Pub Date : 2025-10-06DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103575
Hongwei Hu , Lingxu Wang , Juncen Wu , Yiqi Cai , Chengwei Zhao
The total focusing method (TFM) represents an advanced post processing technique in phased array ultrasonic testing. However, the commonly used ray-tracing TFM is time consuming when calculating the refraction points in complex curved multilayer components. To enhance imaging efficiency while maintaining high imaging quality, this research proposes a virtual source extended non-stationary phase shift migration (VSENPSM) algorithm specifically designed for curved multilayer components. The proposed method enhances the emission energy by utilizing virtual sources, of which the number of elements is optimized through non-paraxial approximation multivariate Gaussian acoustic field simulation. Then the transmission matrix is reconstructed based on virtual source theory and extrapolated to various depths, achieving image reconstruction through cross-correlation with the reception matrix. Automatic image denoising is realized by integrating principal component analysis (PCA) with a fast and flexible denoising network (FFDNet), significantly enhancing spatial resolution and contrast resolution. The verification was performed on side-drilled holes in aluminum alloy, copper alloy and aluminum-steel explosive welding test blocks. Results show that the proposed FFDNet-VSENPSM algorithm achieve superior signal-to-noise ratio and exhibit over 6 times improvement in computational efficiency compared to the virtual source TFM (VSTFM) algorithm. This method provides a valuable reference for ultrasonic testing of curved multilayer components, demonstrating broad application prospects in industrial non-destructive evaluation.
{"title":"Ultrasonic phased array virtual source phase shift migration imaging of curved multilayer components","authors":"Hongwei Hu , Lingxu Wang , Juncen Wu , Yiqi Cai , Chengwei Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103575","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103575","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The total focusing method (TFM) represents an advanced post processing technique in phased array ultrasonic testing. However, the commonly used ray-tracing TFM is time consuming when calculating the refraction points in complex curved multilayer components. To enhance imaging efficiency while maintaining high imaging quality, this research proposes a virtual source extended non-stationary phase shift migration (VSENPSM) algorithm specifically designed for curved multilayer components. The proposed method enhances the emission energy by utilizing virtual sources, of which the number of elements is optimized through non-paraxial approximation multivariate Gaussian acoustic field simulation. Then the transmission matrix is reconstructed based on virtual source theory and extrapolated to various depths, achieving image reconstruction through cross-correlation with the reception matrix. Automatic image denoising is realized by integrating principal component analysis (PCA) with a fast and flexible denoising network (FFDNet), significantly enhancing spatial resolution and contrast resolution. The verification was performed on side-drilled holes in aluminum alloy, copper alloy and aluminum-steel explosive welding test blocks. Results show that the proposed FFDNet-VSENPSM algorithm achieve superior signal-to-noise ratio and exhibit over 6 times improvement in computational efficiency compared to the virtual source TFM (VSTFM) algorithm. This method provides a valuable reference for ultrasonic testing of curved multilayer components, demonstrating broad application prospects in industrial non-destructive evaluation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18868,"journal":{"name":"Ndt & E International","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 103575"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-06DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103558
N. Subramaniyan , J.J.U. Buch , A. Amalin Prince , Surya K. Pathak
Microwave reflectometry is a non-destructive and non-invasive active diagnostic technique which involves a sweep of the probing microwave frequencies to determine the density of the plasma signal. In Aditya-Upgrade, the reflectometry plasma signal is acquired using an instrument called Automated Reflectometry Diagnostics Instrument (ARDI). The signal is acquired as Inphase (I) and quadrature (Q) phase components, contaminated by the noisy environment of the tokamak. This paper uses a combination of Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and Maximal overlap discrete Wavelet Packet transform (MODWPT) to denoise the acquired signal. The significant Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) are selected using energy-based thresholding and decomposed using MODWPT. The beat frequency () is extracted using the spectrogram for all the sweeps in the shot. From the extracted , the density profile is calculated using the Bottolier–Curtet algorithm. The density profile helps to understand the stability of the plasma, which helps develop technology for better machines for controlled thermonuclear fusion.
