Implementing a new program is often the most challenging stage of an education organization. The seasoned project manager or entrepreneur knows the maintenance of a program, process evaluation, and prioritizing actions into the next phase of planning are the signs of a robust program. This is the same process for the implementation and maintenance of a nondestructive testing (NDT) program. This paper will focus on the critical considerations for the design, implementation, and maintenance of an NDT program in community colleges. In addition, the paper will describe the measures needed to assess the program’s effectiveness and the student learning outcomes for technicians.
{"title":"Implementing a Successful NDT Education Program: Planning, Design, Resources, Curriculum, and Evaluation","authors":"Tracie Clifford","doi":"10.32548/2021.me-04203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32548/2021.me-04203","url":null,"abstract":"Implementing a new program is often the most challenging stage of an education organization. The seasoned project manager or entrepreneur knows the maintenance of a program, process evaluation, and prioritizing actions into the next phase of planning are the signs of a robust program. This is the same process for the implementation and maintenance of a nondestructive testing (NDT) program. This paper will focus on the critical considerations for the design, implementation, and maintenance of an NDT program in community colleges. In addition, the paper will describe the measures needed to assess the program’s effectiveness and the student learning outcomes for technicians.","PeriodicalId":49876,"journal":{"name":"Materials Evaluation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42514780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
High schools in the United States are taking a fresh look at the future of career and technical education with the implementation of new learning pathways that lead directly to the workforce, including the nondestructive testing (NDT) industry. These programs directly connect high school curriculums with post-secondary education and employment, reaching kids as young as junior high. This resurgence in technical education can be traced to the current demand for “new collar” jobs—jobs that require a post-secondary degree, although not necessarily a four-year college degree. The demand for new collar jobs continues to increase, as millions of jobs requiring only a high school diploma have disappeared. Harvard’s influential Pathways to Prosperity report, released in 2011, warned that nearly two-thirds of new jobs of the 2010s would require more than a high school education—yet only 40% of Americans had obtained an associate’s or bachelor’s degree by their mid-20s (Harvard 2011). In response, a new vision of 21st century vocational training is emerging across the United States. Vocational education has traditionally taught students how to weld or how to fix a car. Today’s career and technical education encompasses a wide variety of industries and skills. Students are learning to code software, design websites, or operate robots and artificial intelligence systems that have replaced manual labor jobs across much of the economy. Through new technical and career programs, high school students have the opportunity to learn valuable skills, gain job experience and support from participating sponsor companies and mentors, and complete coursework to graduate with a high school diploma and, often, an associate’s degree as well. This article explores new high school technical and career programs in Texas, Minnesota, and North Carolina that specifically provide a pathway to careers in NDT. These new initiatives are fueled by the desires of students, parents, and educators for options outside of the traditional four-year college path, as well as urgent workforce needs within industry. Support from local industry and academia (such as community colleges) are essential to the success of the programs.
