Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Diffraction (TOFD)
Principle of TOFD
When ultrasonic beam hits a discontinuity inside a material,
according to Huygen’s principle, each discontinuity tip acts as a
point source of diffracted energy.
This diffracted signal propagates inside the material as omni-
directional.
Defect detection method based on the time difference
between diffracted signals from the extremities of a defect
is called TOFD technique.
Diffraction takes place in space and its reception takes place in
time. Hence the name time of flight diffraction (TOFD).
Material
LP and POR indication in a 3mm thick B scan image of side drilled holes
weldment found by immersion TOFD
International status on TOFD
A number of studies using artificial intelligence techniques have been
reported for the enhancement of TOFD signals and images for the
classification and automation. All the works have been done on mild steel
and carbon steel. No such work has been reported on austenitic
stainless steel weldment.
Wavelet based decomposition
Time scales of compression and shear wave signals are
transformed in such a way that they are fused together in time
domain into one compound B-type image.
Continuous wavelet transform was used for the enhancement of
B type ultrasonic images.
Low amplitude diffracted shear waves can be enhanced by
wavelet transform
B scan image by (a) long wave, (b) shear wave and (c) fused one
Ultrasonic signal and
corresponding continuous
Ref: ISSN 1392-2114 ULTRAGARSAS, Nr. 2(35) 2000 wavelet transform
Linear and non-linear classifiers
Welding defect pattern recognition in TOFD signals
using linear and non-linear classifiers.
For linear classifiers success rate was 96% and for
non-linear classifiers success rate was 98%.
The defects used for training were LF, LP and PO.
Ref: J. of the Braz. Soc. of Mech. Sci. & Eng. October-December 2005,
Vol. XXVII, No. 4 / 397
Embedded signal identification
As the thickness of the specimen decreases, the
diffracted echoes and the lateral and back wall
echoes merge together and it is not possible to place
the cursor for measuring the size
A method called embedded signal identification
technique was developed to separate the
superimposed signals
This technique uses the modulus and natural
logarithm of the A scan signal