{"title":"Density profile measurement using FMCW reflectometry for ADITYA-Upgrade tokamak","authors":"N. Subramaniyan , J.J.U. Buch , A. Amalin Prince , Surya K. Pathak","doi":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103558","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103558","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microwave reflectometry is a non-destructive and non-invasive active diagnostic technique which involves a sweep of the probing microwave frequencies to determine the density of the plasma signal. In Aditya-Upgrade, the reflectometry plasma signal is acquired using an instrument called Automated Reflectometry Diagnostics Instrument (ARDI). The signal is acquired as Inphase (I) and quadrature (Q) phase components, contaminated by the noisy environment of the tokamak. This paper uses a combination of Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and Maximal overlap discrete Wavelet Packet transform (MODWPT) to denoise the acquired signal. The significant Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) are selected using energy-based thresholding and decomposed using MODWPT. The beat frequency (<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>f</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>b</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>) is extracted using the spectrogram for all the sweeps in the shot. From the extracted <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>f</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>b</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>, the density profile is calculated using the Bottolier–Curtet algorithm. The density profile helps to understand the stability of the plasma, which helps develop technology for better machines for controlled thermonuclear fusion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18868,"journal":{"name":"Ndt & E International","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 103558"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145324953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-06DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103568
Fenglong Wang , Yating Yu , Cheng Sun , Haipeng Yang , Guiyun Tian
The Conductivity Invariance Phenomenon (CIP) has been previously discovered in our previous work—in multilayer structures, when the alien material layer in the conductivity invariance point changes suddenly in electrical conductivity, the eddy current testing signal remains unaffected [1, 2]. The CIP has been proven to potentially eliminate the coupling effects between electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability in Eddy Current Testing (ECT). However, current research on CIP primarily focused on controlling materials within the conductivity invariance point, lacking a deep understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms, which limited the application of CIP in engineering. Therefore, this paper conducts an in-depth investigation of CIP, establishing an analytical model to efficiently calculate the conductivity invariance point and validating it through numerical simulation and experiments. Additionally, this paper finds that the CIP arises from the combined effects of electromagnetic field coupling interference in multilayer structures and the electromagnetic interaction of the alien material layer itself. When the alien material is within the conductivity invariance point, the two effects cancel each other out, demonstrating CIP. On the other hand, the physical mechanism of CIP is demonstrated by the equivalent conversion method. This research provides a theoretical foundation for the future application of CIP in decoupling electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability issues in eddy current testing, facilitating precise measurement of magnetic permeability.
{"title":"Conductivity invariance phenomenon of eddy current testing- analytical modeling and physical interpretation","authors":"Fenglong Wang , Yating Yu , Cheng Sun , Haipeng Yang , Guiyun Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103568","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103568","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Conductivity Invariance Phenomenon (CIP) has been previously discovered in our previous work—in multilayer structures, when the alien material layer in the conductivity invariance point changes suddenly in electrical conductivity, the eddy current testing signal remains unaffected [1, 2]. The CIP has been proven to potentially eliminate the coupling effects between electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability in Eddy Current Testing (ECT). However, current research on CIP primarily focused on controlling materials within the conductivity invariance point, lacking a deep understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms, which limited the application of CIP in engineering. Therefore, this paper conducts an in-depth investigation of CIP, establishing an analytical model to efficiently calculate the conductivity invariance point and validating it through numerical simulation and experiments. Additionally, this paper finds that the CIP arises from the combined effects of electromagnetic field coupling interference in multilayer structures and the electromagnetic interaction of the alien material layer itself. When the alien material is within the conductivity invariance point, the two effects cancel each other out, demonstrating CIP. On the other hand, the physical mechanism of CIP is demonstrated by the equivalent conversion method. This research provides a theoretical foundation for the future application of CIP in decoupling electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability issues in eddy current testing, facilitating precise measurement of magnetic permeability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18868,"journal":{"name":"Ndt & E International","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 103568"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-04DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103567