{"title":"New Pathways to NDT: 21st Century Technical Education Connects High School Students to Real-World Careers","authors":"J. Ross","doi":"10.32548/2021.me-04251","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32548/2021.me-04251","url":null,"abstract":"High schools in the United States are taking a fresh look at the future of career and technical education with the implementation of new learning pathways that lead directly to the workforce, including the nondestructive testing (NDT) industry. These programs directly connect high school curriculums with post-secondary education and employment, reaching kids as young as junior high.\u0000This resurgence in technical education can be traced to the current demand for “new collar” jobs—jobs that require a post-secondary degree, although not necessarily a four-year college degree. The demand for new collar jobs continues to increase, as millions of jobs requiring only a high school diploma have disappeared. Harvard’s influential Pathways to Prosperity report, released in 2011, warned that nearly two-thirds of new jobs of the 2010s would require more than a high school education—yet only 40% of Americans had obtained an associate’s or bachelor’s degree by their mid-20s (Harvard 2011). In response, a new vision of 21st century vocational training is emerging across the United States. Vocational education has traditionally taught students how to weld or how to fix a car. Today’s career and technical education encompasses a wide variety of industries and skills. Students are learning to code software, design websites, or operate robots and artificial intelligence systems that have replaced manual labor jobs across much of the economy. Through new technical and career programs, high school students have the opportunity to learn valuable skills, gain job experience and support from participating sponsor companies and mentors, and complete coursework to graduate with a high school diploma and, often, an associate’s degree as well.\u0000This article explores new high school technical and career programs in Texas, Minnesota, and North Carolina that specifically provide a pathway to careers in NDT. These new initiatives are fueled by the desires of students, parents, and educators for options outside of the traditional four-year college path, as well as urgent workforce needs within industry. Support from local industry and academia (such as community colleges) are essential to the success of the programs.","PeriodicalId":49876,"journal":{"name":"Materials Evaluation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46643034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Water utilities have been struggling to replace their aging infrastructure and have increasingly faced crisis related to the presence of lead pipelines that can affect the health of many communities across the United States. Replacement of lead pipelines is a daunting task because often their location is unknown and technologies to discover such hazardous water lines are unreliable. Driven by these needs, the researchers have explored nondestructive evaluation (NDE) strategies based on ultrasonic stress waves as a tool to discover lead pipelines. While such approaches present great potential, the complexity of wave propagation must be understood to develop an effective NDE strategy. This paper discusses the theoretical foundation and complexities of this approach by showing how stress wave propagation is quite different in pipelines of different materials such as lead, steel, copper, and PVC, which are the common materials used to provide drinking water to households. In particular, different stress wave speeds allow for the identification of different pipeline materials. The simulations presented in this study suggest how ultrasonic stress waves could be deployed in the coming years to help discover and replace lead pipelines.
{"title":"Identification of Water Pipe Material Based on Stress Wave Propagation: Numerical Investigations","authors":"P. Aminpour, K. Sjoblom, I. Bartoli","doi":"10.32548/2021.me-04185","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32548/2021.me-04185","url":null,"abstract":"Water utilities have been struggling to replace their aging infrastructure and have increasingly faced crisis related to the presence of lead pipelines that can affect the health of many communities across the United States. Replacement of lead pipelines is a daunting task because often their location is unknown and technologies to discover such hazardous water lines are unreliable. Driven by these needs, the researchers have explored nondestructive evaluation (NDE) strategies based on ultrasonic stress waves as a tool to discover lead pipelines. While such approaches present great potential, the complexity of wave propagation must be understood to develop an effective NDE strategy. This paper discusses the theoretical foundation and complexities of this approach by showing how stress wave propagation is quite different in pipelines of different materials such as lead, steel, copper, and PVC, which are the common materials used to provide drinking water to households. In particular, different stress wave speeds allow for the identification of different pipeline materials. The simulations presented in this study suggest how ultrasonic stress waves could be deployed in the coming years to help discover and replace lead pipelines.","PeriodicalId":49876,"journal":{"name":"Materials Evaluation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47246449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) has become a popular nondestructive technique for weld inspections in piping, pressure vessels, and other components such as turbines. This technique can be used both in manual and automated modes. PAUT is more attractive than conventional angle-beam ultrasonic testing (UT), as it sweeps the beam through a range of angles and presents a cross-sectional image of the area of interest. Other displays are also available depending on the software. Unlike traditional A-scan instruments, which require the reconstruction of B- and C-scan images from raster scanning, a phased array image is much simpler to produce from line scans and easier to interpret. Engineering codes have incorporated phased array technology and provide steps for standardization, scanning, and alternate acceptance criteria based on fracture mechanics. The basis of fracture mechanics is accurate defect sizing. There is, however, no guidance in codes and standards on the selection and setup of phased array probes for accurate sizing. Just like conventional probes, phased array probes have a beam spread that depends on the probe’s active aperture and frequency. Smaller phased array probes, when used for thicker sections, result in poor focusing, large beam spread, and poor discontinuity definition. This means low resolution and oversizing. Accurate sizing for fracture mechanics acceptance criteria requires probes with high resolution. In this paper, guidance is provided for the selection of phased array probes and setup parameters to improve resolution, definition, and sizing of discontinuities.
