Laser ultrasonic frequency-domain imaging and phase weighted optimization based on full matrix capture.

Far-field laser technology has greatly promoted the progress of nondestructive ultrasonic imaging of bulk structures. However, under thermoelastic excitation, the body waves exhibit a relatively low signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in images with low resolution and contrast. Based on the motivation, this paper developed a frequency-domain phase weighted imaging method to improve the quality of laser ultrasonic defect imaging. Firstly, laser ultrasonic scanning was performed on the sample with artificial transverse hole defects. The cylindrical lens focused line source was used to improve the intensity of the body wave signals, and ensure that there was no damage on the material surface under high laser energies. Then, the frequency-domain phase shift migration (PSM) algorithm was used to perform multimode imaging of defects, achieving frequency-domain synthetic aperture focusing technique (F-SAFT) and total focused method (F-TFM) imaging based on full matrix capture. Furthermore, the phase circular statistical vector (PCSV) was proposed for weighted optimization, which improved the image quality, suppressed the background noise and multimode artifacts. Finally, the imaging quality of several algorithms were discussed. The results indicate that frequency-domain images were superior to time-domain results. After phase weighting, the imaging quality can be further improved, and the detection blind zone was significantly reduced. This work will contribute to the rapid and high-quality defect imaging of laser ultrasonic.

Smart Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring and Nondestructive Evaluation.

During manufacturing, processing, and usage, various types of damage may be caused in structures [...].

Inverse of initial stress in carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates using lamb waves and deep neural network.

The prediction of the initial stress in composites is essential for the non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM) of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP). This paper examines the potential of Lamb waves in the inverse of initial stress by calculating the influence of initial stress on the dispersion characteristics of Lamb waves propagating in multilayered CFRP laminates. By introducing the mechanics of incremental deformation into the linear three-dimensional elasticity theory, the Legendre orthogonal polynomial expansion (LOPE) method is used to mathematically model the Lamb wave propagating in multilayered CFRP laminates subjected to horizontal and vertical homogeneous initial stresses. Then, a three-hidden-layers Feed Forward Deep Neural Network (DNN) with Back Propagation (BP) algorithm is constructed to invert the magnitude and direction of the initial stresses. The input features are the phase velocities of fundamental Lamb wave A0 mode at five different frequencies. Both training and testing samples are obtained by LOPE forward calculation. An ablation experiment is presented to compare the two different activation functions. Finally, the accuracy of the inverse is verified by comparing with the available outcomes of LOPE forward calculation.

A bifunctional lithium polysilicate as highly efficient adhesion agent and anchoring host for long-lifespan Li-S battery.

The development of Li-S battery has been seriously hindered by the shuttle effect of polysulfides and the mechanical instability of the sulfur electrode during cycling. Constructing strong-affinity oxide hosts is an effective way to anchor the polysulfides. And then the oxide hosts with sulfur active materials need additional binder to adhere them to the current collector, and they also possess poor ability to suppress the volume change of sulfur cathode. Herein, a bifunctional lithium polysilicate (Li2O·nSiO2, LSO) as highly efficient adhesion agent and anchoring host has been exploited for long-lifespan Li-S battery. Like other oxide hosts, density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that LSO also displays strong chemisorption effect towards polysulfides. Specially, the LSO shows impressive adhesive property and mechanical strength, which make it act as a robust binder to improve the mechanical stability of the sulfur electrode. The sulfur cathode with LSO as the highly efficient adhesion agent and anchoring host can give an excellent cycling stability with âˆ¼ 0.076 % capacity decay per cycle at 0.5C for 500 cycles. This work lights a new way to improve the chemical and mechanical stability of sulfur cathodes.

Influence of optical transmissivity on signal characteristics of photoacoustic guided waves in long cortical bone.