Qiang Lin , Shangxuan Zhong , Xiaomin Zhang , Bin Tang , Wenjian Wang , Haohao Ding , Shuyue Zhang , Min Yang
Compared to two-dimensional neutron/X-ray computed tomography (CT) image fusion, three-dimensional (3D) fusion enables more comprehensive and accurate data analysis. Therefore, fusion method of neutron/X-ray 3D CT images was studied. In order to enrich information and enhance clarity of the fusion image, a NSCT decomposition-based image fusion method was firstly proposed, the neutron and X-ray images were decomposed into different scale spaces, and image fusion in different scale spaces was performed according to the fusion rules of taking average value, taking the maximum absolute value and the fusion rule of combining the dual-channel unit-linking PCNN (Pulse Coupled Neural Network) model, respectively. Then, using structural consistency between neutron and X-ray tomographic images of a tested sample, a structural similarity (SSIM) index-based inter-layer registration method for dual-source (neutron/X-ray) tomographic images was proposed. A 3D tomographic fusion method was thereby developed and volumetric image fusion was achieved. In the 3D fusion images, the structural representations of plastic materials are predominantly derived from neutron tomographic image, exhibiting higher gray values, while metallic component information is primarily sourced from X-ray tomographic image, showing lower gray values. The fused images are synthesized by integrating the complementary information from both neutron and X-ray modalities, leading to enriched structural details that critically enhance material identification capabilities through cross-modal data fusion, which can be applied to the identification and detection of materials in multiple fields such as aerospace, electric energy, multiphase flow and composite materials in the future.
{"title":"Study on registration and fusion methods for neutron/X-ray three-dimensional tomography images","authors":"Qiang Lin , Shangxuan Zhong , Xiaomin Zhang , Bin Tang , Wenjian Wang , Haohao Ding , Shuyue Zhang , Min Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103567","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103567","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Compared to two-dimensional neutron/X-ray computed tomography (CT) image fusion, three-dimensional (3D) fusion enables more comprehensive and accurate data analysis. Therefore, fusion method of neutron/X-ray 3D CT images was studied. In order to enrich information and enhance clarity of the fusion image, a NSCT decomposition-based image fusion method was firstly proposed, the neutron and X-ray images were decomposed into different scale spaces, and image fusion in different scale spaces was performed according to the fusion rules of taking average value, taking the maximum absolute value and the fusion rule of combining the dual-channel unit-linking PCNN (Pulse Coupled Neural Network) model, respectively. Then, using structural consistency between neutron and X-ray tomographic images of a tested sample, a structural similarity (SSIM) index-based inter-layer registration method for dual-source (neutron/X-ray) tomographic images was proposed. A 3D tomographic fusion method was thereby developed and volumetric image fusion was achieved. In the 3D fusion images, the structural representations of plastic materials are predominantly derived from neutron tomographic image, exhibiting higher gray values, while metallic component information is primarily sourced from X-ray tomographic image, showing lower gray values. The fused images are synthesized by integrating the complementary information from both neutron and X-ray modalities, leading to enriched structural details that critically enhance material identification capabilities through cross-modal data fusion, which can be applied to the identification and detection of materials in multiple fields such as aerospace, electric energy, multiphase flow and composite materials in the future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18868,"journal":{"name":"Ndt & E International","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 103567"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-04DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103571
Thomas Leach , Ewan Nicolson , Robert Watson , Charalampos Loukas , David Lines , S. Gareth Pierce , Charles N. MacLeod
Throughout the early 21st century, the rise in manufacturing costs has led to economic and industrial drivers to develop novel solutions to tackle the increasing costs of high-integrity manufacturing. A key driver to reduce costs is to implement product quality conformance inspections, such as Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) at the point of manufacture, rather than at the end of the process, reducing manufacturing rework, improving schedule certainty, and increasing manufacturing throughput within industrial facilities. Welding is a highly utilised process deployed in the manufacture of high-value components such as nuclear pressure vessels, which are then clad with a corrosion-resistant alloy, with preferential attributes onto a cheaper base material to reduce the cost of manufacture. Traditional code-compliant ultrasonic inspection methodology commonly requires the machining of any non-planar surfaces prior to inspection, preventing the inspection of cladding methods during manufacture. Until now, in-process inspection has not been applied to weld cladding applications with non-planar surface profiles. This paper presents a novel approach to optimising ultrasonic imaging through the as-clad surface, consisting of multiple angled transmission and reception beams. Representative cladding trials, with artificial ultrasonic reflectors representing typical cladding defects, were introduced to assess the sensitivity of the ultrasonic inspection to defects under various non-planar surfaces. The approach demonstrated a reduction in variability of defect amplitude due to surface profile compensation alone, from 9.42 dB to 1.37 dB, demonstrating the methodology that can be applied agnostically of complex ray-tracing methods.