{"title":"Optimizing Probe Active Aperture for Phased Array Weld Inspections","authors":"A. Birring","doi":"10.32548/2021.me-04220","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32548/2021.me-04220","url":null,"abstract":"Phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) has become a popular nondestructive technique for weld inspections in piping, pressure vessels, and other components such as turbines. This technique can be used both in manual and automated modes. PAUT is more attractive than conventional angle-beam ultrasonic testing (UT), as it sweeps the beam through a range of angles and presents a cross-sectional image of the area of interest. Other displays are also available depending on the software. Unlike traditional A-scan instruments, which require the reconstruction of B- and C-scan images from raster scanning, a phased array image is much simpler to produce from line scans and easier to interpret. Engineering codes have incorporated phased array technology and provide steps for standardization, scanning, and alternate acceptance criteria based on fracture mechanics. The basis of fracture mechanics is accurate defect sizing. There is, however, no guidance in codes and standards on the selection and setup of phased array probes for accurate sizing. Just like conventional probes, phased array probes have a beam spread that depends on the probe’s active aperture and frequency. Smaller phased array probes, when used for thicker sections, result in poor focusing, large beam spread, and poor discontinuity definition. This means low resolution and oversizing. Accurate sizing for fracture mechanics acceptance criteria requires probes with high resolution. In this paper, guidance is provided for the selection of phased array probes and setup parameters to improve resolution, definition, and sizing of discontinuities.","PeriodicalId":49876,"journal":{"name":"Materials Evaluation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46937101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. Amend, M. Gould, P. Veloo, O. Oneal, R. González, N. Switzner
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines metallography as “a study of the structure of metals, especially with the microscope.” The structure of a steel visible at high magnification can reveal information about how the steel was formed or heat-treated, the general “quality” of the steel, whether any observed discontinuities originated during manufacturing or while the component was in service, and the extent to which properties may be consistent across the wall thickness. Microstructural features such as grain size, the amount and distribution of inclusions, and the types and amounts of different microstructural phases are known to influence a material’s properties. In some cases, the observed attributes are qualitatively characterized. In other cases, manual or digital image analysis facilitates quantitative descriptions of attributes such as grain size, the percent of a selected phase, or inclusions that are present. Typically, small sections are cut from the pipe or other component and metallographic sample preparation and examination are performed in a laboratory. When destructive sampling is impractical, the specimen preparation, visual examination, and related photo documentation can be performed nondestructively in the field. That process is known as “in situ metallography” and is the subject of this paper.
{"title":"In Situ Metallography Applications in the Pipeline Industry","authors":"B. Amend, M. Gould, P. Veloo, O. Oneal, R. González, N. Switzner","doi":"10.32548/2021.me-04240","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32548/2021.me-04240","url":null,"abstract":"The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines metallography as “a study of the structure of metals, especially with the microscope.” The structure of a steel visible at high magnification can reveal information about how the steel was formed or heat-treated, the general “quality” of the steel, whether any observed discontinuities originated during manufacturing or while the component was in service, and the extent to which properties may be consistent across the wall thickness. Microstructural features such as grain size, the amount and distribution of inclusions, and the types and amounts of different microstructural phases are known to influence a material’s properties. In some cases, the observed attributes are qualitatively characterized. In other cases, manual or digital image analysis facilitates quantitative descriptions of attributes such as grain size, the percent of a selected phase, or inclusions that are present. Typically, small sections are cut from the pipe or other component and metallographic sample preparation and examination are performed in a laboratory. When destructive sampling is impractical, the specimen preparation, visual examination, and related photo documentation can be performed nondestructively in the field. That process is known as “in situ metallography” and is the subject of this paper.","PeriodicalId":49876,"journal":{"name":"Materials Evaluation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42004836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaodong Shi, Anthony Olvera, C. Hamilton, Er-zhuo Gao, Jiaoyang Li, Lucas Utke, A. Petruska, Zheng Yu, L. Udpa, Y. Deng, Hao Zhang
The aim of this paper is to develop the concept and a prototype of an intelligent mobile robotic platform that is integrated with nondestructive evaluation (NDE) capabilities for autonomous live inspection and repair. In many industrial environments, such as the application of power plant boiler inspection, human inspectors often have to perform hazardous and challenging tasks. There is a significant chance of injury, considering the confined spaces and limited visibility of the inspection environment and hazards such as pressurization and improper water levels. In order to provide a solution to eliminate these dangers, the concept of a new robotic system was developed and prototyped that is capable of autonomously sweeping the region to be inspected. The robot design contains systematic integration of components from robotics, NDE, and artificial intelligence (AI). A magnetic track system is used to navigate over the vertical steel structures required for examination. While moving across the inspection area, the robot uses an NDE sensor to acquire data for inspection and repair. This paper presents a design of a portable NDE scanning system based on eddy current array probes, which can be customized and installed on various mobile robot platforms. Machine learning methods are applied for semantic segmentation that will simultaneously localize and recognize defects without the need of human intervention. Experiments were conducted that show the NDE and repair capabilities of the system. Improvements in human safety and structural damage prevention, as well as lowering the overall costs of maintenance, are possible through the implementation of this robotic NDE system.
