Detection of internal crack growth in polyethylene pipe using guided wave ultrasonic testing

Despite the success of guided wave ultrasonic inspection for internal defect detection in steel pipes,its application on polyethylene(PE)pipe remains relatively unexplored.The growth of internal cracks in PE pipe severely affects its pressure-holding capacity,hence the early detection of internal cracks is crucial for effective pipeline maintenance strategies.This study extends the scope of guided wave-based ultrasonic testing to detect the growth of internal cracks in a natural gas distribution PE pipe.Laboratory experiments and a finite element model were planned to study the wave-crack interaction at different stages of axially oriented internal crack growth with a piezoceramic transducer-based setup arranged in a pitch-catch configuration.Mode dispersion analysis supplemented with preliminary experiments was performed to isolate the optimal inspection frequency,leading to the selection of the T(0,1)mode at 50-kHz for the investigation.A transmission index based on the energy of the T(0,1)mode was developed to trace the extent of simulated crack growth.The findings revealed an inverse linear correlation between the transmission index and the crack depth for crack growth beyond 20%crack depth.

A comparative study for determining rock joint normal stiffness with destructive uniaxial compression and nondestructive ultrasonic wave testing

Rock joints are one of the vital discontinuities in a natural rock mass.How to accurately and conveniently determine joint normal stiffness is therefore significant in rock mechanics.Here,first,seven existing methods for determining joint normal stiffness were introduced and reviewed,among which MethodⅠ(the indirect measurement method),MethodⅡ(the direct determination method),MethodⅢ(the across-joint strain gauge measurement method)and MethodⅣ(the deformation measuring ring method)are via destructive uniaxial compression testing,while MethodⅤ(the best fitting method),MethodⅥ(the rapid evaluation method)and MethodⅦ(the effective modulus method)are through wave propagation principles and nondestructive ultrasonic testing.Subsequently,laboratory tests of intact and jointed sandstone specimens were conducted following the testing requirements and pro-cedures of those seven methods.A comparison among those methods was then performed.The results show that Method I,i.e.the benchmark method,is reliable and stable.MethodⅡhas a conceptual drawback,and its accuracy is acceptable at only very low stress levels.Relative errors in the results from MethodⅢare very large.With MethodⅣ,the testing results are sufficiently accurate despite the strict testing environment and complicated testing procedures.The results from MethodⅤare greatly unstable and significantly dependent on the natural frequency of the transducers.The joint normal stiffness determined with MethodⅥis stable and accurate,although data processing is complex.MethodⅦcould be adopted to determine the joint normal stiffness corresponding to the rock elastic deformation phase only.Consequently,it is suggested that MethodsⅠ,ⅣandⅥshould be adopted for the mea-surement of joint normal stiffness.The findings could be helpful in selecting an appropriate method to determine joint normal stiffness and,hence,to better solve discontinuous rock mass problems.

Propagation Characteristics of Ultrasonic Guided Waves in Grouted Rockbolt Systems with Bond Defects under Different Confining Conditions

A rockbolt acting in the rock mass is subjected to the combined action of the pull-out load and confining pressure, and the bond quality of the rockbolt directly affects the stability of the roadway and cavern. Therefore, in this study, confining pressure and pull-out load are applied to grouted rockbolt systems with bond defects by a numerical simulation method, and the rockbolt is detected by ultrasonic guided waves to study the propagation law of ultrasonic guided waves in defective rockbolt systems and the bond quality of rockbolts under the combined action of pull-out load and confining pressure. The numerical simulation results show that the length and location of bond defects can be detected by ultrasonic guided waves under the combined action of pull-out load and confining pressure. Under no pull-out load, with increasing confining pressure, the low-frequency part of the guided wave frequency in the rockbolt increases, the high-frequency part decreases, the weakening effect of the confining pressure on the guided wave propagation law increases, and the bond quality of the rockbolt increases. The existence of defects cannot change the strengthening effect of the confining pressure on the guided wave propagation law under the same pull-out load or the weakening effect of the pull-out load on the guided wave propagation law under the same confining pressure.