{"title":"Adaptive compensation for in-process ultrasonic cladding inspection","authors":"Thomas Leach , Ewan Nicolson , Robert Watson , Charalampos Loukas , David Lines , S. Gareth Pierce , Charles N. MacLeod","doi":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103571","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Throughout the early 21st century, the rise in manufacturing costs has led to economic and industrial drivers to develop novel solutions to tackle the increasing costs of high-integrity manufacturing. A key driver to reduce costs is to implement product quality conformance inspections, such as Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) at the point of manufacture, rather than at the end of the process, reducing manufacturing rework, improving schedule certainty, and increasing manufacturing throughput within industrial facilities. Welding is a highly utilised process deployed in the manufacture of high-value components such as nuclear pressure vessels, which are then clad with a corrosion-resistant alloy, with preferential attributes onto a cheaper base material to reduce the cost of manufacture. Traditional code-compliant ultrasonic inspection methodology commonly requires the machining of any non-planar surfaces prior to inspection, preventing the inspection of cladding methods during manufacture. Until now, in-process inspection has not been applied to weld cladding applications with non-planar surface profiles. This paper presents a novel approach to optimising ultrasonic imaging through the as-clad surface, consisting of multiple angled transmission and reception beams. Representative cladding trials, with artificial ultrasonic reflectors representing typical cladding defects, were introduced to assess the sensitivity of the ultrasonic inspection to defects under various non-planar surfaces. The approach demonstrated a reduction in variability of defect amplitude due to surface profile compensation alone, from 9.42 dB to 1.37 dB, demonstrating the methodology that can be applied agnostically of complex ray-tracing methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18868,"journal":{"name":"Ndt & E International","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 103571"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-30DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103564
Elmergue Germano , Ehsan Mohseni , David Lines , Morteza Tabatabaeipour , Charles N. MacLeod , Kwok-Ho Lam , David Hughes , Heather Trodden , Anthony Gachagan
To address the growing challenge of applying ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation to complex industrial components, flexible ultrasonic arrays have emerged as a conformable solution to inspect such geometries, thereby removing the need for custom-designed wedges to conform to surfaces. Flexible lead-based arrays have been used in prior research. They offer high piezoelectric coefficient, however, they pose human health and environmental risks, and fail to comply with global initiatives including the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulation enacted by the European Union. Although numerous studies on the piezoelectric properties of lead-free materials have been conducted, the uptake of technology and implementation in practice has been slow. In this work, a scalable, RoHS-compliant, flexible ultrasonic array was employed to improve operability in thick convex and concave components. However, the lead-free array exhibits lower piezoelectric coefficient compared to its lead-based counterparts, resulting in reduced signal quality. To tackle this shortcoming, single transmission phase-modulated Barker and frequency-modulated chirp excitation schemes, in conjunction with pulse compression, were employed to improve the signal quality. Subsequently, their impact was studied in terms of imaging quality, through Full Matrix Capture (FMC) acquisition methodology and Total Focusing Method (TFM) imaging, and Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) measurements. A novel SNR method was presented. Existing SNR approaches evaluate image quality by calculating it within a designated area surrounding the target, where the noise level is quantified as the root mean square of the image noise, omitting any indication of the target. In addition to the noise level, artifacts from matched filters and sidelobes require quantitative evaluation. The new SNR technique was proposed to automate the selection of regions when characterising the SNR. The SNR was calculated across regions of varying size, with the region size where the SNR values converged being selected. This technique was utilised in a comparative analysis including a single-cycle pulse excitation, modulated Barker and chirp excitation schemes with equivalent energy levels in simulation and experimentally. The simulated and experimental results showed good agreement, with some discrepancies attributed to imperfections in the experimental conditions. SNR improvement exceeding 2.6 dB was observed experimentally, with the coded excitation techniques showing higher SNR and better image quality without sacrificing acquisition speed. Moreover, sidelobe artifacts were evident in all TFM images, while the coded excitation images further exhibited matched filter processing artifacts. The flexibility of the array was assessed in the subsequent two experiments to determine its effectiveness in improving operability in complex-geometry samples. The convex and concave samples pre-aligned the array to promote a con
