Abstract: An axle-mounted sensor cuff is configured to be removably attachable to a hub portion of a railcar wheel of a railcar wheelset for use in determining anomalies associated with the railcar wheel, or a railcar bogie assembly that the railcar wheelset is part of, or a track, during motion of the railcar wheelset on a track. The sensor cuff includes one or more sensors, such as inertial measurement units (IMU's), mounted thereto to measure parameters that are used for determining the anomalies during motion of the railcar wheel on the track.

Abstract: A device for estimating a mechanical property of a sample is disclosed herein. The device may include a chamber configured to hold the sample; a transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of waveforms, including at least one forcing waveform; and a transducer assembly operatively connected to the transmitter and configured to transform the transmit waveforms into ultrasound waveforms. The transducer assembly can also transmit and receive ultrasound waveforms into and out of the chamber, as well as transform at least two received ultrasound waveforms into received electrical waveforms.

Abstract: A system and method passively normalize an ultrasonic dry coupled wheel probe as the probe traverses a surface of a structure to inspect the structure, such as a flat structure or a curved pipe. At least a pair of arms are configured to passively maintain normalization of the probe in a detection direction normal to the surface.

Abstract: A system, device and method for imaging, measuring and identifying surface features in a tubular, such as a casing, wellbore, or pipe. The device comprises an ultrasound transducer for sonifying an area of the surface of the tubular, with a pulse intercepting axial locations of the sonified area at different times. Reflected signals are processed using their time of flight to interpret the reflected signals as axial locations of features on the surface of the tubular. Multiple sonified areas are partially overlapped in the axial direction to capture features redundantly. Reflections from the multiple areas are combined to remove noise and strengthen reflections from real features. A geometric model of the surface of the tubular is rendered and displayed. Capturing larger areas per frame increases the logging rate and oversampling improves the resolution and signal to noise ratio.

Abstract: Methods for processing data acquired using ultrasound elastography, in which shear waves are generated in a subject using continuous vibration of the ultrasound transducer, are described. The described methods can effectively separate shear wave signals from signals corresponding to residual motion artifacts associated with vibration of the ultrasound transducer. The systems and methods described here also provide for real-time visualization of shear waves propagating in the subject.

Abstract: A method for quantitatively evaluating the expected ultrasonic inspectability of a designed part using ray tracing. First, a model of a part imported. Materials having different indices of refraction are selected for the part and an acoustic coupling medium. Then the following structures and positional relationships are defined: an ultrasonic transducer array comprising a plurality of elements, a position of the acoustic coupling medium between the transducer array and the part, and a plurality of positions of a transmit aperture relative to the part. For each defined position of the transmit aperture, a path of a respective ray is traced from a center of the transmit aperture through the part and then to a respective receive location on the transducer array. Also, a respective value of an inspectability margin is calculated based at least in part on a respective distance between a center of the receive aperture and the respective receive location.

Abstract: The current disclosure determines if structural faults exist and extracts geometric features of the structural faults from acoustic emission waveforms, such as crack length and orientation, and can evaluate the structural faults online, during normal operation conditions.

Abstract: A multi-material inspection system and velocity measurement method of critically refracted longitudinal wave based on single-angle wedges belong to the field of nondestructive testing of high-end equipment. The method includes the following steps: designing a transmitting wedge and a receiving wedge with the same inclination angle, and building phased array ultrasonic-based inspection systems of critically refracted longitudinal wave; estimating a longitudinal wave velocity range of a material to be tested, calculating and optimizing a phased array ultrasonic delay law, and building a relation between a longitudinal wave velocity and an amplitude of critically refracted longitudinal wave; reading and interpolating the arrival time of a received signal, and calculating a longitudinal wave velocity of the material to be tested; determining an optimal delay law, and exciting and receiving a critically refracted longitudinal wave.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein utilize Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) scan data obtained during a process performed on a surface of a structure to update a location of an NDI scanner on the surface. A subsurface feature within the structure is detected based on the NDI scan data, which are correlated with pre-defined position data for the subsurface feature. A measured location of the NDI scanner on the surface is corrected based on the pre-defined position data for the subsurface feature.

Abstract: An ultrasound system has a set of CMUT ultrasound transducer devices and a drive circuit for operating the ultrasound transducer devices, for delivering an AC drive signal and receiving a reflected signal. An intermediate circuit is between the drive circuit and the set of ultrasound devices in the form of an array of coupling circuits, each coupling circuit between the drive circuit and an associated at least one ultrasound transducer device. Each coupling circuit comprises a buffer element connected between a bias voltage and a device terminal and as series capacitor. The intermediate circuit serves as a connection link between the set of CMUT transducer elements and the driving/sensing electronics, and is formed as a passive integrated technology circuit. The buffer element prevents a low-impedance short between the CMUT cell bias node and the counter electrode in the case of a CMUT cell drum short circuit.

