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Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 17780

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Dr. Dwayne McDaniel

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Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA
Interests: controls; multi-tbody dynamics; robotics; sensors; non-destructive testing; composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Cesar Levy

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Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
Interests: fracture mechanics; vibration attenuation; nanosensors; fitness-for-service
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Dear Colleagues,

As the design and development of advanced materials and complex structures continue to progress, so does the need to understand the health, durability and aging of systems utilizing these materials and structures. Non-destructive testing (NDT) historically provides a means to assess the health of structures non-invasively, by identifying anomalies, defects or thinning that could threaten the integrity of the structures. Conventional NDT methods may be limited in their ability to characterize new advanced materials or complex structures developed via advanced manufacturing. Significant research efforts in NDT are needed to fill the technical gaps generated by the advancement in the fields of materials and manufacturing.

The intent of this Special Issue is to highlight advancements in NDT methods, including novel approaches and innovative applications for a broad range of industries. We invite you to submit original articles on topics that include, but are not limited to:

Novel and experimental NDT methods that may impact the future of non-destructive methods
Challenging applications of NDT methods on complex structures
Deployment and integration of NDT tools in constrained or hazardous environments
NDT methods for assessing advanced materials
NDT-related inverse problems

Prof. Dwayne McDaniel
Prof. Cesar Levy
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

non-destructive testing
complex structures
advanced materials
constrained environments

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3811 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Utility of Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity for Estimating the Overall Mechanical Behavior of Recycled Aggregate Self-Compacting Concrete

by Ana B. Espinosa, Víctor Revilla-Cuesta, Marta Skaf, Flora Faleschini and Vanesa Ortega-López

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 874; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13020874 - 08 Jan 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1819

Abstract

Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) is a non-destructive measurement technique with which the quality of any concrete element can be evaluated. It provides information on concrete health and for assessing the need for repair in a straightforward manner. In this paper, the relationship is studied between UPV readings and the mechanical behavior of self-compacting concrete (SCC) containing coarse, fine, and/or powdery RA. To do so, correlations and simple- and multiple-regression relationships between compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and UPV readings of nine SCC mixes were assessed. The correlations showed that the relationship of UPV with any mechanical property was fundamentally monotonic. The inverse square-root model was therefore the best-fitting simple-regression model for all the mechanical properties, although for bending-tensile-behavior-related properties (splitting tensile strength and flexural strength) the estimation accuracy was much lower than for compressive-behavior-related properties (compressive strength and modulus of elasticity). Linear-combination multiple-regression models showed that the properties related to bending-tensile behavior had a minimal influence on the UPV value, and that their introduction resulted in a decreased estimation accuracy. Thus, the multiple-regression models with the best fits were those that linked the compressive-behavior-related properties to the UPV readings. This therefore enables the estimation of the modulus of elasticity when the UPV and compressive strength are known with a deviation of less than ±20% in 87% of the SCC mixes reported in other studies available in the literature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures)

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13 pages, 1795 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Potential Material Inhomogeneity in the Magnetically Detected Neutron-Irradiation-Generated Structural Degradation of Nuclear Reactor Pressure Vessel Steel

by Gábor Vértesy, Antal Gasparics and Ildikó Szenthe

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(22), 11640; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122211640 - 16 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1017

Abstract

A novel nondestructive method called magnetic adaptive testing has been previously applied to detect the neutron-irradiation-generated structural changes in reactor pressure vessel steel material. This method has been found to be a useful tool for this purpose, and good correlation—as a tendency—has been found between the estimated ductile-to-brittle transition temperature and magnetic parameters. However, a significant scattering of measured points was also observed for the investigated set of Charpy specimens. The main result of the work was that by magnetic selection of samples, the scatter can be notably reduced. As a conclusion, the magnetically measured parameters seemed to be precise and reliable for the detection of embrittlement of the reactor pressure vessel steel, with lower scattering of points than in the conventionally used destructive mechanical characteristics (ductile-to-brittle transition temperature). This result is surprising and needs further verification. The purpose of the present work is to repeat the measurement on irradiated reactor steel blocks. In this work, instead of the DBTT transition temperature, individually measured Vickers hardness (VH) data were used to help characterize the mechanical properties of the material. The so-called “property transformation” is a known and applied technique in the nuclear industry. The mechanical property characterized by the transition temperature cannot be determined individually for each specimen; instead, it can be obtained only on a set of samples by statistical fitting. Therefore, the individually measured Vickers hardness values can be utilized in order to predict the individual transition temperature values by the help of the property transformation technique. In this paper, however, not these derived transition temperature values, but their origins, the Vickers hardness values, are studied in a direct manner. The same behavior of blocks was observed as in the case of Charpy specimens, which is considered to validate the previously published results. As a possible reason for the scattering of points, large magnetic inhomogeneity of samples cut even from the same block was also proved. The magnetic parameters and Vickers hardness correlate well with each other. This result justifies the potential future application of magnetic techniques in practice aimed at the regular inspection of nuclear reactors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures)

