Radio frequency non-destructive testing and evaluation of defects under insulation

PhD ThesisThe use of insulation such as paint coatings has grown rapidly over the past decades. However, defects and corrosion under insulation (CUI) still present challenges for current non-destructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) techniques. One of such challenges is the large lift-off introduced by thick insulation layer. Inaccessibility due to insulation leads corrosion and defects to be undetected, which can lead to catastrophic failure. Furthermore, lift-off effects due to the insulation layers reduce the sensitivities. The limitations of existing NDT&E techniques heighten the need for novel approaches to the characterisation of corrosion and defects under insulation. This research project is conducted in collaboration with International Paint®, and a radio frequency non-destructive evaluation for monitoring structural condition is proposed. High frequency (HF) passive RFID in conjunction with microwave NDT is proposed for monitoring and imaging under insulation. The small-size, battery-free and cost-efficient nature of RFID makes it attractive for long-term condition monitoring. To overcome the limitations of RFID-based sensing system such as effective monitoring area and lift-off tolerance, microwave NDT is proposed for the imaging of larger areas under thick insulation layers. Experimental studies are carried out in conjunction with specially designed mild steel sample sets to demonstrate the detection capabilities of the proposed systems. The contributions of this research can be summarised as follows. Corrosion detection using HF passive RFID-based sensing and microwave NDT is demonstrated in experimental feasibility studies considering variance in surface roughness, conductivity and permeability. The lift-off effects introduced by insulation layers are reduced by applying feature extraction with principal component analysis and non-negative matrix factorisation. The problem of thick insulation layers is overcome by employing a linear sweep frequency with PCA to improve the sensitivity and resolution of microwave NDT-based imaging. Finally, the merits of microwave NDT are identified for imaging defects under thick insulation in a realistic test scenario. In conclusion, HF passive RFID can be adapted for long term corrosion monitoring of steel under insulation, but sensing area and lift-off tolerance are limited. In contrast, the microwave NDT&E has shown greater potential and capability for monitoring corrosion and defects under insulation

Sensor Fusion for Electromagnetic Stress Measurement and Material Characterisation

Detrimental residual stresses and microstructure changes are the two major precursors for future sites of failure in ferrous steel engineering components and structures. Although numerous Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques can be used for microstructure and stress assessment, currently there is no single technique which would have the capability to provide a comprehensive picture of these material changes. Therefore the fusion of data from a number of different sensors is required for early failure prediction Electromagnetic (EM) NDE is a prime candidate for this type of inspection, since the response to Electromagnetic excitation can be quantified in several different ways: e.g. eddy currents, Barkhausen emission, flux leakage, and a few others. This chapter reviews the strengths of different electromagnetic NDE methods, provides an analysis of the different sensor fusion techniques such as sensor physical system fusion through different principles and detecting devices, and/or feature selection and fusion, and/or information fusion. Two sensor fusion case studies are presented: pulsed eddy current thermography at sensor level and integrative electromagnetic methods for stress and material characterisation at feature (parameters) level

Passive low frequency RFID for non-destructive evaluation and monitoring

Ph. D ThesisDespite of immense research over the years, defect monitoring in harsh environmental conditions still presents notable challenges for Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation (NDT&E) and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). One of the substantial challenges is the inaccessibility to the metal surface due to the large stand-off distance caused by the insulation layer. The hidden nature of corrosion and defect under thick insulation in harsh environmental conditions may result in it being not noticed and ultimately leading to failures. Generally electromagnetic NDT&E techniques which are used in pipeline industries require the removal of the insulation layer or high powered expensive equipment. Along with these, other limitations in the existing techniques create opportunities for novel systems to solve the challenges caused by Corrosion under Insulation (CUI). Extending from Pulsed Eddy Current (PEC), this research proposes the development and use of passive Low Frequency (LF) RFID hardware system for the detection and monitoring of corrosion and cracks on both ferrous and non-ferrous materials at varying high temperature conditions. The passive, low cost essence of RFID makes it an enchanting technique for long term condition monitoring. The contribution of the research work can be summarised as follows: (1) implementation of novel LF RFID sensor systems and the rig platform, experimental studies validating the detection capabilities of corrosion progression samples using transient feature analysis with respect to permeability and electrical conductivity changes along with enhanced sensitivity demonstration using ferrite sheet attached to the tag; (2) defect detection using swept frequency method to study the multiple frequency behaviour and further temperature suppression using feature fusion technique; (3) inhomogeneity study on ferrous materials at varying temperature and demonstration of the potential of the RFID system; (4) use of RFID tag with ceramic filled Poly-tetra-fluoro-ethyulene (PTFE) substrate for larger applicability of the sensing system in the industry; (5) lift-off independent defect monitoring using passive sweep frequency RFID sensors and feature extraction and fusion for robustness improvement. This research concludes that passive LF RFID system can be used to detect corrosion and crack on both ferrous and non-ferrous materials and then the system can be used to compensate for temperature variation making it useful for a wider range of applications. However, significant challenges such as permanent deployment of the tags for long term monitoring at higher temperatures and much higher standoff distance, still require improvement for real-world applicability.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) CASE, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL)

