Detection of Flaws Below Curved Surfaces

A measurement model has been developed to describe ultrasonic measurements made with circular piston transducers in parts with flat or cylindrically curved surfaces. The model includes noise terms to describe electrical noise, scatterer noise and echo noise as well as effects of attenuation, diffraction and Fresnel loss. An experimental procedure for calibrating the noise terms of the model was developed. Experimental measurements were made on a set of known flaws located beneath a cylindrically curved surface. The model was verified by using it to correct the experimental measurements to obtain the absolute scattering amplitude of the flaws. For longitudinal wave propagation within the part, the derived scattering amplitudes were consistent with predictions at internal angles of less than 30°. At larger angles, focusing and aberrations caused a lack of agreement; the model needs further refinement in this case. For shear waves, it was found that the frequency for optimum flaw detection in the presence of material noise is lower than that for longitudinal waves; lower frequency measurements are currently in progress. The measurement model was then used to make preliminary predictions of the best experimental measurement technique for the detection of cracks located under cylindrically curved surfaces

Ultrasonic modeling for complex geometries and materials

This work considers ultrasonic wave propagation in complex geometries and materials and the scattering of various types of flaws. Multi-Gaussian beam models are developed where the wave field of an ultrasonic transducer is simulated by the superposition of a few Gaussian beams. It is shown that the propagation and transmission/reflection of a Gaussian beam in both isotropic and anisotropic media with multiple curved interfaces can be compactly written in terms of A, B, C, D matrices that can then be multiplied together to determine the properties of the Gaussian beam. For anisotropic media, the Gaussian beam model is quite complex since it also depends on the slopes and curvatures of the slowness surface. It is demonstrated that this complexity can be considerably reduced through the use of slowness coordinates and that there is a new and efficient way to determine the slowness surface curvature terms. A number of simulation examples for both isotropic and anisotropic media demonstrate that multi-Gaussian beam models based on these formulations are both very versatile and efficient;Ultrasonic flaw scattering problems are solved in this work by use of the Kirchhoff and Born approximations. Through comparison with more exact scattering models it is shown that the Kirchhoff approximation for the pulse-echo response of both spherical voids and planar cracks in isotropic solids is valid over a much wider range of frequencies and angles normally assumed for this approximation provided the bandwidth of the ultrasonic system is sufficiently large. Using the Kirchhoff approximation a new analytical expression is obtained for the pulse-echo leading edge response of a volumetric flaw in a general anisotropic medium and for the response of an elliptical flat crack in a general anisotropic medium. The Born approximation has also been considered in this work. A new modified Born approximation is developed that substantially improves the ability of that approximation to predict the pulse-echo amplitude response of both strong and weak scattering inclusions in an isotropic solid. It is also shown that the form of this modified Born approximation remains valid for anisotropic media as well

Analysis of high temperature effects on piezoelectric based ultrasonic transducers

Under sodium viewing (USV) using ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques offers the potential for the inspection of generation IV, liquid sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs) at the hot stand-by temperature (260C). However, the harsh environment effects on the transducer reduce the ultrasonic signal strength which also limits the probability of detection (POD) of the defects. Current work presents a unified modeling and measurement-based methodology to analyze the high temperature effects on the transducer components. Resonance analysis-based characterization has shown that the conventional d33 piezoelectric parameter is not a sufficient condition to estimate resonance characteristics of high temperature ultrasonic transducers. A full piezoelectric material matrix needs to be utilized in order to estimate high temperature performance. In seeking materials, BiScO3-PbTiO3 (Bismuth Scandium oxide-lead titanate) is demonstrated to be the piezoelectric material that could potentially be used for hot stand-by mode (260C) inspection of SFRs. However, a high temperature ultrasonic transducer is also a multi-layer system where the interaction of multiple acoustic layers is equally important as the temperature dependence of a single piezoelectric layer. A 3-layer problem was studied which demonstrated the thermal cycling effect on the interfaces, evident from the echo amplitudes and bandwidth of the frequency response up to 260C. A unique bi-modal resonance phenomenon was also found in the transducer due to interaction of the multiple acoustic layers. Utilizing these insights, design, development and high temperature evaluation of several prototypes was performed in surrogate fluids. This resulted in an air-backed transducer using BS-PT piezoelectric material, nickel faceplate, and liquid acoustic coupling with silicone oil. The transducer demonstrated the ability for imaging regions of different thickness within the specimen, critical for USV capabilities in SFRs. Current work also developed a cost effective, novel temperature compensated transfer function approach to predict POD at high temperature using room temperature experimental data. Such a model-assisted POD approach quantified effect of temperature dependence of PZT-5A material on POD near 200C. This approach could be extended for other high temperature transducer materials using a physics based-model and room temperature experimental data to estimate high temperature POD

Ultrasonic thickness structural health monitoring of steel pipe for internal corrosion