{"title":"AI-Enabled Robotic NDE for Structural Damage Assessment and Repair","authors":"Xiaodong Shi, Anthony Olvera, C. Hamilton, Er-zhuo Gao, Jiaoyang Li, Lucas Utke, A. Petruska, Zheng Yu, L. Udpa, Y. Deng, Hao Zhang","doi":"10.32548/2021.ME-04214","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32548/2021.ME-04214","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this paper is to develop the concept and a prototype of an intelligent mobile robotic platform that is integrated with nondestructive evaluation (NDE) capabilities for autonomous live inspection and repair. In many industrial environments, such as the application of power plant boiler inspection, human inspectors often have to perform hazardous and challenging tasks. There is a significant chance of injury, considering the confined spaces and limited visibility of the inspection environment and hazards such as pressurization and improper water levels. In order to provide a solution to eliminate these dangers, the concept of a new robotic system was developed and prototyped that is capable of autonomously sweeping the region to be inspected. The robot design contains systematic integration of components from robotics, NDE, and artificial intelligence (AI). A magnetic track system is used to navigate over the vertical steel structures required for examination. While moving across the inspection area, the robot uses an NDE sensor to acquire data for inspection and repair. This paper presents a design of a portable NDE scanning system based on eddy current array probes, which can be customized and installed on various mobile robot platforms. Machine learning methods are applied for semantic segmentation that will simultaneously localize and recognize defects without the need of human intervention. Experiments were conducted that show the NDE and repair capabilities of the system. Improvements in human safety and structural damage prevention, as well as lowering the overall costs of maintenance, are possible through the implementation of this robotic NDE system.","PeriodicalId":49876,"journal":{"name":"Materials Evaluation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46258475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Lara, Julie Villamil, A. Abrahão, Aparna Aravelli, Guilherme Daldegan, S. Sarker, Daniel Martinez, D. McDaniel
Fossil fuel power plants are complex systems containing multiple components that require periodic health monitoring. Failures in these systems can lead to increased downtime for the plant, reduction of power, and significant cost for repairs. Inspections of the plant’s superheater tubes are typically manual, laborious, and extremely time-consuming. This is due to their small diameter size (between 1.3 and 7.6 cm) and the coiled structure of the tubing. In addition, the tubes are often stacked close to each other, limiting access for external inspection. This paper presents the development and testing of an electrically powered pipe crawler that can navigate inside 5 cm diameter tubes and provide an assessment of their health. The crawler utilizes peristaltic motion within the tubes via interconnected modules for gripping and extending. The modular nature of the system allows it to traverse through straight sections and multiple 90° and 180° bends. Additional modules in the system include an ultrasonic sensor for tube thickness measurements, as well as environmental sensors, a light detecting and ranging (LiDAR) sensor, and camera. These modules utilize a gear system that allows for 360° rotation and provides a means to inspect the entire internal circumference of the tubes.