THE EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT AND CONTROL SYSTEM OF TRAVELLING WAVE TYPE ULTRASONIC MOTOR

从压电振子的等效电路出发，得到了行波型超声波电动机定子环乃至整个电动机的等效电路．分别对电机控制系统各组成部分进行了分析，并利用电机等效电路达到简化控制系统的目的．实验对研究结果进行了验证．

Temperature Dependence of Ultrasonic Longitudinal Guided Wave Propagation in Long Range Steel Strands

Ultrasonic guided wave inspection is an effective non-destructive testing method which can be used for stress level evaluation in steel strands.Unfortunately the propagation velocity of ultrasonic guided waves changes due to temperature shift making the prestress measurement of steel strands inaccurate and even sometimes impossible.In the course of solving the problem,this paper reports on quantitative research on the temperature dependence of ultrasonic longitudinal guided wave propagation in long range steel strands.In order to achieve the generation and reception of a chosen longitudinal mode in a steel strand with a helical shaped surface,a new type of magnetostrictive transducer was developed,characterized by a group of thin clips and three identical permanent magnets.Excitation and reception of ultrasonic guided waves in a steel strand were performed experimentally.Experimental results shows that in the temperature range from-4 ℃ to 34 ℃,the propagation velocity of the L（0,1） mode at 160 kHz linearly decreased with increasing temperature and its temperature dependent coefficient was 0.90（m·s-1 ·（℃）-1） which is very close to the theoretical prediction.The effect of dimension deviation between the helical and center wires and the effect of the thermal expansion of the steel strand on ultrasonic longitudinal guided wave propagation were also analyzed.It was found that these effects could be ignored compared with the change in the material mechanical properties of the steel strands due to temperature shift.It was also observed that the longitudinal guided wave mode was somewhat more sensitive to temperature changes compared with conventional ultrasonic waves theoretically.Therefore,it is considered that the temperature effect on ultrasonic longitudinal guided wave propagation in order to improve the accuracy of stress measurement in prestressed steel strands.Quantitative research on the temperature dependence of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in steel strands provides an important basis for the compensation of temperature effects in stress measurement in steel strands by using ultrasonic guided wave inspection.

Contact Analysis and Modeling of Standing Wave Linear Ultrasonic Motor

A contact model for describing the contact mechanics between the stator and slider of the standing wave linear ultrasonic motor was presented. The proposed model starts from the assumption that the vibration characteristics of the stator is not affected by the contact process. A modified friction models was used to analyze the contact problems. Firstly, the dynamic normal contact force, interface friction force, and steady-state characteristics were analyzed. Secondly, the influences of the contact layer material, the dynamic characteristics of the stator, and the pre-load on motor performance were simulated. Finally, to validate the contact model, a linear ultrasonic motor based on in-plane modes was used as an example. The corresponding results show that a set of simulation of motor performances based on the proposed contact mechanism is in good agreement with experimental results. This model is helpful to understanding the operation principle of the standing wave linear motor and thus contributes to the design of these types of motor.

A Novel Traveling Wave Ultrasonic Motor Using a Bar Shaped Transducer

A novel traveling wave ultrasonic motor was proposed. The structure of the motor is rather simple and different from the conventional traveling wave ultrasonic motors. Its production processes are very convenient. It is composed of a stator constituted with a ring and a bar shaped transducer and two cone shaped rotors. The rotors were pressed on inner surface of the ring by means of a pre-pressure system. The bar shaped transducer has a sand- wich-like configuration,where two sets of piezoelectric element are bolted. One set excites a longitudinal vibration of the bar, and the other set excites a flexural vibration of the bar. The ring＇s traveling wave excited with the longitudinal vibration and the bending vibration of the bar transducer was simulated with FEM （finite element method）. The prototype of the motor was made and investigated experimentally for its performance. Its maximum torque and rotating speed are 0.25 N · m and 50 r/min, respectively.

