• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.227-233
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• 2011

The ultrasonic guided wave phased array using magnetostrictive patch transducers is proposed. The magnetostrictive transducer has received much attention because it is cost-effective and capable to generate ultrasonic waves with a simple configuration. However, it has not been used for ultrasonic guided wave phased array applications until now. In this paper, we propose a magnetostrictive transducer based phased array system consisting of a multi-channel function generator, power amplifiers and Lamb wave magnetostrictive transducers. To check the performance of the ultrasonic guided wave phased array, several Lamb wave focusing experiments were carried out in an aluminum plate. The results demonstrated the capability of the developed array to focus the Lamb waves at specific target points.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.29-35
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• 2015

Pipes, commonly used in energy and petrochemical facilities, have various types of defects induced by diverse factors and this is often issued in NDE society. Ultrasonic guided wave inspection method are normally adopted to insure the healthiness of industry pipes. Recently, ultrasonic guided wave inspection is shifted to adopt arrayed probes and system. And here we developed an array guided wave ultrasonic testing system can adapt arrayed probes and focusing methods. In this paper, an array guided wave ultrasonic testing system is presented including a transmitting focusing technique and flaw signal level enhancement.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.525-533
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• 2009

Emphasis in the paper is placed on describing guided wave successes and challenges for applications in aircraft and composite materials inspection. Guided wave imaging methods discussed includes line of sight, tomography, guided wave C-scan, phased array, and ultrasonic vibration methods. Applications outlined encircles lap splice, bonded repair patch, fuselage corrosion, water loaded structures, delamination, and ice detection and de-icing of various structures.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2005

Ultrasonic guided waves have been widely employed for long range inspection of structures such as plates, rods and pipes. There are numerous modes with different wave velocities, and the appropriate mode selection is one of key techniques in the application of guided waves. In the present work, phase tuning by an array transducer was applied to generate ultrasonic guided waves. For this purpose, 8-channel ultrasonic pulser/receiver and their controller which enables sequential activation of each channels with given time delay were developed. Eight transducers were fabricated in order to generate guided waves by using an array transducer. The selective tuning of wave mode can be achieved by changing the interval between elements of an array transducer.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.196-203
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• 2015

The aim of this work is to demonstrate a method for exciting and receiving torsional and longitudinal mode guided waves with an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) ring array. First of all, a three-dimensional guided wave simulator is developed in order to numerically analyze the propagation of the guided wave. The finite difference time domain method is used for the simulator. Second, two guided wave testing systems using an EMAT ring array are provided: one is for torsional mode (T-mode) guided wave and the other is for longitudinal mode (L-mode). The EMATs used in the both systems are the same in design. A method to generate and receive the T- and L-mode guided waves with the same EMAT is proposed. Finally, experimental and numerical results are compared and discussed. The results of experiments and simulation agree well, showing the potential of the EMAT ring array as a mode controllable guided wave transmitter and receiver.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.114-121
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• 2009

Ultrasonic guided waves have been widely utilized for long range inspection of structures. Especially, development of array guided waves techniques and its application for long range gas pipe lines(length of from hundreds meters to few km) were getting increased. In this study, focusing algorithm for array guided waves was developed in order to improve long range inspectability and accuracy of the array guided waves techniques for long range inspection of gas pipes, and performance of the developed techniques was verified by experiments using the developed array guided wave system. As a result, S/N ratio of array guided wave signals obtained with the focusing algorithm was increased higher than that of signals without focusing algorithm.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.496-503
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• 2008

We propose rectangular type spiral coils with folded comers for the applications to low frequency guided wave magnetostrictive transducers and describe a method for making the proposed coils from insulated electrical wire such as enameled copper wire. Expressions for the electrical properties of the coils are also presented and compared with experimental measurements. An overlapped-2-channel folded-comer spiral-coil array is fabricated and applied to a magnetostrictive strip transducer generating and detecting fundamental torsional mode guided waves. From the results we conclude that the design and fabrication method make it possible to use the magnetostrictive transducers optimized for various guided wave applications and also will greatly help engineers gain easy access to the optimized transducers.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.123-130
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• 2014

An ultrasonic magnetostrictive transducer-based phased-array system for imaging defects in plate structures is newly proposed. In that most ultrasonic phased array systems rely on piezoelectric transducers or electromagnetic acoustic transducers, this system has its own unique feature of employing magnetostrictive transducers. Interest in using a phased array system using magnetostrictive transducers has been recently reported for pipe inspection but no such system has been developed for plate inspection. In this investigation, we aim to propose a phased array system using OL-MPTs (Omnidirectional Lamb wave Magnetostrictive Patch Transducers) for plate inspection. The developed system consists of a multi-channel function generator, power amplifiers, preamplifiers and a data acquisition unit. In the process of its development, each of the units must be checked and in doing so, we suggest types of ultrasonic wave experiments that should be carried out. Finally, the phased system using a transducer array composed of eight OL-MPTs is newly configured and is applied for actual crack detection experiments.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.253-266
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• 2023

The time-reversal method is employed to improve the ability of pipeline defect detection, and a new approach of identifying the pipeline defect depth is proposed in this research. When the L(0,2) mode ultrasonic guided wave excited through a lead zirconate titinate (PZT) transduce array propagates along the pipeline with a defect, it will interact with the defect and be partially converted to flexural F(n, m) modes and longitudinal L(0,1) mode. Using a receiving PZT array attached axisymmetrically around the pipeline, the L(0,2) reflection signal as well as the mode conversion signals at the defect are obtained. An appropriate rectangle window is used to intercept the L(0,2) reflection signal and the mode conversion signals from the obtained direct detection signals. The intercepted signals are time reversed and re-excited in the pipeline again, result in the guided wave energy focusing on the pipeline defect, the L(0,2) reflection and the L(0,1) mode conversion signals being enhanced to a higher level, especially for the small defect in the early crack stage. Besides the L(0,2) reflection signal, the L(0,1) mode conversion signal also contains useful pipeline defect information. It is possible to identify the pipeline defect depth by monitoring the variation trend of L(0,2) and L(0,1) reflection coefficients. The finite element method (FEM) simulation and experiment results are given in the paper, the enhancement of pipeline defect reflection signals by time-reversal method is obvious, and the way to identify pipeline defect depth is demonstrated to be effective.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.449-464
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• 2008

An array based, outward monitoring, ultrasonic guided wave based SHM technique using a single transmitter and multiple receivers (STMR), with a small footprint is discussed here. The previous implementation of such SHM arrays used a phase-reconstruction algorithm (that is similar to the beam-steering algorithm) for the imaging of reflectors. These algorithms were found to have a limitation during the imaging of defects/reflectors that are present in the "near-field" of the array. Here, the "near-field" is defined to be approximately 3-4 times the diameter of the compact array. This limitation is caused by approximations in the beam-steering reconstruction algorithm. In this paper, a migration-based reconstruction algorithm, with dispersion correction in the frequency domain, is discussed. Simulation and experimental studies are used to demonstrate that this algorithm improves the reconstruction in the "near-field" without decreasing the ability to reconstruct defects in the "far-field" in both isotropic and anisotropic plates.