F. Simonetti

Time-Reversal MUSIC Imaging of Extended Targets

This paper develops, within a general framework that is applicable to rather arbitrary electromagnetic and acoustic remote sensing systems, a theory of time-reversal ldquomultiple signal classificationrdquo (MUSIC)-based imaging of extended (nonpoint-like) scatterers (targets). The general analysis applies to arbitrary remote sensing geometry and sheds light onto how the singular system of the scattering matrix relates to the geometrical and propagation characteristics of the entire transmitter-target-receiver system and how to use this effect for imaging. All the developments are derived within exact scattering theory which includes multiple scattering effects. The derived time-reversal MUSIC methods include both interior sampling, as well as exterior sampling (or enclosure) approaches. For presentation simplicity, particular attention is given to the time-harmonic case where the informational wave modes employed for target interrogation are purely spatial, but the corresponding generalization to broadband fields is also given. This paper includes computer simulations illustrating the derived theory and algorithms.

Lamb wave propagation in elastic plates coated with viscoelastic materials

This paper addresses the effects of attenuative coatings on the dispersion characteristics of Lamb wave propagation in elastic plates. The topology of phase velocity and guided wave attenuation spectra is analyzed as a function of the coating internal damping (longitudinal and shear bulk attenuations) and it is proved that in contrast to elastic plates, all modes are propagating albeit with large attenuation in some cases. An energy-based correspondence between the dispersion of the attenuative bilayer and that of a related elastic bilayer is derived in order to investigate separately the effects of the longitudinal and shear bulk attenuations on the attenuation of the guided modes. It is shown that at low frequency the guided wave attenuation is only slightly affected by the longitudinal bulk attenuation, while the contribution of the shear bulk attenuation is substantial. The attenuation characteristics of shear horizontal modes are compared with those of Lamb modes in order to identify the mode and the...

Guided wave diffraction tomography within the born approximation

Detection and sizing of corrosion in pipelines and pressure vessels over large, partially accessible areas is of growing interest in the petrochemical industry. Low-frequency guided wave diffraction tomography is a potentially attractive technique to rapidly evaluate the thickness of large sections of partially accessible structures. Finite element simulations of a 64-element circular array on a plate show that when the scattering mechanism of the object to be reconstructed satisfies the Born approximation, the reconstruction of the thickness is accurate. However, the practical implementation is more challenging because the incident field is not known. This paper describes the baseline subtraction approach commonly used in structural health monitoring applications and proposes a new approach in which the measurement of the incident field is not required when using a circular array of transducers. Experimental results demonstrate that ultimately the scattering from the array of transducers is a major source of error in the tomographic reconstruction, but when there is no scattering from the array of transducers the reconstructions are very similar to the finite element simulations.

Corrosion and erosion monitoring in plates and pipes using constant group velocity Lamb wave inspection

Recent improvements in tomographic reconstruction techniques generated a renewed interest in short-range ultrasonic guided wave inspection for real-time monitoring of internal corrosion and erosion in pipes and other plate-like structures. Emerging evidence suggests that in most cases the fundamental asymmetric A0 mode holds a distinct advantage over the earlier market leader fundamental symmetric S0 mode. Most existing A0 mode inspections operate at relatively low inspection frequencies where the mode is highly dispersive therefore very sensitive to variations in wall thickness. This paper examines the potential advantages of increasing the inspection frequency to the so-called constant group velocity (CGV) point where the group velocity remains essentially constant over a wide range of wall thickness variation, but the phase velocity is still dispersive enough to allow accurate wall thickness assessment from phase angle measurements. This paper shows that in the CGV region the crucial issue of temperature correction becomes especially simple, which is particularly beneficial when higher-order helical modes are also exploited for tomography. One disadvantage of working at such relatively high inspection frequency is that, as the slower A0 mode becomes faster and less dispersive, the competing faster S0 mode becomes slower and more dispersive. At higher inspection frequencies these modes cannot be separated any longer based on their vibration polarization only, which is mostly tangential for the S0 mode while mostly normal for the A0 at low frequencies, as the two modes become more similar as the frequency increases. Therefore, we propose a novel method for suppressing the unwanted S0 mode based on the Poisson effect of the material by optimizing the angle of inclination of the equivalent transduction force of the Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMATs) used for generation and detection purposes.

From beamforming to diffraction tomography

Recent progress in sensor array technology has boosted the use of beamforming (BF) in a number of applications. The same progress has generated interest in other imaging modalities such as diffraction tomography (DT). This paper demonstrates the existence of a linear mapping between BF and DT, which is represented by a linear filter in the spatial frequency domain. The filter is used to study and compare the information content of images obtained with the two imaging modalities. In particular, it is demonstrated that a BF image is a distorted version of the corresponding DT image. Moreover, the analytical expression of the filter is derived leading to an algorithm for DT which, in contrast to currently available algorithms, does not require the use of data interpolation techniques.

