Guided Wave Testing

04/10/2011
Imperial College NDT Group
The Guided Wave Testing Method for

Screening of Pipelines
V Pan American Conference for Non Destructive Testing

Cancun, October 2011
Michael Lowe
Imperial College London
Outline
 I t d ti to
Introduction t guided
id d waves
 Concept of guided waves for NDT
 Development of guided wave modelling tools
 Properties of guided waves
 Development of GWT for pipelines
 GWT of pipelines in practice
 Future directions
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Sound waves
Sound waves
Sound
pressure
Distance (x)
or time (t)
i(kx - t)
Pressure = A e
Wavenumber Frequency
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Conventional ultrasound NDT

Pulse-echo test

"Flaw detector" for pulse-echo test
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Ultrasound imaging
But what about "guided waves?"
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But what about guided waves?
Could guided waves be useful for NDT?
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Outline
 I t d ti to
id d waves
Concept of long range guided wave inspection
Transducer
Structure
• If the guided wave encounters a defect then part of the signal is reflected
• A single measurement inspects all the material in a long length of the structure
Volts End of structure

Defect
Time, distance
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What happens if we just try......
Problems:
- Multiple modes
- Dispersion
- Sensitivity to defects varies with modes
Guided wave dispersion curves

"Dispersion curves" for a 1mm thick steel plate
10
a s s a
Phase 1 1 2 2
speed
(km/sec)
s
0
a
0
Frequency (MHz) 10
L Rayleigh (1885); H Lamb (1917)
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Imperial College NDT Group, 1991.
Outline
 I t d ti to
id d waves
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Development of the waveguide model
DISPERSE
Field in layer of material is built up

by summation of partial waves
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....including multiples if waveguide has multiple layers
Boundary conditions must be satisfied at all interfaces:
(1) Between the layers

(2) At the top and bottom surfaces
(2a) If the plate is in vacuum: (2b) If the plate is immersed:
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This results in a Characteristic Function:
F a Plate
For Pl t or Cylinder
C li d ini Vacuum:
V
f (, kreal) = 0
For a Plate or Cylinder Immersed or Embedded:
f (, kreal, kimag) = 0
The Dispersion Curves are the Solutions of the Characteristic

Function. These are lines in 2D or 3D space
Developments packaged in the modelling tool

"DISPERSE"
Plates Surfaces
10
Phase a1 s1 s 2 a2
speed
(km/sec)
s0
a
0
Frequency (MHz) 10
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......and also: Solids, fluids, anisotropic....
Pi
Pipes M lti l llayers
Multiple
Bars
Solids
or
fluids
Embedded or
immersed
Composites
DISPERSE software:
• First version 1991
• MS Windows versions
since 1997
• Widely used for guided

wave research
• More than 80 licensed

clients
Lowe. IEEE Trans UFFC, 42, 1995.

Pavlakovic, Lowe, Alleyne, Cawley. Rev Prog QNDE, 16, 1997.
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Development of Finite Element
Modelling Tools
Finite Element simulation to calculate

reflections from defects
Lowe, Diligent. J Acoust Soc Am, 111, 2002.

Lowe, Cawley, Kao, Diligent. J Acoust Soc Am, 112, 2002.
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Scattering of guided waves from a crack
Scattering of guided waves from a crack
Rajagopal, Lowe. J Acoust Soc Am, 122, 2007. Drozdz, Moreau, Castaings, Lowe, Cawley. Rev Prog QNDE, 25, 2006.
Rajagopal, Lowe. J Acoust Soc Am, 124, 2008. Drozdz, Skelton, Craster, Lowe. Rev Prog QNDE, 26, 2007.
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Outline
 I t d ti to
id d waves
Phase and group speed
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Phase and group speed example: wake from boat
Expected Actual
Group speed = 0.5 phase speed
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Phase and group speeds

Dispersion curves for a 1mm thick steel plate
Phase speed (km/sec) Group speed (km/sec)
8.0 8.0
0.0
0.0
0.0 Frequency (MHz) 10.0 0.0 Frequency (MHz) 10.0
Effect of dispersion after long distance of travel
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Leaky waves
Dispersion curves for a 1mm thick steel plate in water
Phase speed (km/sec)

8.0
0.0
0.0 Frequency (MHz) 5.0
Scholte (1941)
Mode shapes
Plates
S f
Surfaces
For 1mm thick steel plate
10
a s s a
Phase 1 1 2 2
velocity
(km/sec)
s
0
a
0
Frequency (MHz) 10
Mode shapes are the key to understanding wave behaviour

at defects and features
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Outline
 I t d ti to
id d waves
UK Research Centre in Non Destructive Evaluation