Long cortical bone allows axial transmission of ultrasonic guided waves, which has been utilized for osteoporosis evaluation. Benefiting structural and molecular sensitivity, photoacoustic has been used for tissue composition characterization. However, photoacoustic guided waves (PAGWs) in long cortical bone as well as the influence of optical transmissivity on PAGWs have not been thoroughly investigated. In the study, the influence of optical transmissivity on the signal characteristics of PAGWs was experimentally studied with a 1064 nm pulsed laser ultrasonic system and a tunable laser system (wavelength range: 650-2600 nm). Results show that dispersion curves of PAGWs are not significantly affected by the optical transmissivity; while photoacoustic guided modes and signal spectrum are sensitive to the optical transmissivity in cortical bone. In experiments, the lasers with high transmissivity can emit pure A0 mode PAGWs at the low frequency, around 22 kHz, in the relatively thick 6.2 mm bone plate; on the contrary, both A0 and S0 modes are generated. The slope of power spectrum density (PSD) of PAGWs decreases with the increase of transmissivity, and the decline rate is around -0.229. The study proves the correlation between the signal characteristics of PAGWs and the optical transmissivity, it is helpful for the development of PAGWs in long cortical bone towards the osteoporosis evaluation.

Ellipse of uncertainty based algorithm for quantitative evaluation of defect localization using Lamb waves.

Measurement deviation of time of flight (ToF) is inevitable in nondestructive testing based on the sparse array and ultrasonic Lamb waves. It affects the influence zone of temporal-spatial mapping trajectories (TSMTs) of signal parameters in the imaging zone, and further limits the quantitative evaluation of defect localization. In the paper, the ellipse of uncertainty (EOU) of TSMTs was derived from multiple parameters, including the group velocity, ToFs and their measurement deviations, distances between actuators and receivers. Then, an EOU-based algorithm was developed for quantitative evaluation of defect localization. The defects were localized by searching the individual scatterers at the intersection of multiple TSMTs. Based on the eccentricity of the uncertainty ellipse, a fuzzy scaling factor was introduced. It was combined with a fuzzy control parameter to tune the influence zone of TSMTs. Based on the acoustic reciprocity theorem and the fuzzy control parameter, the ToFs of scattering waves were fused to establish the one-to-one relation between individual scatterers and inspection pairs. Experimental results showed that the EOU-based algorithm can reduce the interferences of EOU in the detection; and the quantitative evaluation of defect localization was realized by analyzing the distribution of individuals and their ToF difference to inspection pairs.

Tuning Surface Energy of Zn Anodes via Sn Heteroatom Doping Enabled by a Codeposition for Ultralong Life Span Dendrite-Free Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZBs) have been considered as one of the most promising large-scale energy storage systems, owing to the advantages of raw material abundance, low cost, and eco-friendliness. However, the severe growth of Zn dendrites leads to poor stability and low Coulombic efficiency of AZBs. Herein, to effectively inhibit the growth of Zn dendrites, a new strategy has been proposed, i.e., tuning the surface energy of the Zn anode. This strategy can be achieved by in situ doping of Sn heteroatoms in the lattice of metallic Zn via codeposition of Sn and Zn with a small amount of the SnCl2 electrolyte additive. Density functional theory calculations have suggested that Sn heteroatom doping can sharply decrease the surface free energy of the Zn anode. As a consequence, driven by the locally strong electric field, metallic Sn tends to deposit at the tips of the Zn anode, thus decreases the surface energy and growth of Zn at the tips, resulting in a dendrite-free Zn anode. The positive effect of the SnCl2 additive has been demonstrated in both the Zn∥Zn symmetric battery and the Zn/LFP and Zn/HATN full cell. This novel strategy can light a new way to suppress Zn dendrites for long life span Zn-ion batteries.

Analysis of the directivity of Longitudinal Critically Refracted (LCR) waves.

The use of ultrasonic longitudinal critically refracted (LCR) waves is one approach used for near surface material characterization. It has been shown to be sensitive to stress and, in general, less sensitive to the effects of the texture of the material. Although the LCR wave is increasingly widely applied, in experiments the factors that influence the formation of the LCR beam are seldom discussed. This paper reports a new numerical model used to investigate the transducers' parameters that can contribute to the directionality of the LCR wave and hence enable performance optimization when used for industrial applications. An orthogonal experimental method is used to study the sensitivity to the transducer parameters which influence the LCR wave beam characteristics. This method provides a design tool used to study and optimize multiple parameter experiments and it can identify which parameter or parameters are of most significance. The effects of incident angle, the aperture and the center frequency of the transducer were all studied. It is shown that the aperture of the transducer, the center frequency and the incident angle are the most important factors in controlling the directivity of the resulting LCR wave fields. The model was validated by comparision of data to those obtained with a finite element model. Experiments were also performed to confirm the numerical results. The model and experimental data provided improve understanding of the transducer selection and positioning in the optimization of LCR wave fields in experiments, which can be used to give signals which exhibit higher sensitivity for near-surface stress characterization.