The variation of the reflection coefficient of extensional guided waves in pipes from defects as a function of defect depth, axial extent, circumferential extent and frequency:

Abstract The reflection coefficients of extensional guided modes from notches of different axial, circumferential and through-thickness extent in pipes of different diameters have been studied using finite element analysis. A selection of the predictions has also been validated by experiments. For part-thickness notches of a given circumferential extent and minimal axial extent, the reflection coefficient increases monotonically with depth at all frequencies, and increases with frequency at a given depth. When the wavelength is long compared to the pipe wall thickness, the reflection coefficient from part-thickness notches of a given circumferential extent is a strong function of the defect axial extent, the reflection being a maximum at an axial extent of about 25 per cent of the wavelength and a minimum at 0 and 50 per cent. The reflection coefficient is a linear function of the defect circumferential extent at higher frequencies (with frequency-diameter products greater than about 3000 kHz mm) where a ray theory analysis explains the behaviour, while at low frequencies the reflection coefficient at a given circumferential extent is reduced. In the high-frequency regime, the axial extent of a through-thickness defect has little influence on the reflection coefficient, while it is important at lower frequencies. Three-dimensional, finite element predictions in the high-frequency regime have shown that the reflection coefficient from a part-thickness, part-circumferential defect can be predicted by multiplying the reflection coefficient for an axisymmetric defect of the same depth and axial extent by that for a through-thickness defect of the same circumferential extent.

High-resolution imaging without iteration: A fast and robust method for breast ultrasound tomography

Breast ultrasound tomography has the potential to improve the cost, safety, and reliability of breast cancer screening and diagnosis over the gold-standard of mammography. Vital to achieving this potential is the development of imaging algorithms to unravel the complex anatomy of the breast and its mechanical properties. The solution most commonly relied upon is time-of-flight tomography, but this exhibits low resolution due to the presence of diffraction effects. Iterative full-wave inversion methods present one solution to achieve higher resolution, but these are slow and are not guaranteed to converge to the correct solution. Presented here is HARBUT, the hybrid algorithm for robust breast ultrasound tomography, which utilizes the complementary strengths of time-of-flight and diffraction tomography resulting in a direct, fast, robust and accurate high resolution method of reconstructing the sound speed through the breast. The algorithm is shown to produce accurate reconstructions with realistic data from a complex three-dimensional simulation, with masses as small as 4 mm being clearly visible.

A guided wave technique for the characterization of highly attenuative viscoelastic materials

The measurement of the acoustic properties of highly attenuative materials such as bitumen is very difficult. One possibility is to use measurements of the extent to which filling a cylindrical waveguide with the material affects the dispersion relationship of the cylinder. Torsional modes have been excited using piezoelectric transducers placed at one end of the cylinder, while the phase velocity and attenuation spectra have been measured by means of laser scanning. At each frequency, under the hypothesis of linear viscoelasticity, the phase velocity and attenuation of the fundamental torsional mode have been calculated as a function of the bulk shear velocity and the bulk shear attenuation of the inner core at that frequency. The resulting phase velocity and guided wave attenuation contour plots have been employed for deriving the unknown shear properties from the measured velocity and attenuation of the guided wave. The monochromaticity of the approach has not required a particular frequency dependence of the material properties to be assumed. Results for bitumen are given.

Scattering of the fundamental torsional mode by an axisymmetric layer inside a pipe

The scattering of the fundamental guided torsional mode by a local axisymmetrical layer coated inside a pipe, referred to as a bilayered pipe, is studied. In a prescribed frequency range, the number of torsional modes which can propagate in an empty pipe is increased by the presence of the coating layer, including new cutoff frequencies that depend on the layer thickness and shear acoustic properties. This principle suggests the potential for detecting, and perhaps characterizing layers inside pipes, which may be exploited in two ways using either remote or local measurements. A remote measurement may be employed to measure the reflection from the entry point of the layer inside the pipe. Such a measurement shows that the reflection coefficient spectrum exhibits periodic maxima that occur at the cutoff frequencies of the torsional modes in the bilayered pipe. On the other hand, when the location of the coating layer is accessible, the local guided wave measurement can be made to measure the dispersion cur...

Illustration of the role of multiple scattering in subwavelength imaging from far-field measurements

Recently it has been proposed that the classical diffraction limit could be overcome by taking into account multiple scattering effects to describe the interaction of a probing wave and the object to be imaged [Phys. Rev. E73, 036619 (2006)]. Here this idea is illustrated by considering two point scatterers spaced much less than a wavelength apart. It is observed that while under the Born approximation the scattered field pattern is similar to that of a monopole source centered between the scatterers, multiple scattering leads to a more complicated pattern. This additional complexity carries information about the subwavelength structure and can lead to superresolution in the presence of large noise levels. Moreover, it is pointed out that the additional information due to multiple scattering is interpreted as a form of coherent noise by inversion algorithms based on the Born approximation.