{"title":"Development of an Innovative Inspection Tool for Superheater Tubes in Fossil Fuel Power Plants","authors":"C. Lara, Julie Villamil, A. Abrahão, Aparna Aravelli, Guilherme Daldegan, S. Sarker, Daniel Martinez, D. McDaniel","doi":"10.32548/2021.ME-04212","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32548/2021.ME-04212","url":null,"abstract":"Fossil fuel power plants are complex systems containing multiple components that require periodic health monitoring. Failures in these systems can lead to increased downtime for the plant, reduction of power, and significant cost for repairs. Inspections of the plant’s superheater tubes are typically manual, laborious, and extremely time-consuming. This is due to their small diameter size (between 1.3 and 7.6 cm) and the coiled structure of the tubing. In addition, the tubes are often stacked close to each other, limiting access for external inspection. This paper presents the development and testing of an electrically powered pipe crawler that can navigate inside 5 cm diameter tubes and provide an assessment of their health. The crawler utilizes peristaltic motion within the tubes via interconnected modules for gripping and extending. The modular nature of the system allows it to traverse through straight sections and multiple 90° and 180° bends. Additional modules in the system include an ultrasonic sensor for tube thickness measurements, as well as environmental sensors, a light detecting and ranging (LiDAR) sensor, and camera. These modules utilize a gear system that allows for 360° rotation and provides a means to inspect the entire internal circumference of the tubes.","PeriodicalId":49876,"journal":{"name":"Materials Evaluation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49447488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Automated robotic systems are becoming prevalent in many aerospace manufacturing applications, such as laser ablation, sanding, drilling, final assembly, and painting. There are significant advantages to using automated robotic systems for inspection purposes as well: versatility, speed, and repeatability, to name a few. This paper explores using an automated robotic system for the nondestructive testing (NDT) of composite parts. It has a focus on phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) but highlights modularity principles in the system that are not coupled to a single inspection method. Because of the articulation inherent in multi-axis robots, inspections of contoured structures become straightforward if the system modules are designed correctly. Examples of such modules, and their advantages when interfaced to an automated robotic system, are included in this paper. It is the author’s intent to show how these system modules might maximize robot capabilities for a broad range of aerospace inspections while keeping a simplistic design that is modular, fast, and straightforward to use. When compared to other aerospace manufacturing processes already using automated robotic systems, the use of robots for NDT seems not only prudent but a favorable goal. This paper offers practical building blocks for achieving this goal.
{"title":"Automated Robotic Systems for Nondestructive Testing of Aerospace Composite Structures","authors":"Fetzer Barry","doi":"10.32548/2021.ME-04224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32548/2021.ME-04224","url":null,"abstract":"Automated robotic systems are becoming prevalent in many aerospace manufacturing applications, such as laser ablation, sanding, drilling, final assembly, and painting. There are significant advantages to using automated robotic systems for inspection purposes as well: versatility, speed, and repeatability, to name a few. This paper explores using an automated robotic system for the nondestructive testing (NDT) of composite parts. It has a focus on phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) but highlights modularity principles in the system that are not coupled to a single inspection method. Because of the articulation inherent in multi-axis robots, inspections of contoured structures become straightforward if the system modules are designed correctly. Examples of such modules, and their advantages when interfaced to an automated robotic system, are included in this paper. It is the author’s intent to show how these system modules might maximize robot capabilities for a broad range of aerospace inspections while keeping a simplistic design that is modular, fast, and straightforward to use. When compared to other aerospace manufacturing processes already using automated robotic systems, the use of robots for NDT seems not only prudent but a favorable goal. This paper offers practical building blocks for achieving this goal.","PeriodicalId":49876,"journal":{"name":"Materials Evaluation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48691890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
H. Nemati, Fernando Alvidrez, Ankit Das, Nihar Masurkar, Manoj Rudraboina, H. Marvi, E. Dehghan-Niri
Tubular structures are critical components in infrastructure such as power plants. Throughout their life, they are subjected to extreme conditions or suffer from defects such as corrosion and cracks. Although regular inspection of these components is necessary, such inspection is limited by safety-related risks and limited access for human inspection. Robots can provide a solution for automatic inspection. The main challenge, however, lies in integrating sensors for nondestructive evaluation with robotic platforms. As part of developing a versatile lizard-inspired tube inspector robot, in this study the authors propose to integrate electromagnetic acoustic transducers into a modular robotic gripper for use in automated ultrasonic inspection. In particular, spiral coils with cylindrical magnets are integrated into a novel friction-based gripper to excite Lamb waves in thin cylindrical structures. To evaluate the performance of the integrated sensors, the gripper was attached to a robotic arm manipulator and tested on pipes of different outer diameters. Two sets of tests were carried out on both defect-free pipes and pipes with simulated defects, including surface partial cracking and corrosion. The inspection results indicated that transmitted and received signals could be acquired with an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio in the time domain. Moreover, the simulated defects could be successfully detected using the integrated robotic sensing system.