High Precision Ultrasonic Guided Wave Technique for Inspection of Power Transmission Line

Due to the merits of high inspection speed and long detecting distance, Ultrasonic Guided Wave（UGW） method has been commonly applied to the on-line maintenance of power transmission line. However, the guided wave propagation in this structure is very complicated, leading to the unfavorable defect localization accuracy. Aiming at this situation, a high precision UGW technique for inspection of local surface defect in power transmission line is proposed. The technique is realized by adopting a novel segmental piezoelectric ring transducer and transducer mounting scheme, combining with the comprehensive characterization of wave propagation and circumferential defect positioning with multiple piezoelectric elements. Firstly, the propagation path of guided waves in the multi-wires of transmission line under the proposed technique condition is investigated experimentally. Next, the wave velocities are calculated by dispersion curves and experiment test respectively, and from comparing of the two results, the guided wave mode propagated in transmission line is confirmed to be F（1,1） mode. Finally, the axial and circumferential positioning of local defective wires in transmission line are both achieved, by using multiple piezoelectric elements to surround the stands and send elastic waves into every single wire. The proposed research can play a role of guiding the development of highly effective UGW method and detecting system for multi-wire transmission line.

Ultrasonic focusing and scanning with multiple waves

This paper presents a new focusing and scanning method which focuses multiple waves on a target. The key of the method is to control excitation pulses for each element of the transducer array. The excitation pulse on each array element is obtained by time reversing the signal received by the same element, which is generated by an imaginary source at the target. The excitation pulses from all array elements are transmitted and arrive at the target simultaneously, and focusing is achieved. The performance of the two methods is compared in numerical examples, and it is demonstrated that the proposed method achieves a satisfactory focusing and a good signal-to-noise ratio no matter where the target location is.

Working principle and design of a double cylinders type traveling wave ultrasonic motor using composite transducer

A double cylinders type traveling wave ultrasonic motor using composite transducer was proposed.The proposed stator contained two cylinders and one composite transducer,and the transducer located on the outer surfaces of cylinders.The composite transducer included two exponential horns located on leading ends,and the horns insected with the cylinders at tip ends.Two degenerated flexural vibration modes spatially and temporally orthogonal to each other were excited in each cylinder by the composite transducer.In this new design,a single transducer could excite two flexural traveling waves in the cylinders.Thus,elliptical motions were achieved at the particles on the teeth.The working principle of the proposed motor was analyzed.The cylinder and transducer were designed with FEM.The resonant frequencies of two vibration modals of the stator were tuned to be the same,and the motion trajectories of nodes on the teeth were analyzed.Transient analysis results show that the motion trajectories of teeth are ellipses.The results of this paper can guide the development of this new type of ultrasonic motor.

Effect of Filler Composition on the Brazing of Alumina to Copper Using Ultrasonic Wave

An ultrasonic wave was applied during brazing of alumina to Cu. First alumina was metallized by applying ultrasonicwave in braze bath. Then the metallized alumina was brazed with Cu using the same filler alloy. The filler used wereZn-Al alloys and Zn-Sn Alloys. The weight percent of Al in filler was ranging between 0, 5%, 10%, respectively.The weight percent of tin in filler was ranging between 0, 30%, 60% and 91%, respectively. The joining mechanismwas investigated by measuring the joining strength, hardness and analyzing the microstructure at interface of thejoint. The shear strength and microstructure of the joint strongly depend on the filler composition. The effect ofultrasound was derived primarily from acoustic cavitations, impact and friction of the filler against alumina ceramic.This improved the wetting between alumina and the filler, and reflected to improve the joint strength. Anotherultrasonic advantage as to reduce of the joining temperature, that reduced the thermal stress in the braze joint.

EFFECT OF ULTRASONIC WAVE ON THE ELECTROPOLYMERIZATION OF PYRROLE

Electropolymerization of pyrrole under ultrasonic field at 20kHz was performed in a series of aqueous and propylene carbonate (PC) solutions. The ultrasonic wave with moderate intensity at the power of 44W, which is the power threshold of the ultrasonic generator used in this work to produce cavitation effect, enhance the conductivity and tensile strength of the polypyrrole films as prepared. However, too high intensity of the ultrasonic wave is harmful to the polymerization.

