectively.The time-bin Bell state analyzer is constructed by the swap gate for polarization state and time-bin state of a photon(P-T swap gate)and P-QND.The Bell states analyzer for one DOF will not destruct the Bell states of other two DOFs,so the polarization-spatial-time-bin hyperentangled Bell states can be determinately distinguished without destruction.This deterministic nondestructive state analysis method has useful applications in quantum information protocols.

Experimental study on the compressive strength of grouted concrete block masonry based on nondestructive detection methods

Existing nondestructive detection methods were adopted to test the compressive strength of grouted concrete block masonry,i.e.the rebound method,pulling-out method and core drilling method were employed to test the strength of block,mortar and grouted concrete,respectively.The suitability of these methods for the testing of strength of grouted concrete block masonry was discussed,and the comprehensive strength of block masonry was appraised by combining existing nondestructive or micro-destructive detection methods.The nondestructive detection test on 25 grouted concrete block masonry specimens was carried out.Experimental results show that these methods mentioned above are applicable for the strength detection of grouted concrete block masonry.Moreover,the formulas of compressive strength,detection methods and proposals are given as well.

Noninvasive and nondestructive sampling for avian microsatellite genotyping: a case study on the vulnerable Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes)

Background: Noninvasive and nondestructive DNA sampling techniques are becoming more important in genetic studies because they can provide genetic material from wild animals with less or even without disturbance,which is particularly useful for the study of endangered species,i.e.,birds.However,nondestructively and noninvasively sampled DNA may,in some cases,be inadequate in the amount and quality of the material collected,which can lead to low amplification success rates and high genotyping errors.Methods: In this study,noninvasive(eggshell swab,shed feather and feces),nondestructive(plucked feather and buccal swab) and invasive(blood) DNA samples were collected from the vulnerable Chinese Egret(Egretta eulophotes).DNA concentrations,PCR amplification success and microsatellite genotyping errors of different sample types were evaluated and compared to determine whether noninvasive and nondestructive samples performed as well as invasive samples in our experimental procedures.Results: A total of 159 samples were collected in the field.Among the different sample types,the highest DNA concentrations(154.0–385.5 ng/μL) were obtained from blood.Those extracted from fecal samples were the lowest,ranging from 1.25 to 27.5 ng/μL.Almost all of the DNA samples,i.e.,95.59 %,were successfully amplified for mt DNA(n = 152) and 92.76 % of mt DNA samples were successfully genotyped for at least five of the nine microsatellite loci tested(n = 141).Blood samples and buccal swabs produced reliable genotypes with no genotyping errors,but in feces,allelic dropouts and false alleles occurred in all nine loci,with error rates ranging from 6.67 to 38.10 % for the dropouts and from 6.06 to 15.15 % for the false alleles.Conclusions: These results indicate that both nondestructive and noninvasive samplings are suitable for avian microsatellite genotyping,save for fecal DNA.However,we should remain cautious of the appearance of genotyping errors,especially when using noninvasive material.

Investigation of Eddy Current Nondestructive Testing for Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic （CFRP） Based on Electromagnetic Field Analysis

CFRP （carbon fiber reinforced plastic） is used extensively in aircraft and spacecraft structures, because of its excellent mechanical properties. Ultrasonic testing, which is used as a non-destructive testing technique for CFRP, requires a contact medium. In contrast, eddy current testing does not require a contact medium, and when used for CFRP testing it has advantages not available with other techniques. CFRP is a laminate, with each layer being anisotropically conductive, and the distribution of the induced eddy current is yet to be determined. Here, to determine the eddy current distribution in the detection of flaws in cross-ply CFRP （0°/90°） by using a cross-point probe, we performed an FEM （finite element method） analysis of electromagnetic fields. We investigated the nature of the flaw signals and the differences in eddy current distributions between materials with and without flaws.