Independent Component Analysis for Improved Defect Detection in Guided Wave Monitoring

Guided wave sensors are widely used in a number of industries and have found particular application in the oil and gas industry for the inspection of pipework. Traditionally this type of sensor was used for one-off inspections, but in recent years there has been a move towards permanent installation of the sensor. This has enabled highly repeatable readings of the same section of pipe, potentially allowing improvements in defect detection and classification. This paper proposes a novel approach using independent component analysis to decompose repeat guided wave signals into constituent independent components. This separates the defect from coherent noise caused by changing environmental conditions, improving detectability. This paper demonstrates independent component analysis applied to guided wave signals from a range of industrial inspection scenarios. The analysis is performed on test data from pipe loops that have been subject to multiple temperature cycles both in undamaged and damaged states. In addition to processing data from experimental damaged conditions, simulated damage signals have been added to “undamaged” experimental data, so enabling multiple different damage scenarios to be investigated. The algorithm has also been used to process guided wave signals from finite element simulations of a pipe with distributed shallow general corrosion, within which there is a patch of severe corrosion. In all these scenarios, the independent component analysis algorithm was able to extract the defect signal, rejecting coherent noise

Structural health monitoring: closing the gap between research and industrial deployment

There has been a large volume of research on structural health monitoring since the 1970s but this research effort has yielded relatively few routine industrial applications. Structural health monitoring can include applications on very different structures with very different requirements; this article splits the subject into four broad categories: rotating machine condition monitoring, global monitoring of large structures (structural identification), large area monitoring where the area covered is part of a larger structure, and local monitoring. The capabilities and potential applications of techniques in each category are discussed. Condition monitoring of rotating machine components is very different to the other categories since it is not strictly concerned with structural health. However, it is often linked with structural health monitoring and is a relatively mature field with many routine applications, so useful lessons can be read across to mainstream structural health monitoring where there are many fewer industrial applications. Reasons for the slow transfer from research to practical application of structural health monitoring include lack of attention to the business case for monitoring, insufficient attention to how the large data flows will be handled and the lack of performance validation on real structures in industrial environments. These issues are discussed and ways forward proposed; it is concluded that given better focused research and development considering the key factors identified here, structural health monitoring has the potential to follow the path of rotating machine condition monitoring and become a widely deployed technology

The choice of ultrasonic inspection method for the detection of corrosion at inaccessible locations

Inspection for corrosion and pitting defects in the petrochemical industry is vital and forms a significant fraction of the operating expenditure. Low frequency guided wave inspection is frequently employed as it gives large area coverage from a single transducer position. However, detection becomes problematic at inaccessible regions such as pipe supports or beyond T-joints since the low frequency guided waves produce a significant reflection from the feature itself, hence limiting the defect detectability of the method. This suggests testing at higher frequencies which helps to minimise the reflection from the feature and also improves the sensitivity to smaller defects. There are a number of guided wave and related techniques implemented for corrosion inspection including the S0 mode (at ∼ 1 MHz-mm), SH0 and SH1 modes (at ∼ 3 MHz-mm), CHIME, M-skip and Higher Order Mode Cluster (A1 mode at ∼ 18 MHz-mm). This paper presents a systematic analysis of the defect detection performance of each method with sharp and gradual defects, as well as their sensitivity to attenuative coatings, liquid loading, surface roughness and ability to test beyond features such as T-joints. It is shown by finite element analysis backed up by experiments that the A1 mode provides the best overall performance when dealing with surface features such as T-joints and coatings because of its low surface motion. Additionally a combination of two or more methods is suggested for corrosion inspection at inaccessible locations: The A1 mode in reflection for severe, sharp, pitting type defects; long range guided waves in reflection for large-area thinning and the SH1 mode in transmission for shallow, gradual defects

YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS? EXAMINING INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEFENSIVE-MINDED METHODOLOGIES IN SECURING PEDESTRIAN-RICH ENVIRONMENTS

Urban municipalities feature pedestrian-rich environments with limited mitigation measures to prevent vehicle-caused pedestrian fatalities. Limited pedestrian protections represent an attractive target for nefarious actors to commit vehicle ramming attacks (VRA). There are defensive-minded methodologies that afford greater mitigation against deadly vehicle-versus-pedestrian collisions and VRAs in urban pedestrian-rich environments. This thesis examines the vulnerability of pedestrian-rich environments to vehicle-caused pedestrian fatalities and provide recommendations for stakeholders to better secure the environments. It also examines both the target hardening and protective security methodologies using a theoretical analysis model. By analyzing these defensive-minded methodologies, this thesis explores a homogenous framework for securing urban pedestrian-rich environments: the target hardening/protective security spectrum (THPSS). This thesis concludes with recommendations for urban municipalities to implement to better protect their respective pedestrian-rich environments from deadly vehicle-versus-pedestrian collisions and VRAs. This thesis provides recommendations to better secure outdoor dining establishments, street fairs, road races, and urban public parks from vehicle-caused fatalities.Civilian, New York City Police DepartmentApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Investigation of guided wave propagation and attenuation in pipe buried in sand

Long-range guided wave testing is a well-established method for detection of corrosion defects in pipelines. The method is currently used routinely for above ground pipelines in a variety of industries, e.g. petrochemical and energy. When the method is applied to pipes buried in soil, test ranges tend to be significantly compromised and unpredictable due to attenuation of the guided wave resulting from energy leakage into the embedding soil. The attenuation characteristics of guided wave propagation in an 8 in. pipe buried in sand are investigated using a laboratory full-scale experimental rig and model predictions. We report measurements of attenuation of the T(0,1) and L(0,2) guided wave modes over a range of sand conditions, including loose, compacted, mechanically compacted, water saturated and drained. Attenuation values are found to be in the range of 1.65–5.5 dB/m and 0.98–3.2 dB/m for the torsional and longitudinal modes, respectively, over the frequency of 11–34 kHz. The application of overburden pressure modifies the compaction of the sand and increases the attenuation. Mechanical compaction of the sand yields similar attenuation values to those obtained with applied overburden pressure. The attenuation decreases in the fully water-saturated sand, and increases in drained sand to values comparable with those obtained for compacted sand. Attenuation measurements are compared with Disperse software model predictions and confirm that the attenuation phenomenon in buried pipes is essentially governed by the bulk shear velocity in the sand. The attenuation behaviour of the torsional guided wave mode is found not to be captured by a uniform soil model; comparison with predictions obtained with the Disperse software suggest that this is likely to be due to a layer of sand adhering to the surface of the pipe