D. Cerniglia

Detection of Disbonds in Multi-layer Structures by Laser-Based Ultrasonic Technique

Adhesively bonded multi-layer structures are frequently used, mostly in the aerospace industry, for their structural efficiency. Nondestructive evaluation of bond integrity in these types of structures, both after manufacturing and for periodic inspection during service, is extremely important. A laser-based ultrasonic technique has been evaluated for non-contact detection of disbonds in aluminum multi-layer structures. Two configurations have been used to detect disbonded areas: pitch-catch with unidirectional guided wave scan and through-transmission with bidirectional scan. Guided wave scanning was done with a laser line source and air-coupled transducer sensing at 500 kHz, 1 MHz, and 2 MHz. Signals showed attenuation of the main frequency component and frequency shift on disbonded areas, whereas, a regular and standard waveform is seen outside disbonds. In through-transmission the longitudinal wave at normal incidence was monitored with a 1 MHz probe. One sample showed, besides the introduced inserts, other disbonded areas. After the ultrasonic measurements the sample was cut to visually check adhesive and interfaces. The guided wave pitch-catch scan allowed fast inspection and quick indication of disbonded zones, while the through-transmission C-Scan provided better definition of defects but was slower and required access from both sides of the test part.

Inspection of additive-manufactured layered components

Laser powder deposition (LPD) is a rapid additive manufacturing process to produce, layer upon layer, 3D geometries or to repair high-value components. Currently there is no nondestructive technique that can guarantee absence of flaws in LPD products during manufacturing. In this paper a laser ultrasonic technique for in-line inspection of LPD components is proposed. Reference samples were manufactured from Inconel and machined flaws were created to establish the sensitivity of the technique. Numerical models of laser-generated ultrasonic waves have been created to gain a deeper understanding of physics, to optimize the set-up and to verify the experimental measurements. Results obtained on two sets of reference samples are shown. A proof-of-concept prototype has been demonstrated on some specific deposition samples with induced flaws, that were confirmed by an ultra-high sensitivity X-ray technique. Experimental outcomes prove that typical micro-defects due to the layer-by-layer deposition process, such as near-surface and surface flaws in a single layer deposit, can be detected.

Numerical study for a new methodology of flaws detection in train axles

Train loads and travel speeds have increased over time, requiring more efficient non-destructive inspection methods. Railway axles are critical elements; despite being designed to last more than 20 years several cases of premature failure have been recorded. Train axles are inspected regularly, but the limits associated to the traditional inspection technologies create a growing interest towards new solutions. Here a novel non-destructive inspection method of in-service axles based on non-contact data collection is presented. The propagation of surface waves, generated by a thermo-elastic laser source, is investigated using a finite element method based on dynamic explicit integration. Coupled thermo-mechanical simulations allow visualization of the ultrasonic field guiding the definition of the optimal NDT setup. The geometry of the axle and of the elements mounted on it is accurately reproduced; moreover the press fit effect caused by the wheel and the bearing rings is implemented. The current NDT techniques for railway axles require removing wheels and other components from the axle. The presented scheme uses non-contact ultrasonic generation and detection allowing non-contact in-service inspection of railway axles at trackside station. The numerical results are promising and encourage us to test the new approach experimentally.

Non-contact ultrasonic inspection of skin/core bond in honeycomb with Lamb waves

The assessment of skin/core bond in honeycomb samples was carried out by a bistatic ultrasonic non-contact system. Lamb waves were generated by a Nd:YAG pulsed laser and detected by an air-coupled capacitance transducer located in pitch-catch configuration. Periodically spaced line sources, generated on the sample surface using a four element lenticular array, allowed generation of narrow-band directional Lamb waves. Changes in amplitude of the transmitted signal permitted detection of skin/core disbonds.