Evolutionary Strategy-Based Location Algorithm for High-Resolution Lamb Wave Defect Detection With Sparse Array.

Intelligent defect location algorithms based on the times-of-flight (ToFs) of Lamb waves are attractive for nondestructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM) of structures with large geometric sizes. Unlike the classical imaging algorithm based on projecting the amplitude information of scattering signals into a discrete spatial grid on the structure via their propagation characteristics, intelligent defect location algorithms are more efficient in specific applications. In our previous work, an intelligent algorithm for the location of defects in plates was proposed by considering the statistical, diversity, and fuzzy characteristics of the classical defect location algorithm. This approach can realize the efficient location of different defects under a suitable parameter selection. However, interfering components remain in the results, which decreases the detection resolution. Because the measurement uncertainty is directly related to the time, an optimized intelligent location algorithm is provided for the efficient defect location with Lamb waves and a sparse transducer array in this study. The defect position is identified with high resolution by analyzing the distribution of individuals. Several specific data and a fuzzy control parameter are introduced to the proposed algorithm. The K-means algorithm was adopted to realize the adaptive updating of individuals. The influence of parameter values on the detection results was analyzed. A combined analysis of the individuals was provided to ensure the detection robustness by eliminating the influence of fuzzy control parameters on the detection. Compared with the elliptic imaging algorithm, the intelligent defect location algorithm has higher location resolution and executes approximately 65 times faster.

A technique based on nonlinear Hanning-windowed chirplet model and genetic algorithm for parameter estimation of Lamb wave signals.

Parameter estimation techniques based on chirplet models and intelligent algorithms can realize the simultaneous multi-information extraction of signals. They have attracted considerable attention for the processing of Lamb wave signals to detect defects and evaluate the material properties. Influenced by their dispersive nature, Lamb wave signals possess nonlinear instantaneous frequencies and asymmetric envelopes. However, the classical chirplet models are established with either Gaussian windows or linear chirps. They are inadequate for characterizing the dispersion features of ultrasonic signals whose excitations are modulated by Hanning windows. In our previous work, a nonlinear Hanning-windowed chirplet (NHWC) model with nine parameters was proposed to realize the full characterization of waveforms. However, the large number of parameters limits its application. A simple NHWC model with seven parameters was designed by submitting the same nonlinear phase modulation term into the Hanning-windowed sine function in this paper. Furthermore, a real-coded multi-objective genetic algorithm was developed to realize the parameter estimation of signals by combining a clustering algorithm and the NHWC model. Different strategies were adopted to ensure the convergence of the algorithm. The maximum extreme values were adopted to realize adaptive discretization of the search space and the updating of parameters. The parameters in the NHWC models were divided into implicit and explicit parts, and different strategies were applied to update them. The clustering algorithm and a sorting combination method were employed to generate a Pareto set. Experimental results showed that the parameter estimation with the simplified NHWC model exhibited a more robust performance than that of the model that contained nine parameters for characterizing the Lamb wave signals with or without the dispersion features. The arrival time, amplitude, and instantaneous frequencies of wave packets were identified with the parameter estimation technique.

Development of a mode-tuning magnetic-concentrator-type electromagnetic acoustic transducer.

In the traditional electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) based on Lorentz force mechanism, to meet the principle of constructive interference, the coil center distance is generally set to be half of the wavelength of the specified mode. The fixed center-to-center coil produces a Lorentz force under the action of a uniform static magnetic field provided by the magnet, thereby producing a specified mode signal that satisfies the constructive interference. In the above principle, the center distance of the coil is fixed, and applied with a uniform static magnetic field, which the coils with different center distances are combined with the dispersion curve to control the mode of the generated signal; that is, tuning the signal mode by changing the center distance of the coil. Another way to tune the signal mode is by changing the configuration of the magnet. Adopting appropriate waves for the identification of individual types of defects facilitates faster and more accurate detection. When using EMAT, some specifications of EMAT need to be changed, which can be inefficient and costly. To solve the problem, a mode-tuning magnetic-concentrator-type electromagnetic acoustic transducer (MT-MC-EMAT) is proposed in this study. This type of EMAT controls the mode of the generated signal by controlling the center distance of the static magnetic field provided by the magnet; that is, designing a new type of double-layer variable-pitch meander coil and different magnetic concentrators to select each coil. This method can tune the mode of the excitation signal by replacing the magnetic concentrator without changing a series of parameters, such as the coil, magnet, and excitation frequency. Different types of magnetic concentrators were added to a traditional EMAT to guide and concentrate the magnetic field of the permanent magnet, thereby changing the distribution of the magnetic flux density. These magnetic concentrators corresponded to meander coils with different pitches to satisfy constructive interference and achieve signal mode tuning. Both finite element simulation and experiment proved that the mode generated by this transducer was tunable after adding the different types of magnetic concentrators. Furthermore, experiments were conducted to examine the transducer characteristics. Finally, the configuration of the MT-MC-EMAT was optimized through orthogonal experiments. The influence of each parameter on the transducer efficiency of the proposed MT-MC-EMAT was studied, and the optimal parameter combination was confirmed.

