Non -Contact Ultrasound COMPOSITES ANALYSIS Ultrasound: Composites Analysis Application Note...

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Non-Contact Ultrasound

COMPOSITES ANALYSIS

Application Note AN-305-1

SecondWave™ M510 Ultrasonic Analysis System

Non-Contact Ultrasound: Composites Analysis


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3100 Research Drive, State College, PA 16801 USA

Ph: +1.814.861.2001 Fax: +1.814.861.2045

www.ultrangroup.com

SecondWave™ M510 shown with single and multi-channel transducers on different materials

Introduction

Contact or water immersion ultrasound does provide

significant information about materials quality and

properties. But, it cannot be applied to the early stages

of materials formation - when they are tacky or fragile.

It is also not reliable for materials that are porous, liquid

sensitive, or when any type of contact with a material is

cumbersome. Non-Contact Ultrasound (NCU) is the

most desirable choice for such applications.

Ultran has been working to facilitate NCU since 1978. In

1997, Ultran created internationally patented

piezoelectric transducers characterized by phenomenal

efficiency in air and other gases with frequencies from

50 kHz to 5.0 MHz. Complementing the NCU

transducers are Ultran’s equally novel ultrasonic imaging

systems and analyses software. The SecondWave™

M510 is a focused non-contact ultrasonic analysis

system that is customer-friendly and understands the

significance of materials testing and analysis, including

the speeds required to accomplish a task.

The M510 supports through transmission, same-side

and pulse-echo techniques. M510 single and multi-

channel systems have been fully configured and

installed for on-line (production line) and off-line (bench

top)composites all the way from uncured to cured

stages and finished products.

M510 Capabilities

Inhomogeneous resin distribution detection

High resolution delamination and defect detection in

sandwich structures – CFRP, GFRP, and metal skins

bonded to each other or to NOMEX and foam cores

Porosity estimation

Fiber content, misalignment, and orientation

Through transmission and same side testing

SecondWave™ M510 Components

NCU Transducers

Ultran’s transducers boast the highest efficiency devices

among non-contact transducers – approaching those of

conventional contact transducers. Frequency Range: 50

kHz - 5.0 MHz. Active dimensions: 1.0 mm - 500mm.

with planar, point, parabolic, and compound beam

geometry. Robust lightweight construction.

Scanning: Vertical or horizontal acoustic bench, single or

multi-transducer multi-axis scanning frames.

System Instrumentation

4U industrial grade unit incorporating Intel Core2 Quad

processors, 2 GB RAM, RAID5 Serial ATA hard drives and

redundant power supplies. Integrated are:

Pulser: PCI-based 375V RF toneburst pulser with 50 kHz

to 5 MHz range, adjustable bursts, voltage and PRF.

Receiver: Internal 1-8 channel low-noise amplifier with

80 dB gain and 10 MHz bandwidth, multi-value low and

high pass filters.

DAQ: 14 bit Analog to Digital Converter with 50 MHz

sample rate and on-board 256 MB storage. Multi-axis

encoder inputs for motion synchronized acquisition.

Software

SecondWave™ Studio: Windows XP-based A-Scan and

C-Scan software with user-friendly GUI. Displays rolling

single and multi-channel C-Scans. Capture and storage

of full-wave data for scans. Project Manager with

multipleaccess levels. SQL Database integration.

SecondWave™ Research Studio: C-Scan and A-Scan

post-processing software. Generates cross-sectional

material profiles. Parametric correlation to determine

material density, porosity and fiber orientation. Image

processing functions to find and highlight defects.



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Ph: +1.814.861.2001 Fax: +1.814.861.2045

www.ultrangroup.com

Non-contact ultrasound techniques

Direct transmission

Same side transmitter-receiver – pitch-catch

T R

Longitudinal/Shear

Waves

Surface WavesAIR

Single transducer – pulse-echo

AIR

Quantitative detectability example

Defect, crack, delamination detection

Velocity, time-of-flight, thickness measurements

Oblique incidence & refraction for shear wave and

anisotropy measurements

Transmittance measurement

Defect, delamination,

corrosion detection

Location of discontinuities

Surface profiling

Surface acoustic analysis

Reflectance measurements

Depth measurement

Object identification

Air + Test

Material

Transmission

Surface

Reflections

Thickness

Reflections

Detection of side drilled holes (varying

from 0.5 to 6.3 mm) in 10 mm PMMA

with direct NCU transmission – 1.0 MHz

Ultrasonic reflection image

AIR

T

R

AIR



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Ph: +1.814.861.2001 Fax: +1.814.861.2045

www.ultrangroup.com

Observations and case studies by direct transmission and same side NCU imaging (All images generated without signal post-processing, and in most cases no signal averaging was used)

Prepregs and consolidated laminates – defect detection and porosity measurement – figures 1 to 4

Fig. 3. Porosity in CFRP

composite – left, zero

porosity, middle and right,

gross porosity, <1 to >4%.

1.0 MHz and 500 kHz.

Fig. 4: 19 mm CFRP-GFRP cylindrical*

composite section showing bonded and

severely disbonded regions. 140 kHz.

Severity of bond quality can be

estimated by quantitative analysis

shown in cross-sectional profiles.

*Shape effects have been eliminated

and edge effects substantially reduced

by special NCU techniques.