The naphthenic acid corrosion that can occur in oil refinery process plants at high temperature (400ÃÂðC) due to the corrosive nature of certain crude oils during the refining process can be difficult to predict. Therefore, the development of online ultrasonic thickness (UT) structural health monitoring (SHM) technology for high temperature internal pitting corrosion of steel pipe is of interest. A sensor produced by the sol-gel ceramic fabrication process has the potential to be deployed to monitor such pitting corrosion, and to help investigate the mechanisms causing such corrosion. This thick-film transducer is first characterized using an electric circuit model. The propagating elastic waves generated by the transducer are then experimentally characterized using the dynamic photoelastic visualization method and images of the wave-field are compared with semi-analytical modeling results. Next, the classic elastic wave scattering theory for an embedded spherical cavity is reviewed, results are compared with a newer scattering theory from the seismology community, that has been applied to a hemispherical pit geometry. This hemispherical pit theory is extended so as to describe ultrasonic Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) applications, for pitting corrosion, with the derivation of a far-field scattering amplitude term. Data from this new scattering theory is compared with experimental results by applying principals from the Thompson-Gray measurement model. The initial model validation provides the basis for a possible new hemispherical pit geometric reference standard for ultrasonic NDE corrosion applications. Next, UT SHM measurement accuracy, precision, and reliability are described with a new weighted censored relative likelihood methodology to consider the propagation of asymmetric uncertainty in quantifying thickness measurement error. This new statistical method is experimentally demonstrated and applied to thickness measurement data obtained in pulse-echo and pitch-catch configurations for various time-of-flight thickness calculation methods. Finally, the plastic behavior of a corroded steel pipe is modeled with analytical and finite element methods to generate prognosis information

