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The application of guided waves for the testing of plate-type structures has been recently investigated by a number of research groups due to the ability of guided waves to detect corrosion in remote and hidden areas. Guided wave sensors for plate applications can be either directed (i.e., the waves propagate in a single direction) or omnidirectional. Each type has certain advantages and disadvantages. Omnidirectional sensors can inspect large areas from a single location, but it is challenging to define where a feature is located. Conversely, directed sensors can be used to precisely locate an indication, but have no sensitivity to flaws away from the wave propagation direction. This work describes a newly developed sensor that combines the strengths of both sensor types to create a novel omnidirectional transducer. The sensor transduction is based on a custom magnetostrictive transducer (MsT). In this new probe design, a directed, plate-application MsT with known characteristics was incorporated into an automated scanner. This scanner rotates the directed MsT for data collection at regular intervals. Coupling of the transducer to the plate is accomplished using a shear wave couplant. The array of data that is received is used for compiling B-scans and imaging, utilizing a synthetic aperture focusing algorithm (SAFT). The performance of the probe was evaluated on a 0.5-inch thick carbon steel plate mockup with a surface area of over 100 square feet. The mockup had a variety of known anomalies representing localized and distributed pitting corrosion, gradual wall thinning, and notches of different depths. Experimental data was also acquired using the new probe on a retired storage tank with known corrosion damage. The performance of the new sensor and its limitations are discussed together with general directions in technology development.

Sensitization of 5xxx series aluminum alloys is characterized by the gradual precipitation of the alloying element magnesium as a beta phase (Al3Mg2) along the grain boundaries after prolonged exposure to the environment. While the 5xxx alloy is corrosion resistant, these beta phases are corrosive and thus their formation increases the susceptibility of the alloy to intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking. The standardized approach for measuring the degree of sensitization (DoS) is the ASTM G67 test standard. This test, however, is time consuming, difficult to perform, and destructive, as it involves measurement of a mass loss after exposing the alloy to a nitric acid solution. Given the limitations of this test standard, there is a need to develop a nondestructive evaluation (NDE) solution that is easy-to-use, non-intrusive, and faster than current inspection methods while suitable for use outside a laboratory. This paper describes the development of an NDE method for quantifying the DoS value in an alloy using ultrasonic measurements. The work builds upon prior efforts described in the literature that use electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) to quantify DoS based on velocity measurements. The prior approaches used conventional ultrasonic inspection techniques with short-duration excitation signals (less than 3 cycles) to allow identification of the echo time-of-flight and amplitude decay pattern, but their success was limited by EMAT transducer inefficiency in general, especially at higher frequencies. To overcome these challenges, this paper presents a modified ultrasonic measurement strategy using long-duration excitation signals (greater than 100 cycles), where multiple reverberations in the material overlap. By sweeping through test frequencies, it is possible to establish an acoustic resonance when the wavelength is an integer multiple of twice the material thickness. This approach allows for greatly improved signal to noise ratios as well as higher frequency operation, because the reverberations will constructively interfere at resonance. The measurement approach was evaluated on a large number of 5456-H116 aluminum alloy specimens that were sensitized to varying DoS values and compared to G67 test results. Relationships between DoS values and the ultrasonic velocity were established.