{"title":"Integrating Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers in a Modular Robotic Gripper for Inspecting Tubular Components","authors":"H. Nemati, Fernando Alvidrez, Ankit Das, Nihar Masurkar, Manoj Rudraboina, H. Marvi, E. Dehghan-Niri","doi":"10.32548/2021.ME-04223","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32548/2021.ME-04223","url":null,"abstract":"Tubular structures are critical components in infrastructure such as power plants. Throughout their life, they are subjected to extreme conditions or suffer from defects such as corrosion and cracks. Although regular inspection of these components is necessary, such inspection is limited by safety-related risks and limited access for human inspection. Robots can provide a solution for automatic inspection. The main challenge, however, lies in integrating sensors for nondestructive evaluation with robotic platforms. As part of developing a versatile lizard-inspired tube inspector robot, in this study the authors propose to integrate electromagnetic acoustic transducers into a modular robotic gripper for use in automated ultrasonic inspection. In particular, spiral coils with cylindrical magnets are integrated into a novel friction-based gripper to excite Lamb waves in thin cylindrical structures. To evaluate the performance of the integrated sensors, the gripper was attached to a robotic arm manipulator and tested on pipes of different outer diameters. Two sets of tests were carried out on both defect-free pipes and pipes with simulated defects, including surface partial cracking and corrosion. The inspection results indicated that transmitted and received signals could be acquired with an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio in the time domain. Moreover, the simulated defects could be successfully detected using the integrated robotic sensing system.","PeriodicalId":49876,"journal":{"name":"Materials Evaluation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49515749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aerial robotic systems, also referred to as drones, enable the collection of data on a scale and scope heretofore unimaginable. Field inspections at industrial sites using an aerial robotic inspection system that makes physical contact with a structure or asset as part of a nondestructive testing (NDT) or nondestructive evaluation (NDE) routine is safer than placing humans at elevation and enables more data to be gathered in less time. These aerial robotic systems are highly extensible and agile enabling safer, faster, and better inspections. Robotic inspection systems are forecast to grow exponentially this decade and beyond, as asset owners and service providers realize their economic value creation, increased data collection, and safety contributions.
{"title":"Aerial Robots for Contact-Based Ultrasonic Thickness Measurements for Field Inspections","authors":"Robert L. Dahlstrom","doi":"10.32548/2021.ME-04213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32548/2021.ME-04213","url":null,"abstract":"Aerial robotic systems, also referred to as drones, enable the collection of data on a scale and scope heretofore unimaginable. Field inspections at industrial sites using an aerial robotic inspection system that makes physical contact with a structure or asset as part of a nondestructive testing (NDT) or nondestructive evaluation (NDE) routine is safer than placing humans at elevation and enables more data to be gathered in less time. These aerial robotic systems are highly extensible and agile enabling safer, faster, and better inspections. Robotic inspection systems are forecast to grow exponentially this decade and beyond, as asset owners and service providers realize their economic value creation, increased data collection, and safety contributions.","PeriodicalId":49876,"journal":{"name":"Materials Evaluation","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47098683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"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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