Non-contact evaluation of the resonant frequency of a microstructure using ultrasonic wave

This paper presents a novel non-contact method for evaluating the resonant frequency of a microstructure, Firstly, the microstructure under test is excited by ultrasonic waves. This excitation method does not impose any undefined load on the specimen like the electrostatic excitation and also this is the first actual use of ultrasonic wave for exciting a microstructure in the literature. Secondly, the amplitudes of the microstructure are determined by image edge detection using a Mexican hat wavelet transform on the vibrating images of the microstructure. The vibrating images are captured by a CCD camera when the microstructure is vibrated by ultrasonic waves at a series of discrete high frequencies （〉30 kHz）. Upon processing the vibrating images, the amplitudes at various excitation frequencies are obtained and an amplitude-frequency spectrum is obtained from which the resonant frequency is subsequently evaluated. A micro silicon structure consisting of a perforated plate （192 × 192 μm） and two cantilever beams （76 × 43 μm） which is about 4 μm thickness is tested. Since laser interferometry is not required, thermal effects on a test object can be avoided. Hence, the setup is relatively simple. Results show that the proposed method is a simple and effective approach for evaluating the dynamic characteristics of microstructures.

Determination of the parameters of a linear-viscoelastic thin layer using the normally-incident ultrasonic waves

This paper proposes a method of simultaneous determination of the four layer parameters （mass density, longitudinal velocity, the thickness and attenuation） of an immersed linear-viscoelastic thin layer by using the normally-incident reflected and transmitted ultrasonic waves. The analytical formula of the layer thickness related to the measured trans- mitted transfer functions is derived. The two determination steps of the four layer parameters are developed, in which acoustic impedance, time-of-flight and attenuation are first determined by the reflected transfer functions. Using the derived formula, it successively calculates and determines the layer thickness, longitudinal velocity and mass density by the measured transmitted transfer functions. According to the two determination steps, a more feasible and simplified measurement setups is described. It is found that only three signals （the reference waves, the reflected and transmitted waves） need to be recorded in the whole measurement for the determination of the four layer parameters. A study of the stability of the determination method against the experimental noises and the error analysis of the four layer parameters are made. This study lays the theoretical foundation of the practical measurement of a linear-viscoelastic thin layer.

Application of Ultrasonic Waves for the Improvement of Water Treatment

Application of ultrasonic waves is one of the novel techniques for the improvement of water treatment process. In this study, ultrasonic waves were irradiated to drinking water for water softening process and other contaminants removal. The experimental results showed that this technique improved the water treatment process efficiently. The study also revealed that the various parameters such as amplitude, frequency and irradiation time could affect the efficiency of ultrasound techniques for the improvement of water quality.

Defect detection in brazed weldment with lattice structure using ultrasonic Lamb wave technique

In this paper, defects detection in brazed weldment with lattice structure is studied using ultrasonic Lamb wave. Based on the ultrasonic guided wave theory, the frequency dispersion curves for phase and group velocity of I Cr18Ni9Ti are obtained by solving the Rayleigh-Lamb equation. The incident angles of different modes are determined through theoretical calculation and experimental analyses. Artificial defects of through-wall slots with different dimensions are made and tested. Experimental scattering effects of the fundamental symmetric mode S2 and asymmetric modes A1 and A0 are analysed and compared. The results show that mode Ao is suitable for detecting artificial defect, and the amplitude of the received signals are in good agreement with the defect size. Brazed weldment specimen containing lack of brazing with certain dimensions is made. Using the same methodology, scattering effects produced by weld defects are measured. The results show that the clutter wave brought about by the filler metal will certainly disturbs the identification of defect signal. But, when the defect is 3.0 mm in width, the presented mode Ao could be used potentially.