Improvement of signal analysis for the ultrasonic microscopy

This dissertation describes the improvement of signal analysis in ultrasonic microscopy for nondestructive testing. Specimens with many thin layers, like modern electronic components, pose a particular challenge for identifying and localizing defects. In this thesis, new evaluation algorithms have been developed which enable analysis of highly complex layer-stacks. This is achieved by a specific evaluation of multiple reflections, a newly developed iterative reconstruction and deconvolution algorithm, and the use of classification algorithms with a highly optimized simulation algorithm. Deep delaminations inside a 19-layer component can now not only be detected, but also localized. The new analysis methods also enable precise determination of elastic material parameters, sound velocities, thicknesses, and densities of multiple layers. The highly improved precision of determined reflections parameters with deconvolution also provides better and more conclusive results with common analysis methods.:Kurzfassung......................................................................................................................II Abstract.............................................................................................................................V List ob abbreviations........................................................................................................X 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................1 1.1 Motivation.....................................................................................................................2 1.2 System theoretical description.....................................................................................3 1.3 Structure of the thesis..................................................................................................6 2 Sound field.........................................................................................................................8 2.1 Sound field measurement............................................................................................8 2.2 Sound field modeling..................................................................................................11 2.2.1 Reflection and transmission coefficients.........................................................11 2.2.2 Sound field modeling with plane waves..........................................................13 2.2.3 Generalized sound field position.....................................................................19 2.3 Receiving transducer signal.......................................................................................20 2.3.1 Calculation of the transducer signal from the sound field...............................20 2.3.2 Received signal amplitude..............................................................................21 2.3.3 Measurement of reference signals..................................................................24 3 Ultrasonic Simulation......................................................................................................27 3.1 State of the art............................................................................................................27 3.2 Simulation approach..................................................................................................28 3.2.1 Sound field measurement based simulation...................................................28 3.2.2 Reference signal based simulation.................................................................30 3.3 Determination of the impulse response.....................................................................31 3.3.1 1D ray-trace algorithm....................................................................................31 3.3.2 2D ray-trace algorithm....................................................................................33 3.3.3 Complexity reduction – optimizations.............................................................35 4 Deconvolution – Determination of reflection parameters............................................38 4.1 State of the art............................................................................................................39 4.1.1 Decomposition techniques..............................................................................39 4.1.2 Deconvolution.................................................................................................41 4.2 Analytic signal investigations for deconvolution.........................................................42 4.3 Single reference pulse deconvolution........................................................................44 4.4 Multi-pulse deconvolution..........................................................................................47 4.4.1 Homogeneous multi-pulse deconvolution.......................................................48 4.4.2 Multi-pulse deconvolution with simulated GSP profile....................................49 5 Reconstruction.................................................................................................................50 5.1 State of the art............................................................................................................50 5.2 Reconstruction approach...........................................................................................51 5.3 Direct material parameter estimation.........................................................................52 5.3.1 Sound velocities and layer thickness..............................................................52 5.3.2 Density, elastic modules and acoustic attenuation.........................................54 5.4 Iterative material parameter determination of a single layer......................................56 5.5 Reconstruction of complex specimens......................................................................60 5.5.1 Material characterization of multiple layers ....................................................60 5.5.2 Iterative simulation parameter optimization with correlation...........................62 5.5.3 Pattern recognition reconstruction of specimens with known base structure. 66 6 Applications and results.................................................................................................71 6.1 Analysis of stacked components................................................................................71 6.2 Time-of-flight and material analysis...........................................................................74 7 Conclusions and perspectives.......................................................................................78 References.......................................................................................................................82 Figures.............................................................................................................................86 Tables...............................................................................................................................88 Appendix..........................................................................................................................89 Acknowledgments.........................................................................................................100 Danksagung...................................................................................................................101Die vorgelegte Dissertation befasst sich mit der Verbesserung der Signalauswertung für die Ultraschallmikroskopie in der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung. Insbesondere bei Proben mit vielen dünnen Schichten, wie bei modernen Halbleiterbauelementen, ist das Auffinden und die Bestimmung der Lage von Fehlstellen eine große Herausforderung. In dieser Arbeit wurden neue Auswertealgorithmen entwickelt, die eine Analyse hochkomplexer Schichtabfolgen ermöglichen. Erreicht wird dies durch die gezielte Auswertung von Mehrfachreflexionen, einen neu entwickelten iterativen Rekonstruktions- und Entfaltungsalgorithmus und die Nutzung von Klassifikationsalgorithmen im Zusammenspiel mit einem hoch optimierten neu entwickelten Simulationsalgorithmus. Dadurch ist es erstmals möglich, tief liegende Delaminationen in einem 19-schichtigem Halbleiterbauelement nicht nur zu detektieren, sondern auch zu lokalisieren. Die neuen Analysemethoden ermöglichen des Weiteren eine genaue Bestimmung von elastischen Materialparametern, Schallgeschwindigkeiten, Dicken und Dichten mehrschichtiger Proben. Durch die stark verbesserte Genauigkeit der Reflexionsparameterbestimmung mittels Signalentfaltung lassen sich auch mit klassischen Analysemethoden deutlich bessere und aussagekräftigere Ergebnisse erzielen. Aus den Erkenntnissen dieser Dissertation wurde ein Ultraschall-Analyseprogramm entwickelt, das diese komplexen Funktionen auf einer gut bedienbaren Oberfläche bereitstellt und bereits praktisch genutzt wird.:Kurzfassung......................................................................................................................II Abstract.............................................................................................................................V List ob abbreviations........................................................................................................X 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................1 1.1 Motivation.....................................................................................................................2 1.2 System theoretical description.....................................................................................3 1.3 Structure of the thesis..................................................................................................6 2 Sound field.........................................................................................................................8 2.1 Sound field measurement............................................................................................8 2.2 Sound field modeling..................................................................................................11 2.2.1 Reflection and transmission coefficients.........................................................11 2.2.2 Sound field modeling with plane waves..........................................................13 2.2.3 Generalized sound field position.....................................................................19 2.3 Receiving transducer signal.......................................................................................20 2.3.1 Calculation of the transducer signal from the sound field...............................20 2.3.2 Received signal amplitude..............................................................................21 2.3.3 Measurement of reference signals..................................................................24 3 Ultrasonic Simulation......................................................................................................27 3.1 State of the art............................................................................................................27 3.2 Simulation approach..................................................................................................28 3.2.1 Sound field measurement based simulation...................................................28 3.2.2 Reference signal based simulation.................................................................30 3.3 Determination of the impulse response.....................................................................31 3.3.1 1D ray-trace algorithm....................................................................................31 3.3.2 2D ray-trace algorithm....................................................................................33 3.3.3 Complexity reduction – optimizations.............................................................35 4 Deconvolution – Determination of reflection parameters............................................38 4.1 State of the art............................................................................................................39 4.1.1 Decomposition techniques..............................................................................39 4.1.2 Deconvolution.................................................................................................41 4.2 Analytic signal investigations for deconvolution.........................................................42 4.3 Single reference pulse deconvolution........................................................................44 4.4 Multi-pulse deconvolution..........................................................................................47 4.4.1 Homogeneous multi-pulse deconvolution.......................................................48 4.4.2 Multi-pulse deconvolution with simulated GSP profile....................................49 5 Reconstruction.................................................................................................................50 5.1 State of the art............................................................................................................50 5.2 Reconstruction approach...........................................................................................51 5.3 Direct material parameter estimation.........................................................................52 5.3.1 Sound velocities and layer thickness..............................................................52 5.3.2 Density, elastic modules and acoustic attenuation.........................................54 5.4 Iterative material parameter determination of a single layer......................................56 5.5 Reconstruction of complex specimens......................................................................60 5.5.1 Material characterization of multiple layers ....................................................60 5.5.2 Iterative simulation parameter optimization with correlation...........................62 5.5.3 Pattern recognition reconstruction of specimens with known base structure. 66 6 Applications and results.................................................................................................71 6.1 Analysis of stacked components................................................................................71 6.2 Time-of-flight and material analysis...........................................................................74 7 Conclusions and perspectives.......................................................................................78 References.......................................................................................................................82 Figures.............................................................................................................................86 Tables...............................................................................................................................88 Appendix..........................................................................................................................89 Acknowledgments.........................................................................................................100 Danksagung...................................................................................................................10