ULTRASONIC DETECTION BY PHOTO-EMF SENSOR AND BY WIDEBAND AIR-COUPLED TRANSDUCER

Two non-contact remote ultrasonic detection systems are compared. The first consists of a continuous wave (CW) Nd:YVO4 laser operating at 532 nm used in conjunction with a photo-induced electromotive-force (EMF) sensor. The second system employs an air-coupled capacitance transducer that has a bandwidth from 100 kHz up to 2 MHz. Both systems exhibit higher sensitivity to out-of-plane than in-plane measurements of stress wave signals. Ultrasound generation is carried out by an Nd:YAG pulsed laser at 532 nm in the thermoelastic regime in a 1.6 mm aluminum plate. A0 Lamb mode is generated at frequency-thickness product with strong out-of-plane displacements. Ultrasonic waveforms acquired are reported and the performance advantages of the two remote non-contact detectors are compared with each other. For lower frequency tests (up to 2 MHz), better results have been achieved with the air-coupled transducer that also has superior overall performance and benefits. The tests enabled direct comparison of air-coupled transducer and photo-EMF detector.

Defect detection in laser powder deposition components by laser thermography and laser ultrasonic inspections

Laser Powder Deposition (LDP) techniques are being adopted within aerospace and automotive manufacturing to produce innovative precision components. Non-destructive techniques (NDT) for detecting and quantifying flaws within these components enables performance and acceptance criteria to be verified, improving product safety and reducing ongoing maintenance and product repair costs. In this work, software enabled techniques are presented for in-process analysis of NDT laser ultrasonic signals and pulsed laser thermography images of sequential metallic LPD layers. LPD tracks can be as thin as 200μm while deposited at a rate of 500 mm/min, requiring ultrafast inspection and processing times. The research developed analysis algorithms that allow senior engineers to develop inspection templates and profiles for in-process inspection, as well as an end-to-end, user friendly interface for engineers to perform complete manual Laser Ultrasonic or Laser Thermographic inspections. Several algorithms are offered to quantify the flaw size. location and severity. The identified defects can be imported into a sentencing engine which then automatically compares analysis results against the user defined acceptance criteria so that the manufacturing products can be verified. Where both laser ultrasonic and laser thermographic NDT data is available further statistical tools could increase the confidence level of the inspection decision.

Surface waves on cylindrical solids: Numerical and experimental study

The use of Rayleigh waves enables the solution of several important inspection problems. Propagation of surface waves along straight boundaries has been properly studied but investigations about their propagation on cylindrical surfaces are not sufficient, despite they can be still of interest for NDE applications. It has been proved experimentally that a surface wave pulse suffers a phase shift during its propagation along a cylindrical surface. A numerical approach has been developed to efficiently study these effects for different materials, curvatures and frequencies. This study can help the scientific community to better understand the phenomenon, quite complex and not yet fully explored.

Laser-Generated Acoustic Signal Interaction with Surface Flaws on Rail Wheels

Long- and short-range acoustic-signal interaction with surface-breaking cracks and geometric boundaries of the rail-wheel tread area are presented in this article. Ultrasonic signals are generated using a laser-line source of varying length and distance from a crack and are detected with a 1-MHz contact transducer to map the sound field behind the crack in the near, intermediate, and far fields of the insonified region. The factors that affect the behavior of a laser-generated surface acoustic wave propagating along the tread area of a rail wheel are discussed. A signal normalization method is proposed to help in sensing the presence of a crack from the transmitted signal unaffected by the boundary effect of the complicated wheel geometry, diffraction of the acoustic wave around the crack tip, and source-to-crack length ratio and separation distance.

Quantitative subsurface defect detection in composite materials using a non-contact ultrasonic system

The results of an experimental study conducted to detect subsurface defects in a thick Gr/PPS composite test sample using a noncontact ultrasonic system are presented. Surface waves are generated by a pulsed laser and detected by an air-coupled capacitance transducer. By controlling the surface wave wavelength through a shadow mask, it is possible to control surface wave penetration depth in the sample. Surface wave peak-to-peak amplitude is related to the near-surface material condition. Results indicate that signal amplitude decreases as the width of the defect increases and an approximately linear relation can be deduced.

2D size, position and shape definition of defects by B-scan image analysis

The non-destructive evaluation of defects by automatic procedures is of great importance for structural components. Thanks to the developments of the non-contact ultrasonic techniques, the automation of the inspections is gaining a progressively important role. In this work, an automatic inspection technique for the evaluation of defects by the analysis of B-scan images obtained by a laser ultrasonic system is presented. The data are extracted directly from a B-scan map obtained for a panel with internal defects, and are used to build an image of the cross section of the panel. The proposed automatic procedure allows the definition of size, position and shape of defects in panels of known thickness.