(
(RCNDE))
 Founded in 2003
 Research collaboration between UK universities and industry
 6 Universities, including Imperial
 17 major industrial companies
 Director: Professor Keith Newton
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Guided Ultrasonics Ltd (GUL)
Guided Ultrasonics Ltd
 Founded in 1999
 Spin out company from the NDT group at Imperial College
Spin-out
 The world leader for exploitation of guided waves
 Develop and manufacture equipment
 Training and support in use of guided waves for NDT
 Chairman: Malcolm Russell
Guided wave Testing (GWT) of pipelines
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Need to find corrosion…..
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Concept of long range guided wave inspection:
Transducer
Pipe
Need to do a lot of R&D, including:
Transducer
Pipe
Need to understand Need to understand how they

the waves reflect from defects
...then develop transducers, instrumentation, controlling software, signal

processing, interpretation, operator training, formal procedures.....etc
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Brief history of the development of GWT for pipes
 St t d att Imperial
Started I i l College:
C ll 1987
 Understanding of guided wave properties: 1992
 Understanding of guided wave reflections from simple defects:
1995
 Development of transducers and signal processing: 1997
 Commercialisation (licensed by Imperial College): 1997
 Procedures formalised in published standards: 2009
Strategy for development of

Guided Wave Testingg
 Find a guided wave mode which is sensitive to defects at

any location in the pipe wall
 Select frequency and signal shape to minimise dispersion
 Excite and receive ONE mode in ONE direction
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Dispersion Curves for 6 Inch (150mm) Pipe

L(0,2)
F(1,3)
F(2,3)
T(0,1)
F(1 2)
F(1,2)
Mode shapes: torsional modes family
T(0,1) F(1,2)
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Need to understand the sensitivity of

the modes to defects
Finite Element simulation of reflections from defects
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Reflection coefficient versus

circumferential length of defect
Frequency 50 kHz
50
Reflection coefficient
of T(0,1)
40
torsional waves
30 F(1,2)
20
F(2 2)
F(2,2)
10
0
0 10 20 30 40 50
Defect extent (% of circumference)
Alleyne, Lowe, Cawley. ASME J Appl Mech, 65, 1998.
Lowe, Alleyne, Cawley. ASME J Appl Mech, 65, 1998.
Demma, Cawley, Lowe. J Acoust Soc Am, 114, 2003. Similar study done for extensional modes
Reflection coefficient versus

depth of defect
6 inch pipe
100
Reflection coefficient Frequency (kHz) 220
of 80 190
torsional waves 160
60 130
100
40 70
20 40
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Defect depth (% of thickness)
Alleyne, Pavlakovic, Lowe, Cawley. Insight, 43, 2001.
Demma, Cawley, Lowe, Roosenbrand, Pavlakovic. NDT & E Int, 37, 2004. Similar study done for extensional modes
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Sensitivity experiments using machined “defects”
Photograph: Imperial College 1994
Need to develop transducers:

- One mode
- One direction
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Development of a non-resonant low

frequency transducer
P Cawley, DN Alleyne, CW Chan. Patent WO 96/12951, 1994.

DN Alleyne, P Cawley. J NDE, 15, p11-20, 1996.
Early Research Transducers
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Transducers in commercial use (Guided Ultrasonics Ltd)
Flexible transducer band used for large diameter pipes
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Summary of GWT research topics
 Guided wave theory

– MJS Lowe. IEEE Trans. UFFC, 42, p525-
p525-542, 1995.
– B N Pavlakovic, M J S Lowe, D N Alleyne, P Cawley. QNDE, Plenum Press, 16, p185
p185--192, 1997.
 Transduction
– P Cawley, DN Alleyne, CW Chan. Patent WO 96/12951, 1994.
– DN Alleyne, P Cawley. J NDE, 15, p11
p11--20, 1996.
 Reflection sensitivity
– DN Alleyne, MJS Lowe, P cawley. ASME J Appl Mech, 65, p635
p635--641, 1998.
– MJS Lowe, DN Alleyne, P cawley. ASME J Appl Mech, 65, p649-
p649-656, 1998.
– A Demma, P Cawley, MJS Lowe. J Acoust Soc Am, 114, p611-
p611-625, 2003.
– DN Alleyne, BN Pavlakovic, MJS Lowe, P Cawley. Insight, 43, p93-
p93-96, 2001.
– A Demma, P Cawley, MJS Lowe, AG Roosenbrand, BN Pavlakovic. NDT & E Int, 37, p167-
p167-180, 2004.
 Butt welds
– MJS Lowe, DN Alleyne, P cawley. ASME J Appl Mech, 65, p649-
p649-656, 1998.
 Bends
– A Demma, P Cawley, MJS Lowe, B Pavlakovic. ASME J Press Vess Technol, 127, p328-
p328-335, 2005
– F Simonetti, P Cawley. Proc Roy Soc, 460, p2197-
p2197-2221, 2004.
 Supports
– DN Alleyne, P Cawley. Proc I Mech E, J Proc Mech Eng, 210, p217
p217--226, 1996.
 Flanges, tees, valves

– DN Alleyne, P Cawley. Proc I Mech E, J Proc Mech Eng, 210, p217
p217--226, 1996.
 Coatings
– F Simonetti, P Cawley. Proc Roy Soc, 460, p2197-
p2197-2221, 2004.
 Surrounding materials when buried