Experimentation and Simulation of Pulsed Eddy Current Thermography of Subsurface Aircraft Corrosive Defects

During the life cycle of aircraft, external structures are under constant attack from environmental degradation in the form of corrosion. Corrosive defects consist of multiple types of surface and subsurface damage that are often undetectable due to surface coatings or insulation leading to loss in structural integrity. Non-destructive techniques for corrosion detection typically require the removal of paint. Detection of corrosion under insulation (CUI) is highly valuable for cost and time effectiveness. Although techniques have been developed for detection of CUI, not many of these satisfy the criteria for portability and hangar operation. To address this, multiple techniques were investigated yielding Pulsed Eddy Current Thermography (PECT) as a promising technique to pursue a proof of concept. Through multiphysics simulation using COMSOL, case studies were developed to understand and predict the temperature responses of aircraft materials when altering the current, lift off, and defect size and to design the coil for optimal non-destructive detection capabilities. Initial studies were conducted on various samples including coated and uncoated Aluminum, Carbon steel, Zinc-galvanized carbon steel with different types of corrosion. A novel in-house MATLAB© code was developed for post-processing of the corroded samples. Initially, defect localizations through edge heating or from dissipation were captured through IR thermography. To address issues with non-uniformity of heating that decrease the accuracy and precision of this technique, the thermal change with respect to time was analyzed through each frame and decomposed using Fourier transform from the time domain to a frequency domain. Manufactured corroded defects made through salt fog and acid baths, such as pitting voids, were detected under insulation of 125 microns with diameters ranging from 0.5 - 1 mm for all material systems. These results show the high potential of PECT for aerospace on-field applications providing location and shape for defects under insulation

Investigation of Tx-Rx mutual inductance eddy current system for high lift-off inspection

PhD ThesisEddy current (EC) testing is a popular inspection technique due to its harsh environment tolerance and cost-effectiveness. Despite the immense research in EC inspection, defect detection at high lift-off still poses a challenge. The weakening mutual coupling of EC probe and sample due to the increase in lift-off degrades signal strength and thus reduces the detection sensitivity. Although signal processing can be used to mitigate lift-off influence, it is laborious and time consuming. Therefore, in this study, a Tx-Rx probe system is proposed to deal with high lift-off inspection. The parts of the study of the Tx-Rx EC system includes optimisation of probe configuration, improvement of signal conditioning circuit and comparative study of excitation modes. In optimisation of probe configuration, lift-off and coil gap are optimized to mitigate the offset caused by the direct coupling of Tx-Rx coils. The optimum coil gaps of Tx-Rx probe for different lift-offs are found by observing the highest signal strength. The optimisation of coil gap against lift-off extends the detection sensitivity of the EC system to a lift-off of about 30 mm which is by far higher than 5 mm lift-off limit of a single-coil EC probe. In signal conditioning aspect, a modified Maxwell bridge circuit is designed to remove the offset due to self- impedance of the Rx coil. The proposed circuit mitigates the influence of the self-impedance of Rx coil and improves signal-to- noise ratio SNR. In the excitation mode, pulse and sweep frequency signals are compared to study detection sensitivity, SNR and crack quantification capability. The result of the comparative study reveals that pulse excitation is good for crack sizing while sweep frequency excitation is better for crack detection. Simulations and experimental studies are carried out to show the efficacy of the Tx-Rx EC system in high lift-off crack detection