1. Non-Destructive Evaluation
Ultrasound Testing
Team:
David Drozd
Sean Broderick
Rick Eckert
Joseph Oagaro
Consultant:
Michael Ciocco
Project Manager:
Shreekanth Mandayam

2. Introduction Ultrasound Applications Customers Needs
NDE of metals and composites
Airplanes, Tanks, Sewer & Gas Pipelines
Customers Needs
Internal Customer: Shreekanth Mandayam
Effective Composite Scanning to find defect geometry, depth, and location
External Customer
Future Marketing to airplane and pipeline manufacturers
Previous Work Done
Ultrasound Testing of Concrete

3. Objectives
Learn fundamentals in ultrasound testing and ultrasound equipment
Image metal plates with known defects and build ultrasound C-scan database
Scan Kevlar composites to find evidence of disbonding and delaminations
Use Matlab for image processing to estimate defect geometry

4. Ultrasonic Inspection
Project Outline
Ultrasound Basic
Metal C-Scans
Kevlar Composites
Image Processing
Project Timescale

5. Immersion Ultrasound Test Station
Ultrasound transducers
Test
specimen
Immersion
tank
Linear
actuators for
scanning
Scanner controller & stepper motors
PC for
data acquisition & processing

6. Ultrasound Scanning Basics
Thru Transmission vs. Pulse Echo
A-Scan and C-Scan
TOF and Amplitude

7. A-Scan and Gate Settings
Detection Threshold: 40%, Gate Width: us, Gate Start: us, Gain: 39db

8. Ultrasonic Inspection
Project Outline
Ultrasound Basic
Metal C-Scans
Kevlar Composites
Image Processing
Project Timescale

9. Ultrasound Imaging of Coins

10. C-Scans of 5/16” Metal Plates
5/16” thick metal plate with 3mm defect
5/16” thick metal plate with 7.5 mm defect

11. C-Scans of ½” Metal Plates
½” thick metal plate with 3 mm defect
½” thick metal plate with 6 mm defect
½” thick metal plate with 7.5 mm defect

12. C-Scans of triangle and circle defects
3/8” thick plate with 3/16” circle defect
3/8” thick plate with 3/16” triangle defect

13. Ultrasonic Inspection
Project Outline
Ultrasound Basic
Metal C-Scans
Kevlar Composites
Image Processing
Project Timescale

14. Kevlar Kevlar Composites Company located in Canada
There are 2 types of Kevlar:
Pretreated Kevlar
Non-Pretreated Kevlar
Delamination

15. Kevlar First Scans of Kevlar Each scan 1’x1’ Starting from
The right corner
Non-Pretreated Kevlar

16. Kevlar
Non-Pretreated Kevlar

17. Kevlar
Pretreated Kevlar

18. Ultrasonic Inspection
Project Outline
Ultrasound Basic
Metal C-Scans
Kevlar Composites
Image Processing
Project Timescale

19. Image Processing Objective Approach:
Determine Geometry of Defects From Experimental C-Scan Images
Use Fourier Descriptors to apply to arbitrary defect geometries
Approach:
Use basic image processing techniques to estimate image shape and size

20. Image Processing Approach
Metal Specimen
C-Scan
This is what the C-Scan image looks like when it is scanned into Matlab and converted to Grayscale. This image does not
Provide enough information for us to model the rectangular defect mathematically, so we will dive further into other
Image processing techniques
Adjusted Image

21. Experimental Data Image Defect Geometry: Actual Experimental
Metal Specimen
Original C-Scan
Image Defect Geometry:
Actual Experimental
Length = 1 in. Length = 0.85 in.
Width = 0.5 in. Width = 0.43 in.
First, we will adjust the image based on its particular histogram. Then, we can perform a dilation technique which will move towards
An erosion technique. Then by performing a Raster Scan, we can determine both the length and the width of the defect.
Histogram Balancing
Image Smoothing

22. Image Processing Techniques
Random Defect Geometries
Determine Fourier Descriptors of perimeter of any arbitrary shape
Insensitive to:
Translation
Rotation
Scale Changes
How to model?
Develop basic shape images and process
Circle, Rectangle, Triangle, Ellipse, etc.

23. Project Timescale

24. Future Planning Continue Scanning Model Random Defect Geometries
Build Database
Metal, Kevlar, Coins, etc.
Model Random Defect Geometries
Continue Processing Research
Research Paper / Competition

25. Ultrasonic Inspection
¿ Questions/Comments ?