0000000000014681
AUTHOR
David Lines
Evaluation of Coded Excitations for Autonomous Airborne Ultrasonic Inspection
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are receiving increasing attention for use in Non-Destructive Testing due to their ability to access areas where manual inspection is not practical. Contact-based UAV ultrasonic inspections grant the opportunity to remotely monitor the structural health of an industrial asset with enhanced internal integrity information. Ultrasonic inspection is a Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) method conventionally used in corrosion mapping. Surface contacting ultrasonic transducers provide enhanced structural integrity information. However, due to near-surface aerodynamic effects, angular sensitivity of the ultrasound probe and alignment error during autonomous inspections, …
Continuous monitoring of an intentionally-manufactured crack using an automated welding and in-process inspection system
Abstract Automated weld deposition coupled with the real-time robotic Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) is used in this paper. For performance verification of the in-process inspection system, an intentionally embedded defect, a tungsten rod, is introduced into the multi-pass weld. A partially-filled groove (staircase) sample is also manufactured and ultrasonically tested to calibrate the real-time inspection implemented on all seven layers of the weld which are deposited progressively. The tungsten rod is successfully detected in the real-time NDE of the deposited position. The same robotic inspection system was then used to continuously monitor an intentionally-manufactured crack for 20 h.…
High-temperature in-process inspection followed by 96-h robotic inspection of intentionally manufactured hydrogen crack in multi-pass robotic welding
Abstract This investigation introduces two new techniques to quantitatively address the challenging problem of understanding Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC) in welding processes. The first technique is a novel procedure to create a known and controlled HIC in a welded sample. The second is an in-process monitoring technique to measure the initial formation and subsequent growth of the HIC in a multi-pass weld whilst being compatible with the high temperatures associated with the welding process. The HIC was initiated using a localised quenching method of the weld and its character was verified using both macrograph and microscopic investigations. During HIC initiation and growth, the sample…
Using coded excitation to maintain signal to noise for FMC+TFM on attenuating materials
Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Evaluation using Full Matrix Capture (FMC) and Total Focusing Method (TFM) is used for high resolution imaging as every pixel is in optimal focus. FMC excites one element in turn, so operates with lower transmitted energy compared to phased array beamforming. The energy at a reflector is further reduced by the broad directivity pattern of the single element. The large number of Tx/Rx A-scans that contribute to each pixel recover the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) in the final TFM image. Maintaining this in the presence of attenuating materials is a challenge because relevant information in each A-scan signal is buried in the thermal noise, and the TFM process assumes…
Model-assisted ultrasonic calibration using intentionally embedded defects for in-process weld inspection
Abstract Automated in-process Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) systems are rapidly gaining traction within the manufacturing industry as they reduce manufacturing time and costs. When considering calibration and verification of such systems, creating defects of known geometry and nature during the deposition of a weld can: (I) help examine the capability of the automated system to detect and characterise defects, (II) be used to form a database of signals associated with different defect types to train intelligent defect classification algorithms, and (III) act as a basis for in-process gain calibration during weld inspection at high temperatures, where the ultrasound beam can be skewed as a r…
Robotic geometric and volumetric inspection of high value and large scale aircraft wings
Increased demands in performance and production rates require a radical new approach to the design and manufacturing of aircraft wings. Performance of modern robotic manipulators has enabled research and development of fast automated non-destructive testing (NDT) systems for complex geometries. This paper presents recent outcomes of work aimed at removing the bottleneck due to data acquisition rates, to fully exploit the scanning speed of modern 6-DoF manipulators. The geometric assessment of the parts is carried out with a robotised dynamic laser scanner encoded through an absolute laser tracker. This method allows scanning speeds up to 330mm/s at 1mm pitch. State of the art ultrasonic ins…
In-process calibration of a non-destructive testing system used for in-process inspection of multi-pass welding
Abstract In multi-pass welding, there is increasing motivation to move towards in-process defect detection to enable real-time repair; thus avoiding deposition of more layers over a defective weld pass. All defect detection techniques require a consistent and repeatable approach to calibration to ensure that measured defect sizing is accurate. Conventional approaches to calibration employ fixed test blocks with known defect sizes, however, this methodology can lead to incorrect sizing when considering complex geometries, materials with challenging microstructure, and the significant thermal gradients present in materials during the inter-pass inspection period. To circumvent these challenge…
Generalised bisection method for optimum ultrasonic ray tracing and focusing in multi-layered structures
Ultrasonic testing has been used for many decades, proving itself very efficient for detecting defects in many industrial sectors. The desire to apply ultrasonic testing to geometrically complex structures, and to anisotropic, inhomogeneous materials, together with the advent of more powerful electronics and software, is constantly pushing the applicability of ultrasonic waves to their limits. General ray tracing models, suitable for calculating the proper incident angle of single element probes and the proper time delay of phased array, are currently required. They can support the development of new imaging techniques, as Full Matrix Capture and Total Focusing Method, and the execution of …
A flexible robotic cell for in-process inspection of multi-pass welds
Welds are currently only inspected after all the passes are complete and after allowing sufficient time for any hydrogen cracking to develop, typically over several days. Any defects introduced between passes are therefore unreported until fully buried, greatly complicating rework and also delaying early corrections to the weld process parameters. In-process inspection can provide early intervention but involves many challenges, including operation at high temperatures with significant gradients affecting acoustic velocities and, hence, beam directions. Reflections from the incomplete parts of the weld would also be flagged as lack-of-fusion defects, requiring the region of interest (ROI) t…
Fast ultrasonic phased array inspection of complex geometries delivered through robotic manipulators and high speed data acquisition instrumentation
Performance of modern robotic manipulators has enabled research and development of fast automated non-destructive testing (NDT) systems for complex geometries. This paper presents recent outcomes of work aimed at removing the bottleneck due to data acquisition rates, to fully exploit the scanning speed of modern 6-DoF manipulators. State of the art ultrasonic instrumentation has been integrated into a large robot cell to enable fast data acquisition, high scan resolutions and accurate positional encoding. A fibre optic connection between the ultrasonic instrument and the server computer enables data transfer rates up to 1.6GB/s. Multiple data collection methods are compared. Performance of …
Ultrasonic phased array inspection of a Wire + Arc Additive Manufactured (WAAM) sample with intentionally embedded defects
In this study, Wire + Arc Additive Manufacture (WAAM) was employed to manufacture a steel specimen with intentionally embedded defects which were subsequently used for calibration of an ultrasonic phased array system and defect sizing. An ABB robot was combined with the Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) Gas Metal Arc (GMA) process to deposit 20 layers of mild steel. Tungsten-carbide balls (ø1-3 mm) were intentionally embedded inside the additive structure after the 4th, 8th, 12th and 18th layers to serve as ultrasonic reflectors, simulating defects within the WAAM sample. An ultrasonic phased array system, consisting of a 5 MHz 64 Element phased array transducer, was used to inspect the WAAM sample…
Investigating the effect of residual stress on hydrogen cracking in multi-pass robotic welding through process compatible non-destructive testing
Abstract In this paper, the effect of Welding Residual Stress (WRS) on the size and morphology of hydrogen-induced cracks (HIC) is studied. Four samples were manufactured using a 6-axis welding robot and in two separate batches. The difference between the two batches was the clamping system used, which resulted in different amounts of welding deformation and WRS. The hydrogen cracks were intentionally manufactured in the samples using a localised water-quenching method, where water was sprayed over a specific weld pass in a predetermined position. The Phased-Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) system was implemented during the welding process (high-temperature in-process method), to detect the …