Ultrasonic wave propagation in heterogenous media

The non-destructive testing of austenitic steel welds using ultrasound is of vital importance for assessing safety critical structures such as those found in the nuclear industry. The internal geometry of these welds is heterogeneous and highly scattering and this makes it dicult to detect and characterise any defects within them. To help overcome these diculties the use of ultrasound transducer arrays and the associated Full Matrix Capture is becoming more widespread. There is a need therefore to develop post-processing algorithms that best utilise the data from such devices. This paper considers the use of a time-frequency domain method known as the Decomposition of the Time Reversal Operator (DORT) method. To develop this method and to demonstrate its ecacy in tackling this problem a series of simulated data sets are used. The simulated data is generated using a finite element method (PZFLEX) with the heterogeneous internal microstructure of the weld being given by previous Electron Backscatter Diraction measurements. A range of artificial flaws are then inserted into this geometry. By varying the flaw size and type a comparison is conducted between the DORT method and the Total Focusing Method (TFM) and their relative ability to perform flaw detection assessed. Importantly, however, the DORT method relies on a Singular Value Decomposition in time and frequency space and this spectral information contains information about the flaw size and shape

A theoretical investigation of 2-2 composite transducers with high shear attenuation in the passive phase

This paper is about a theoretical investigation of 2-2 composite transducers with high shear attenuation in the passive phase. It was presented at the Étude de la propagation ultrasonore en milieux non homogènes en vue du contrôle non-destructif in 2007

Incorporation of viscoelastic loss into the plane wave expansion approach to modelling composite transducers

The plane wave expansion (PWE) method has been proposed as a theoretical model for periodic composite ultrasonic transducers. This paper extends previous work by importantly including viscoelastic loss in the material parameters. Some of the issues with model formulation, such as ill-conditioning in the large matrices, have been addressed through parameter scaling and Tikhonov regularisation. Identification of each mode of vibration has been carried out by visualising the spatial and temporal profiles of the displacement, electrical potential and Poynting vector. A comparison between the theoretical predictions and experimental data from a piezoelectric composite device is presented. The effect that the elastic properties of the passive phase have on device performance is also investigated. It is found that high shear attenuation in the passive phase gives rise to a large frequency stop band gap around the fundamental thickness mode

Vibrations and stresses in layered anisotropic cylinders

An equation describing the radial displacement in a k layered anisotropic cylinder was obtained. The cylinders are initially unstressed but are subjected to either a time dependent normal stress or a displacement at the external boundaries of the laminate. The solution is obtained by utilizing the Vodicka orthogonalization technique. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the procedure

The role of Guanxi on Chinese leadership innovation:the pilot study on the electric motor sector

This research aims to examine the existence and nature of complex business-social relationships in the Chinese context (Guanxi) and evaluate how these relationships influence the behaviors of managers in State-owned Chinese engineering firms. Research on Guanxi is comprehensive though little work investigates internal influences and how internal relationships may mirror or replicate external Guanxi. This study uses a snowball sample of 66 senior managers across the key functional disciplines in typical large Chinese firms and explores how often strategic level problems in the firm are solved through relationships outside, inside or between the companies. Do Guanxi networks penetrate the organization itself and are there relationships that are unique to internal networks? The research finds that problem solving at strategic levels are often through internal and external networks, rather than internal management structures, but also that different problems complexities typically demonstrate unique problem-solving networks. The research identifies three different forms that these relationships take: Internal, inter-firm and hybrid relationship modes. Implications for this work suggest problem solving in Chinese firms is enhanced through cooperation and mutual respect, and likely to be inhibited by traditional Western approaches to management

A theoretical model of a new electrostatic transducer incorporating fluidic amplification

This article concerns the design of a new electrostatic transducer whose backplate consists of a series of drilled pipes. A new one-dimensional model is derived which considers the interaction of the membrane with the air load, the air cavities, and the drilled pipes in the backplate. Dynamic equations for the impedance in each component of the device are calculated analytically and connected using interface conditions of continuity of pressure and radiation conditions into the air load. The model is able to produce solutions to the mechanical impedance of the device and the displacement of the membrane as a function of the device's design parameters. Model results for the output pressure compare well with previous experimental data. The inverse problem of retrieving the design parameters for a desired output is discussed

Evaluation of thermal soak times

A mathematical model for the heat transfer within the electronics package of a Chaparral missile was performed. The Grashof number for this configuration was less than 2000 which indicated that the primary mode of heat transfer was conduction. The Vodicka theory for heat conduction in laminated composite media was utilized to obtain the solution for the model

Vibration analysis of a circular plate in interaction with an acoustic cavity leading to extraction of structural modal parameters

When carrying out vibration health monitoring (VHM) of a structure it is usually assumed that the structure is in the absence of fluid interaction and that any environmental effects which can cause changes in natural frequency either remain constant or are negligible. In certain cases, this condition cannot be assumed and therefore it is necessary to extract values of natural frequencies of the structure for the condition with no fluid interaction from those values measured. This paper considers the case of a thin circular plate in contact with a fluid cavity giving rise to strong structural/fluid vibration interaction. The paper details the free vibration analysis of the coupled system and through consideration of modal energy, illustrates how the affined modes of vibration of the plate and the fluid can be qualitatively described. The paper then introduces a method by which the natural frequencies of the plate in the absence of fluid interaction can be obtained from those of the plate in interaction with the fluid

Particle sizing in the process industry using Hertz-Zener impact theory and acoustic emission spectra

The cost of implementing real-time monitoring and control of industrial processes is a significant barrier for many companies. Acoustic techniques provide complementary information to optical spectroscopic sensors and have a number of advantages: they are relatively inexpensive, can be applied non-invasively, are non-destructive, multi-point measurements are possible, opaque samples can be analysed in containers that are made from opaque materials (e.g. steel or concrete) and the analysis can be conducted in real-time. In this paper a new theoretical model is proposed which describes the transport of particles in a stirred reactor, their collision with the reactor walls, the subsequent vibrations which are then transmitted through the vessel walls, and their detection by an ultrasonic transducer. The particle-wall impact is modelled using Hertz-Zener impact theory. Experimental data is then used in conjunction with this (forward) model to form an inverse problem for the particle size distribution using a least squares cost function. Application of an integral smoothing operator to the power spectra greatly enhances the accuracy and robustness of the approach. One advantage of this new approach is that since it operates in the frequency domain, it can cope with the industrially relevant case of many particle-wall collisions. The technique will be illustrated using data from a set of controlled experiments. In the first instance a set of simplified experiments involving single particles being dropped in air onto a substrate are utilised. The second set of experiments involves particles in a carrier fluid being stirred in a reactor vessel. In each case the approach is able to successfully recover the associated particle size

NASA/ESA CV-990 Spacelab Simulation (ASSESS 2)

To test the validity of the ARC approach to Spacelab, several missions simulating aspects of Spacelab operations have been conducted as part of the ASSESS Program. Each mission was designed to evaluate potential Shuttle/Spacelab concepts in increasing detail. For this mission, emphasis was placed on development and exercise of management techniques planned for Spacelab using management participants from NASA and ESA who have responsibilities for Spacelab 1 which will be launched in 1980