{"title":"Single transmission phase- and frequency-modulated coded excitation for enhanced inspection of thick complex industrial components using a scalable, flexible, lead-free, ultrasonic array","authors":"Elmergue Germano , Ehsan Mohseni , David Lines , Morteza Tabatabaeipour , Charles N. MacLeod , Kwok-Ho Lam , David Hughes , Heather Trodden , Anthony Gachagan","doi":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address the growing challenge of applying ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation to complex industrial components, flexible ultrasonic arrays have emerged as a conformable solution to inspect such geometries, thereby removing the need for custom-designed wedges to conform to surfaces. Flexible lead-based arrays have been used in prior research. They offer high piezoelectric coefficient, however, they pose human health and environmental risks, and fail to comply with global initiatives including the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulation enacted by the European Union. Although numerous studies on the piezoelectric properties of lead-free materials have been conducted, the uptake of technology and implementation in practice has been slow. In this work, a scalable, RoHS-compliant, flexible ultrasonic array was employed to improve operability in thick convex and concave components. However, the lead-free array exhibits lower piezoelectric coefficient compared to its lead-based counterparts, resulting in reduced signal quality. To tackle this shortcoming, single transmission phase-modulated Barker and frequency-modulated chirp excitation schemes, in conjunction with pulse compression, were employed to improve the signal quality. Subsequently, their impact was studied in terms of imaging quality, through Full Matrix Capture (FMC) acquisition methodology and Total Focusing Method (TFM) imaging, and Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) measurements. A novel SNR method was presented. Existing SNR approaches evaluate image quality by calculating it within a designated area surrounding the target, where the noise level is quantified as the root mean square of the image noise, omitting any indication of the target. In addition to the noise level, artifacts from matched filters and sidelobes require quantitative evaluation. The new SNR technique was proposed to automate the selection of regions when characterising the SNR. The SNR was calculated across regions of varying size, with the region size where the SNR values converged being selected. This technique was utilised in a comparative analysis including a single-cycle pulse excitation, modulated Barker and chirp excitation schemes with equivalent energy levels in simulation and experimentally. The simulated and experimental results showed good agreement, with some discrepancies attributed to imperfections in the experimental conditions. SNR improvement exceeding 2.6 dB was observed experimentally, with the coded excitation techniques showing higher SNR and better image quality without sacrificing acquisition speed. Moreover, sidelobe artifacts were evident in all TFM images, while the coded excitation images further exhibited matched filter processing artifacts. The flexibility of the array was assessed in the subsequent two experiments to determine its effectiveness in improving operability in complex-geometry samples. The convex and concave samples pre-aligned the array to promote a con","PeriodicalId":18868,"journal":{"name":"Ndt & E International","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 103564"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-29DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103562
YiMing Wu , Han Wang , Bo Zhang , Aichao Yang , YuanHang Xu , KaiQi Guo , Jin Yang
To overcome the challenges of magnetic field non-uniformity and inter-magnet spacing inaccuracies in periodic permanent magnet electromagnetic acoustic transducers (PPM EMATs) operating at high frequencies, this study introduces a novel Single-Magnet Tilted-Meander Coil (SM-TMC) EMAT. The design employs a single permanent magnet to generate a vertical static magnetic field, within which the horizontal components of the Lorentz force induced by the upper and lower tilted coil layers are effectively canceled, while the longitudinal components are superimposed to enhance SH guided wave excitation. The probe volumes for the 500 kHz and 1.5 MHz transducers are reduced to 25 × 10 × 5 mm and 10 × 5 × 5 mm, respectively, representing a lateral size reduction of over 60 % compared to typical industrial EMATs. For aluminum plate defect detection, the system achieves millimeter-level resolution, successfully identifying artificial cracks as small as 11.5 × 1.2 × 0.5 mm and 6 × 1.1 × 0.4 mm. Moreover, the proposed architecture overcomes the limitations of magnet array configurations by ensuring magnetic field consistency without requiring precise alignment or multiple magnets. These findings not only demonstrate the engineering feasibility of the SM-TMC EMAT for thin-plate defect detection but also provide a scalable framework for future development of compact, potentially multimodal ultrasonic probes.