Selective generation of ultrasonic Lamb waves by electromagnetic acoustic transducers

In this paper, we describe a modal expansion approach for the analysis of the selective generation of ultrasonic Lamb waves by electromagnetic acoustic transducers （EMATs）. With the modal expansion approach for waveguide excitation, an analytical expression of the Lamb wave＇s mode expansion coefficient is deduced, which is related to the driving frequency and the geometrical parameters of the EMAT＇s meander coil, and lays a theoretical foundation for exactly analyzing the selective generation of Larnb waves with EMATs. The influences of the driving frequency on the mode expansion coefficient of ultrasonic Lamb waves are analyzed when the EMAT＇s geometrical parameters are given. The numerical simulations and experimental examinations show that the ultrasonic Lamb wave modes can be effectively regulated （strengthened or restrained） by choosing an appropriate driving frequency of EMAT, with the geometrical parameters given. This result provides a theoretical and experimental basis for selectively generating a single and pure Lamb wave mode with EMATs.

Review on second-harmonic generation of ultrasonic guided waves in solid media(Ⅰ): Theoretical analyses

Considering the high sensitivity of the nonlinear ultrasonic measurement technique and great advantages of the guided wave testing method, the use of nonlinear ultrasonic guided waves provides a promising means for evaluating and characterizing the hidden and/or inaccessible damage/degradation in solid media. Increasing attention on the development of the testing method based on nonlinear ultrasonic guided waves is largely attributed to the theoretical advances of nonlinear guided waves propagation in solid media. One of the typical acoustic nonlinear responses is the generation of second harmonics that can be used to effectively evaluate damage/degradation in materials/structures. In this paper, the theoretical progress of second-harmonic generation（SHG） of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in solid media is reviewed. The advances and developments of theoretical investigations on the effect of SHG of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in different structures are addressed. Some obscure understandings and the ideas in dispute are also discussed.

3D attitude measurement by means of spread spectrum modulated ultrasonic wave

Local position and attitude measurement methods are necessary for the navigation of autonomous robots and the other applications. In this paper, a 3D attitude measurement method is proposed. This method uses the spread spectrum modulated ultrasonic wave for the measurement of the pseudo-distance of each pathway between transmitter and receiver elements that are arranged in an array. The relative attitude between transmitter and receiver unit could be calculated from the relationship between these pseudo-distances. The use of spread spectrum modulation enables the high accuracy, noise tolerance, and coexistence of multiple transmitter devices by code division multiple access (CDMA) between transmitter and receiver elements. A pair of transmitter and receiver prototype for proposed method was manufactured, and the fundamental performance was examined in experiments. As a result, accuracy of σ=0.78 mm in the pseudo-distance measurement of each pathway between transmitter and receiver elements was confirmed, and about 0.01 rad resolution in the attitude measurement was also confirmed.

Mass transfer enhancement for LiBr solution using ultrasonic wave

The methods were studied to improve the cooling performance of the absorption refrigeration system(ARS) driven by low-grade solar energy with ultrasonic wave, while the mechanism of ultrasonic wave strengthening boiling mass transfer in LiB r solution was also analyzed with experiment. The experimental results indicate that, under the driving heat source of 60–100 oC and the ultrasonic power of 20–60 W, the mass flux of cryogen water in Li Br solution is higher after the application of ultrasonic wave than auxiliary heating with electric rod of the same power, so the ultrasonic application effectively enhances the heat utilization efficiency. The distance H from ultrasonic transducer to vapor/liquid interface significantly affects mass transfer enhancement, so an optimal Hopt corresponding to certain ultrasonic power is beneficial to reaching the best strengthening effect for ultrasonic mass transfer. When the ultrasonic power increases, the mass transfer obviously speeds up in the cryogen water; however, as the power increases to a certain extent, the flux reaches a plateau without obvious increment. Moreover, the ultrasound-enhanced mass transfer technology can reduce the minimum temperature of driving heat source required by ARS and promote the application of solar energy during absorption refrigeration.