Abstract: A method for inspecting a weld of plastic pipes by means of a data processing device, comprising: capturing and storing documents; monitoring and recording the installation and the implementation of the weld of the joint; producing a welding report, or adopting a welding report from the welding machine; testing the weld ultrasonically, wherein the test detects and stores the defects that are in the weld; wherein software is used to capture and store the documents, the welding report and the defects, more specifically the data on said defects, wherein an algorithm of the software is used to evaluate the stored documents, reports, defects and data on said defects, and to classify the welded joint as compliant or non-compliant with the requirements.

Abstract: An inspection method according to the present disclosure includes a step of mounting an ultrasonic probe, a step of mounting a pulser receiver, a step of causing the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves, a step of causing the ultrasonic probe to receive a reflected wave of the ultrasonic waves reflected by the wind turbine blade, a step of causing the pulser receiver to acquire reflected-wave data, a step of causing the pulser receiver to wirelessly transmit the reflected-wave data, a step of causing at least one of antennas to receive the wirelessly transmitted reflected-wave data, and a step of causing an information processing device electrically connected to the at least two antennas to perform information processing on the reflected-wave data.

Abstract: A flow meter includes a pair of ultrasonic transducers. Each transducer includes a housing, a piezoelectric crystal disposed within the housing, and a mini-horn array coupled to the housing. The mini-horn array, which may be formed via a 3D printing technique, includes an opening-free enclosure, a closed cavity inside the enclosure, and a plurality of horns enclosed within the closed cavity. The horns include a horn base portion adjacent to a proximal end surface of the cavity and a horn neck portion that extends from the base portion in a direction away from the piezoelectric crystal and towards a distal end surface of the cavity. The horn neck portions are separated by spaces within the cavity, wherein the spaces between the horn necks may be filled with powder.

Abstract: A device for use within pipelines, such as an inline inspection tool, includes a renewable power system. The renewable power system includes at least one of a thermoelectric generator or a pressure-based power generator. The thermoelectric generator produces electricity by consuming thermal energy from the heat of the product in the pipeline such as oil or gas. The pressure-based power generator operates by using a rotary connection axis for a turbine which drives an alternator to generate electrical energy. The device may combine both type of generators with a unified power system including regulators, high density batteries, battery chargers, cooling system.

Abstract: A method of testing for thickness loss in a metal wall is disclosed. The method includes mounting a first and a second ultrasonic transducer to the metal such that the transducers are in ultrasonic communication along a beam line and moving the first and second ultrasonic transducers along a scan line. A series of composites of received signal measurements are obtained by, at multiple locations along the scan line, using the first ultrasonic transducer to transmit ultrasonic signals through the metal wall along the beam line at a plurality of transmission angles and obtaining composites of received signal amplitudes by combining signal amplitudes measured by the second ultrasonic transducer. The series of composites are input into a predetermined relationship to obtain a thickness profile indicative of a proportion of remaining wall thickness. The predetermined relationship is experimentally obtained to characterize a given metal wall of nominal thickness.

Abstract: Non-destructive inspection systems (10) and methods for inspecting structural flaws that may be in a structure (15) based on guided wave thermography. The method may include sweeping a frequency-phase space to maximize ultrasonic energy distribution across the structure while minimizing input energy, e.g., via a plurality of actuators. The system may include transducer elements (12, 14, 16, 17) configured to predominantly generate shear horizontal-type guided waves in the structure to maximize thermal response from any flaws.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic diagnostic device, and a manufacturing method of the ultrasonic probe, which are capable of reducing a product defect rate. An ultrasonic probe according to one embodiment includes a plurality of channels. Each of the plurality of channels includes a vibrator that outputs an ultrasonic wave, and a transmission circuit unit that changes an output in response to an input transmission signal and causes the vibrator to output the ultrasonic wave by driving the vibrator with the output. Here, the transmission circuit unit includes a stop signal holding circuit that holds a stop signal when the stop signal is input in advance, and selects whether to change the output in response to the transmission signal based on whether the stop signal is held.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for non-destructively estimating the thickness of buried concrete without excavation. An example method may include placing one or more first accelerometers at a plurality of vertical positions below the surface of the ground at an approximate first distance from a vertical edge of the buried concrete each time. The method may further include, for each position in the plurality of vertical positions, generating a dispersive wave in the buried concrete and determining a time of arrival of the dispersive wave at the one or more first accelerometers. The method may further include estimating the thickness of the buried concrete based on at least the times of arrival of the dispersive waves at the one or more first accelerometers.

Abstract: An acoustic system and method is disclosed for providing spatial and temporal classification of a range of different types of sound producing targets in a geographical area. The system includes an optical signal transmitter arrangement for repeatedly transmitting, at multiple instants, interrogating optical signals into each of one or more optical fibres distributed across the geographical area and forming at least part of an installed fibre-optic communications network. An optical signal detector arrangement receives, during an observation period following each of the multiple instants, returning optical signals scattered in a distributed manner over distance along the one or more of optical fibres.

Abstract: Described is a method for estimating a material property of an object by means of a laser ultrasonic (LUS) measurement equipment comprising a generation laser, a detection laser and a detector.