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19 pages, 14667 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of the Causes of Premature Rain Erosion Evolution in Rotor Blade-like GFRP Structures by Means of CT, XRM, and Active Thermography

by Friederike Jensen, Elie Abi Aoun, Oliver Focke, Andreas Krenz, Christian Tornow, Mareike Schlag, Catherine Lester, Axel Herrmann, Bernd Mayer, Michael Sorg and Andreas Fischer

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(22), 11307; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122211307 - 08 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1188

Abstract

Premature rain erosion damage development at the leading edges of wind turbine rotor blades impair the efficiency of the turbines and should be detected as early as possible. To investigate the causes of premature erosion damage and the erosion evolution, test specimens similar to the leading edge of a rotor blade were modified with different initial defects, such as voids in the coating system, and impacted with waterdrops in a rain erosion test facility. Using CT and XRM with AI-based evaluation as non-destructive measurement methods showed that premature erosion arises from the initial material defects because they represent a weak point in the material composite. In addition, thermographic investigations were carried out. As it shows results similar to the two lab-based methods, active thermography has a promising potential for future in-situ monitoring of rotor blade leading edges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures)

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11 pages, 5469 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multifunctional MEN-Doped Adhesives: Strengthening, Bond Quality Evaluation, and Variations in Magnetic Signal with Environmental Exposure

by Juliette Dubon, Gonzalo Seisdedos, Dillon Watring, Mauricio Pajon, Sakhrat Khizroev, Dwayne McDaniel and Benjamin Boesl

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(16), 8238; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12168238 - 17 Aug 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1638

Abstract

Adhesive bonding of polymer matrix composites offers various advantages over traditional fasteners, such as a uniform stress state, reduced weight, and delay of composite delamination. However, adhesive bonding has limited implementation due to challenges in the prediction of durability. This work introduces a new method to monitor an adhesively bonded composite joint by dispersing magneto-electric nanoparticles (MENs) into the polymer precursor and monitoring changes in their surface charge density by evaluating the output magnetic signal under an applied magnetic field. Real-time monitoring of the curing process of a polymer adhesive was performed and corroborated via thermal analysis and mechanical testing. Lap shear and end notch flexure testing showed that adding 1 vol% MENs led to a ~23% increase in shear strength and a ~12% increase in mode II critical energy release rates compared to the undoped adhesive. Adding 5 vol% MENs also increased the adhesive’s peak tensile stress by ~8%. Strengthening mechanisms of the doped adhesive were monitored using in situ electron microscopy. A correlation between water ingression and a change in the magnetic moment was observed. Results show the MENs’ potential as a structural health-monitoring tool for a wide range of materials and applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures)

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12 pages, 7333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesized Transmitting Coil for Magnetic Focusing of Pulsed Eddy Current for Downhole Casing Inspection

by Ling Yang, Changzan Liu, Jingxin Dang, Yang Zhao, Bo Dang and Ruirong Dang

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(15), 7695; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12157695 - 30 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1189

Abstract

Pulsed eddy current (PEC) is a widely utilized technology for the nondestructive inspection of industrial tubes and pipes due to its rapid and accurate results. To improve the longitudinal resolution of PEC, multiple transmitting coils (MTCs) are used to realize magnetic focusing. However, this approach is difficult to apply to narrow downhole environments because of the complex transmitting array and electrical circuits. To address this issue, we present a synthesized transmitting coil (STC) that combines MTCs into a single coil with multiple connected sections using different winding directions and number of turns to adjust the magnetic field distribution. A theoretical derivation was presented for the analysis and interpretation of the magnetic field, and a figure of merit (FoM) was constructed to optimize the STC parameters. Numerical simulations and experiments were performed to validate the proposed STC for downhole casing inspection, and the experimental results showed good agreement with the simulation results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures)

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15 pages, 4430 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Defect Recognition and Morphology Operation in Binary Images Using Line-Scanning-Based Induction Thermography

by Seungju Lee, Yoonjae Chung and Wontae Kim

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 6006; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12126006 - 13 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1505

Abstract

Active infrared thermography is an attractive and highly reliable technique used for the non-destructive evaluation of test objects. In this paper, defect detection on the subsurface of the STS304 metal specimen was performed by applying the line-scanning method to induction thermography. In general, the infrared camera and the specimen are fixed in induction thermography, but the line-scanning method can excite a uniform heat source because relative movement occurs. After that, the local heating area due to Joule’s heating effect was removed, and filtering was applied for the 1st de-noising. Threshold-value-based binarization processing using the Otsu algorithm was performed for clear defect object recognition. After performing the 2nd de-noising, automatic defect recognition was performed using a boundary tracking algorithm. As a result, the conditions due to the parameters of the scanning line for the thermal image were determined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures)