– R. Long, M J S Lowe, P Cawley. Ultrasonics, 41, p509
p509--519, 2003.
 Improved interpretation
– J Davies, F Simonetti, MJS Lowe, P Cawley. QNDE, AIP, 25, p142-
p142-149, 2006.
– J. Davies, P. Cawley. IEEE Trans UFFC, 56, p759-
p759-771, 2009.
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Outline
 I t d ti to
id d waves
Example of practical use of the guided wave inspection

method: testing of refinery pipeline at road crossing
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Measured signals shown in the form of an "A-Scan"

Amplittude
1.0 -F4
F4 -F3
F3 -F2
F2 -F1
F1 +F1
F1 +F2
F2 +F3
F3+F4
F4
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-30.0 -20.0 -10.0 0.0 10.0
Distance (m)
corrosion
Results show corrosion at entrance to road crossing
Symmetric (black) and flexural (red) signals are

used for interpretation
Measured signals shown in the form of a "C-Scan"

(Unrolled pipe view)
360
270
Angle (deg)
180
90
-24dB
0
0.0 5.0 10.0
-F2
-F1
+F4
+F1
+F2
+F3
+F5
2.0
Amp (Linear)
1.5
1.0
0.5
(Note: this is different example
than previous slide)
00
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Examples of GWT in practice
Here's an easy location for testing.....
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But it can be much less comfortable! (testing in Alaska)
Testing offshore
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Testing sub-sea
What is the role of GWT in NDT?
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The role of GWT of pipelines:

SCREENING
 GWT is used to identify (call) indications at locations of

possible concern.
 Conventional methods of NDT are used locally at the
locations of concern to evaluate indications.
Sequence 1:
Perform the GWT
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Sequence 2:
Analyse the signals to identify indications
Sequence 3:
Follow up using conventional NDT methods
Longitudinal
-0.8 position (m) 0.6
6.00
Circumferential
weld
Circumferential
position
(clock)
12.00
Longitudinal
weld
6.00
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Recommendation:
Presentation at 12.30, in room Xcaret 1
"Guided Wave Testing of an Immersed Gas Pipeline"
Victor Nuñez
Outline
 I t d ti to
id d waves
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Future directions A:
Characterisation of defects in inaccessible places
Buried pipes Under saddle supports
Extended interpretation
p of
GWT signals to find more
information about indications
Transducer ring Defect End wall
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Tomographic imaging using transmission signals
Future directions B:
Permanently Installed Monitoring System (PIMS)
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Conclusions
 Guided waves can pprovide a lot of information but
they are very complicated
 Exploitation has been made possible through careful
research of the fundamental physics, and
development of specific instrumentation
 GWT has been commercialised and is now well
established in industrial use
 GWT procedures and certification of GWT personnel
are now implemented in published standards
Guided Wave Mini-Course

14:30 – 18:00 XCARET 1
 Introduction to Guided Wave basics

 Target applications and limitation
 Case studies
 Training
 Course for engineers and managers

 Final users and service companies
 You can book at registration desk, limited space available
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Thank you!
42

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04/10/2011

Imperial College NDT Group

The Guided Wave Testing Method for

V Pan American Conference for Non Destructive Testing

Imperial College NDT Group

Imperial College NDT Group

Imperial College NDT Group

Imperial College NDT Group

Conventional ultrasound NDT

Imperial College NDT Group

Conventional ultrasound NDT

Imperial College NDT Group

Conventional ultrasound NDT

Imperial College NDT Group

But what about "guided waves?"

Imperial College NDT Group

But what about guided waves?

Imperial College NDT Group

Could guided waves be useful for NDT?

Imperial College NDT Group

Imperial College NDT Group

Concept of long range guided wave inspection

Volts End of structure

Imperial College NDT Group

What happens if we just try......

Imperial College NDT Group

Guided wave dispersion curves

L Rayleigh (1885); H Lamb (1917)

Imperial College NDT Group

Imperial College NDT Group, 1991.

Imperial College NDT Group

Imperial College NDT Group

Development of the waveguide model

Imperial College NDT Group

Field in layer of material is built up

Imperial College NDT Group

....including multiples if waveguide has multiple layers

Imperial College NDT Group

Boundary conditions must be satisfied at all interfaces:

(1) Between the layers

(2a) If the plate is in vacuum: (2b) If the plate is immersed:

Imperial College NDT Group

This results in a Characteristic Function:

For a Plate or Cylinder Immersed or Embedded:

f (, kreal, kimag) = 0

The Dispersion Curves are the Solutions of the Characteristic

Imperial College NDT Group

Developments packaged in the modelling tool

Imperial College NDT Group

......and also: Solids, fluids, anisotropic....

Imperial College NDT Group

• First version 1991

• Widely used for guided

• More than 80 licensed

Lowe. IEEE Trans UFFC, 42, 1995.

Imperial College NDT Group

Development of Finite Element

Imperial College NDT Group

Finite Element simulation to calculate

Lowe, Diligent. J Acoust Soc Am, 111, 2002.

Imperial College NDT Group

Scattering of guided waves from a crack