Directivity analysis of meander-line-coil EMATs with a wholly analytical method.

This paper presents the simulation and experimental study of the radiation pattern of a meander-line-coil EMAT. A wholly analytical method, which involves the coupling of two models: an analytical EM model and an analytical UT model, has been developed to build EMAT models and analyse the Rayleigh waves' beam directivity. For a specific sensor configuration, Lorentz forces are calculated using the EM analytical method, which is adapted from the classic Deeds and Dodd solution. The calculated Lorentz force density are imported to an analytical ultrasonic model as driven point sources, which produce the Rayleigh waves within a layered medium. The effect of the length of the meander-line-coil on the Rayleigh waves' beam directivity is analysed quantitatively and verified experimentally.

Simulation of ultrasonic and EMAT arrays using FEM and FDTD.

This paper presents a method which combines electromagnetic simulation and ultrasonic simulation to build EMAT array models. For a specific sensor configuration, Lorentz forces are calculated using the finite element method (FEM), which then can feed through to ultrasonic simulations. The propagation of ultrasound waves is numerically simulated using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to describe their propagation within homogenous medium and their scattering phenomenon by cracks. Radiation pattern obtained with Hilbert transform on time domain waveforms is proposed to characterise the sensor in terms of its beam directivity and field distribution along the steering angle.

A new multichannel time reversal focusing method for circumferential Lamb waves and its applications for defect detection in thick-walled pipe with large-diameter.

This paper proposes a new multichannel time reversal focusing (MTRF) method for circumferential Lamb waves which is based on modified time reversal algorithm and applies this method for detecting different kinds of defects in thick-walled pipe with large-diameter. The principle of time reversal of circumferential Lamb waves in pipe is presented along with the influence from multiple guided wave modes and propagation paths. Experimental study is carried out in a thick-walled and large-diameter pipe with three artificial defects, namely two axial notches on its inner and outer surface respectively, and a corrosion-like defect on its outer surface. By using the proposed MTRF method, the multichannel signals focus at the defects, leading to the amplitude improvement of the defect scattered signal. Besides, another energy focus arises in the direct signal due to the partial compensation of dispersion and multimode of circumferential Lamb waves, alongside the multichannel focusing, during MTRF process. By taking the direct focus as a time base, accurate defect localization is implemented. Secondly, a new phenomenon is exhibited in this paper that defect scattered wave packet appears just before the right boundary of truncation window after time reversal, and to which two feasible explanations are given. Moreover, this phenomenon can be used as the theoretical basis in the determination of defect scattered waves in time reversal response signal. At last, in order to detect defects without prior knowing their exact position, a large-range truncation window is used in the proposed method. As a result, the experimental operation of MTRF method is simplified and defect detection and localization are well accomplished.

Circumferential and longitudinal defect detection using T(0,1) mode excited by thickness shear mode piezoelectric elements.

Different kinds of defects, such as corrosions, notches and cracks etc, exist in pipes. Mode choice is important since unfortunately not all ultrasonic guided wave modes are suitable for these kinds of defect detection. T(0,1) mode which is non-dispersive is the lowest and fastest torsional mode and most suitable for defect detection in pipes. Two completely different artificial defects including longitudinal and circumferential defects are processed successively in a 4-m-long, 60-mm-OD, 3.5-mm-wall steel pipe. T(0,1) mode at 45 kHz is excited to detect these defects using thickness shear mode piezoelectric elements. Experimental results show that two kinds of defects are detectable using T(0,1) mode. Comparing with longitudinal modes, torsional modes are dominant in pipe inspection for their sensitivities to different kinds of defects.