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11 pages, 3470 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics of TiN Thin Films Deposited by Substrate Temperature Variables Using Scanning Acoustic Microscopy

by Dongchan Kang, Young Sung Kim, Jeong Nyeon Kim and Ik Keun Park

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3571; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073571 - 31 Mar 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1776

Abstract

In this study, TiN thin films fabricated based on the substrate temperature process parameters of a DC magnetron sputtering device and their characteristics are analyzed. TiN thin films are deposited on Si wafer (100) substrates by setting the substrate temperatures to ambient temperature, 100, 200, and 300 °C. The residual stress measurement using the XRD method, adhesion characteristic analysis performed using a nanoscratch test to measure the critical load of the nanoindentation device, and leaky surface acoustic wave (LSAW) measurement were conducted using the V(z) technique of the ultrasonic microscope; the correlations between each measurement were analyzed. The residual stress of the TiN thin film was relieved by up to approximately 48% and adhesion properties enhanced by approximately 10% with an increase in the substrate temperature. In addition, the velocity of the LSAW presented a tendency to increase by up to approximately 5%. The residual stress and velocity of the LSAW were found to be inversely proportional, while the critical load and velocity of the LSAW were directly proportional. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures)

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16 pages, 6306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact Damage Detection of a Glass Fabric Composite Using Carbon Fiber Sensors with Regard to Mechanical Loading

by Nikola Schmidová, Joshua Macken, Alexander Horoschenkoff, Radek Sedláček, Tomáš Kostroun, Jan Šimota and Milan Růžička

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1112; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031112 - 21 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1783

Abstract

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of composite structures leads to greater safety during operation and reduces the cost of regular inspections. Impact damage detection is an important SHM task. Since impact damage can significantly reduce the lifetime of composite structures, sensors for impact damage are of great interest. Carbon Fiber Sensors (CFSs) can be used to detect composite damage. CFSs are lightweight and compact, and they can be integrated during the manufacturing process. In our study, CFSs were manufactured from three types of carbon fiber tows and were integrated into different layers of the lay-up in order to investigate the influence on impact damage detection. The effect of mechanical loading and temperature change on the measured electrical resistance was investigated during cyclic flexural tests. It was revealed that, it is possible to distinguish between changes in measured signals due to impact and due mechanical loading. The change in the measured electrical signal caused by temperature can be eliminated. CFSs can be used for impact damage detection of a glass fabric composite. A combination of thermography and CFSs as an active heating element also provides good results in the field of impact damage detection Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures)

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21 pages, 11284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Campaign to Verify the Suitability of Ultrasound Testing Method for Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Fortification Structures

by Eva Zezulová, Kamila Hasilová, Petr Dvořák, Branislav Dubec, Tereza Komárková and Jiří Štoller

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8759; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188759 - 20 Sep 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1731

Abstract

Fortification structures, both military and civilian, are designed to resist a blast explosion to some extent. Their technical condition after a blast load must be assessed in a fast and reliable way to enable the users’ decision about the future use of the structure. Preferably, for the assessment of the protective structure, the non-destructive testing method should be used. To assess the suitability of ultrasound testing method for fortification structures built from steel fiber reinforced concrete, an investigation in a laboratory and in situ was conducted, together with numerical simulation and statistical evaluation. The numerical simulation of the blast load of a steel fiber reinforced concrete slab was conducted using multiphysics simulation software with the aim to verify basic parameters of the field experiment. During the field tests, several slabs were loaded by plastic explosive and changes in the structure of the slabs, before and after the blast load, were examined using the ultrasound pass-through method. After the field tests, the slabs were subjected to a destructive laboratory test to determine their residual strength. Subsequently, the data sets obtained from the measurements were tested using functional data analysis. The results from the ultrasound pulse method show that specimens after a dynamic blast load can in some cases increase the strength of their cement matrix. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures)

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10 pages, 6971 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Measurement of Absolute Acoustic Nonlinearity Parameter Using Laser-Ultrasonic Detection

by Seong-Hyun Park, Jongbeom Kim, Dong-Gi Song, Sungho Choi and Kyung-Young Jhang

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4175; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094175 - 03 May 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2355

Abstract

The absolute acoustic nonlinearity parameter β is defined by the displacement amplitudes of the fundamental and second-order harmonic frequency components of the ultrasonic wave propagating through the material. As β is a sensitive index for the micro-damage interior of industrial components at early stages, its measurement methods have been actively investigated. This study proposes a laser-ultrasonic detection method to measure β. This method provides (1) the β measurement in a noncontact and nondestructive manner, (2) inspection ability of different materials without complex calibration owing to direct ultrasonic displacement detection, and (3) applicability for the general milling machined surfaces of components owing to the use of a laser interferometer based on two-wave mixing in the photorefractive crystal. The performance of the proposed method is validated using copper and 6061 aluminum alloy specimens with sub-micrometer surface roughness. The experimental results demonstrated that the β values measured by the proposed method for the two specimens were consistent with those obtained by the conventional piezoelectric detection method and the range of previously published values. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Structures)

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