{"title":"Design and optimization of a miniaturized single-magnet tilted-meander coil EMAT for high-frequency SH wave inspection","authors":"YiMing Wu , Han Wang , Bo Zhang , Aichao Yang , YuanHang Xu , KaiQi Guo , Jin Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103562","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103562","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To overcome the challenges of magnetic field non-uniformity and inter-magnet spacing inaccuracies in periodic permanent magnet electromagnetic acoustic transducers (PPM EMATs) operating at high frequencies, this study introduces a novel Single-Magnet Tilted-Meander Coil (SM-TMC) EMAT. The design employs a single permanent magnet to generate a vertical static magnetic field, within which the horizontal components of the Lorentz force induced by the upper and lower tilted coil layers are effectively canceled, while the longitudinal components are superimposed to enhance SH guided wave excitation. The probe volumes for the 500 kHz and 1.5 MHz transducers are reduced to 25 × 10 × 5 mm and 10 × 5 × 5 mm, respectively, representing a lateral size reduction of over 60 % compared to typical industrial EMATs. For aluminum plate defect detection, the system achieves millimeter-level resolution, successfully identifying artificial cracks as small as 11.5 × 1.2 × 0.5 mm and 6 × 1.1 × 0.4 mm. Moreover, the proposed architecture overcomes the limitations of magnet array configurations by ensuring magnetic field consistency without requiring precise alignment or multiple magnets. These findings not only demonstrate the engineering feasibility of the SM-TMC EMAT for thin-plate defect detection but also provide a scalable framework for future development of compact, potentially multimodal ultrasonic probes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18868,"journal":{"name":"Ndt & E International","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 103562"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145362910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-27DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103559
Weixin Wang, Jie Zhang, Paul D. Wilcox
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Metallic material microstructure grain size measurements from backscattering signals in ultrasonic array data sets” [NDT&E Int 149 (2025) 103251]","authors":"Weixin Wang, Jie Zhang, Paul D. Wilcox","doi":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103559","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103559","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18868,"journal":{"name":"Ndt & E International","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 103559"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-24DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103555
Jennifer H. Jobling , Edward A. Saunders , Stacy Moore , Mark C. Hardy , Tim Barden , Michael J.S. Lowe , Bo Lan
Phase composition in nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 is a determinant factor of its overall mechanical properties. Ultrasound has been shown to have sensitivity to the phases through its wave speeds in a previous qualitative feasibility study. This paper demonstrates the capability of ultrasonic wave speed (UWS) measurements for the quantitative characterisation of delta (δ) phase in the nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718, which is fundamentally due to the zeroth spherical harmonic coefficient of velocity, V00, being sensitive to changes in microstructure. A variety of samples having undergone different processing histories were used for the UWS measurements, alongside extensive metallurgical investigations – including advanced microscopy techniques such as high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM), as well as hardness testing to fully understand the microstructures of each sample and corroborate the UWS results. By combining the data from these experimental techniques, and through an iterative parameter search, it was confirmed that the V00 measurements could be used to deduce the δ phase content in the Inconel 718 samples; more significantly, the strength of a combined materials characterisation framework – incorporating UWS measurements, hardness testing and microscopy – was demonstrated, establishing a powerful tool for the phase characterisation of nickel-based superalloys for the future.