Fig. 1. Top: 1.5 mm

CFRP prepreg with

trapped protective

papers – 500 kHz

Bottom: 4.0 mm

CFRP prepreg with

trapped protective

film – 200 kHz.

Fig. 2. Uncured (left) and

cured (right) CFRP composite.

Lighter regions in cured

material indicates porosity,

also confirmed in uncured

state by thin section

microscopy - 500 kHz.

By permission, HEXCEL

Composites, UK.



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Ph: +1.814.861.2001 Fax: +1.814.861.2045

www.ultrangroup.com

Large GFRP panels – defects, delaminations, and density variations – Fig. 5

Honeycomb sandwich structures – defects and delaminations – figures 6 to 10

Fig. 7. 19 mm Al honeycomb with Fig. 8. 50 mm NOMEX honeycomb with 2 mm CFRP skins - 200 kHz.

0.25 mm Al skins - 500 kHz.

Fig. 5. Very large

panels of 4 mm

GFRP composite

with overt defects

- 500 kHz.

Fig. 6. 13 mm NOMEX with 1 mm CFRP skins. 1.0 MHz

Fig. 10. Very high

resolution in GFRP

skins NOMEX

composite.

1.0 MHz

Fig. 9. 10 mm Al-Al

honeycomb

helicopter

component - 140 kHz

Fig. 6a. CFRP skins; thick NOMEX honeycomb



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Ph: +1.814.861.2001 Fax: +1.814.861.2045

www.ultrangroup.com

High temperature graphitized woven carbon fiber composites for texture analysis and defect

detection – figures 11 and 12

SMC materials -- Homogeneity and fiber orientation detection – Fig. 13

Carbon-Carbon disc brakes – density variations and defects – figures 14 and 15

Fig. 15. Jumbo jet brake section. 200 kHz.

Fig. 13. Unwanted glass

fiber alignment in an

otherwise

homogeneous sheet

molded composite with

chopped fibers.

500 kHz.

Fig. 11. 3 mm C-C

composite with

sever texture

variation and

porosity- 500 kHz.

Fig. 12. Another

sample analogous

to Fig. 11, with

overt defects.

Fig. 14. High

performance

automobile brake. 200



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Ph: +1.814.861.2001 Fax: +1.814.861.2045

www.ultrangroup.com

Multiple sheets of bonded aluminum – figure 16

Very high resolution NCU of composites – figure 18

Fig. 18. Two samples

of Carbon-Carbon

composites,

indicating broken

fibers and porous

regions- 1.0 MHz.

Fig 17: Flap section of used F-16

honeycomb



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Ph: +1.814.861.2001 Fax: +1.814.861.2045

www.ultrangroup.com

Conclusions

Ultran’s SecondWave™ M510 ultrasonic imaging and

analysis system is characterized by a wide range of

frequencies from 50 kHz to 5.0 MHz. This makes it

possible to apply non-contact ultrasound (NCU) for

composites evaluation all the way from early stages

of their formation to finished products. Typical

applications include defect and delamination

detection, porosity and texture analysis, properties,

etc. The M510 is a powerful tool for materials process

analysis and QC, directly saving you cost, energy, and

materials, besides assuring the quality and reliability

of your materials.

What Ultran provides

We supply fully configured NCU systems suitable for

customers’ needs. These include specifically

designed transducer libraries so that our customers

can start characterizing all their materials from Day 1.

Ultran also supplies custom NCU systems geared for

production (online) configured to customers’

applications and environment of testing.

Under agreements, Ultran will transfer science and

technology -targeted to customer needs. We offer

hands-on training to all our customers.

We maintain a fully-stocked ultrasound materials

analytical laboratory and we are fully equipped to

provide feasibility, in-depth analysis, and R&D for our

customers.

Sales representatives

HEAD OFFICE

The Ultran Group

3100 Research Drive

State College, PA 16801 USA

Tel: +1.814.466.6200

Fax: +1.814.466.6847

Email: [email protected]

ITALY

Pierluigi Carni

Via B. Angelico, 1

24047 Treviglio – BG, Italy

Tel: +39 340 9125410


UK

Sonatest NDTS

Jenny Hough

Units 1-3 Prospect House, Colliery Close,

Ireland Business Park,

Staveley, Chesterfield, S41 8NG, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1246 474269

Fax: +44 (0) 1246 474089


JAPAN

Ken Automation

Tatsuya Yaoita

Hiranuma 1-11-12

Yokohama KMH Bldg., Nishi-Ku

Yokohama - 220-0023

Tel: +81.45.290.0432

Fax: +81.45.321.6590


CHINA

Matrix U/E Technologies Inc.

Jiang Yunxi

Chaoyang District, Beijing Wangjing Litse emerging

industries in Park District No. 106 Building 402B

Tel:+86-10-64391208-819

Mobile: 0086-13910978697

E-Mail: [email protected]

INDIA

Simon Amallraja

President - SMD

PET Aviation Systems P Ltd.

Mobile: +91 98663-43309, +91 98480-43309

Tel: +91-40-2370-2840, Fax: +91-40-2370-2837


Non -Contact Ultrasound COMPOSITES ANALYSIS Ultrasound: Composites Analysis Application Note...

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