{"title":"Quantitative phase characterisation of nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 using ultrasound","authors":"Jennifer H. Jobling , Edward A. Saunders , Stacy Moore , Mark C. Hardy , Tim Barden , Michael J.S. Lowe , Bo Lan","doi":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103555","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103555","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Phase composition in nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 is a determinant factor of its overall mechanical properties. Ultrasound has been shown to have sensitivity to the phases through its wave speeds in a previous qualitative feasibility study. This paper demonstrates the capability of ultrasonic wave speed (UWS) measurements for the quantitative characterisation of delta (δ) phase in the nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718, which is fundamentally due to the zeroth spherical harmonic coefficient of velocity, V00, being sensitive to changes in microstructure. A variety of samples having undergone different processing histories were used for the UWS measurements, alongside extensive metallurgical investigations – including advanced microscopy techniques such as high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM), as well as hardness testing to fully understand the microstructures of each sample and corroborate the UWS results. By combining the data from these experimental techniques, and through an iterative parameter search, it was confirmed that the V00 measurements could be used to deduce the δ phase content in the Inconel 718 samples; more significantly, the strength of a combined materials characterisation framework – incorporating UWS measurements, hardness testing and microscopy – was demonstrated, establishing a powerful tool for the phase characterisation of nickel-based superalloys for the future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18868,"journal":{"name":"Ndt & E International","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 103555"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145417475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-23DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103561
Yi Luo , Zifeng Lan , Yajie Hu , Changyu Zhang , Mingxi Deng , Weibin Li
Debonding defects in the bonding layers of stiffened composite panels pose significant safety risks. However, they are challenging to detect due to their deep location and complex geometry, where conventional linear ultrasonic methods often fail. This study presents a broadband nonlinear ultrasonic guided wave approach for accurate debonding imaging. Chirp guided wave mixing (CGWM) is employed to excite broadband signals and effectively eliminate time-consuming signal processing. Defects are detected by analyzing three types of nonlinear components: second-harmonic generation (SHG), sum-frequency harmonic (SFH), and difference-frequency harmonic (DFH) responses. Results demonstrate that while linear ultrasonic detection struggles with deep debonding, all nonlinear ultrasonic components enable successful defect identification and imaging. Crucially, SFH and DFH allow efficient frequency-domain filtering, significantly reducing computational time compared to time-frequency domain processing required for SHG. Furthermore, the CGWM technique enhances nonlinear source behavior at defects while minimizing spurious nonlinearities from instruments.
{"title":"Detection of debonding in stiffened composite panels by acoustic nonlinear response of broadband ultrasonic guided waves","authors":"Yi Luo , Zifeng Lan , Yajie Hu , Changyu Zhang , Mingxi Deng , Weibin Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103561","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ndteint.2025.103561","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Debonding defects in the bonding layers of stiffened composite panels pose significant safety risks. However, they are challenging to detect due to their deep location and complex geometry, where conventional linear ultrasonic methods often fail. This study presents a broadband nonlinear ultrasonic guided wave approach for accurate debonding imaging. Chirp guided wave mixing (CGWM) is employed to excite broadband signals and effectively eliminate time-consuming signal processing. Defects are detected by analyzing three types of nonlinear components: second-harmonic generation (SHG), sum-frequency harmonic (SFH), and difference-frequency harmonic (DFH) responses. Results demonstrate that while linear ultrasonic detection struggles with deep debonding, all nonlinear ultrasonic components enable successful defect identification and imaging. Crucially, SFH and DFH allow efficient frequency-domain filtering, significantly reducing computational time compared to time-frequency domain processing required for SHG. Furthermore, the CGWM technique enhances nonlinear source behavior at defects while minimizing spurious nonlinearities from instruments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18868,"journal":{"name":"Ndt & E International","volume":"158 ","pages":"Article 103561"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145119989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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