NDT Sensor Segmentation for Linear Damage Response
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Non-destructive test (NDT) systems face challenges in accurately and efficiently determining the largest damage size they can miss, which is crucial for reliability assessment and confidence in risk analysis, due to limitations in sensor response predictability and variance in damage characterization.
Innovation Solution
The method involves monitoring damage standards using NDT sensors during damage evolution tests, pausing to collect ground truth data, and using a damage evolution model to estimate ground truth data during pauses, allowing for the generation of improved probability of detection (POD) curves by combining NDT sensor data with ground truth data, and utilizing multiple sensors with multiple sensing elements to achieve a linear sensor response over a wider range of damage sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single sensor is used to monitor damage standards, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision and range of damage sizes are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is divided into multiple sensing elements arranged along the damage growth direction. Each sensing element monitors a specific segment of the damage growth path, allowing the system to achieve linear response over a wider range of damage sizes without requiring multiple separate sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing elements are arranged in a spatial dimension along the damage growth direction. This dimensional arrangement allows the sensor to capture damage evolution across different stages simultaneously, extending the measurable damage size range while maintaining a single sensor unit.
2Measurement precision
If ground truth data is collected continuously during damage evolution tests, then the measurement precision is high, but the loss of time and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is positioned and calibrated before the damage evolution test begins. The multiple sensing elements are pre-aligned along the anticipated damage growth path, so that when damage occurs, the sensor is already in the optimal position to capture the evolution without requiring interruptions for repositioning or additional measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor continuously monitors damage evolution throughout the test without requiring pauses for ground truth data collection. The multiple sensing elements provide uninterrupted coverage of the damage growth process, eliminating time loss associated with stopping tests to collect reference data.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors with multiple sensing elements are used, then the measurement precision and damage size range are extended, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is divided into multiple sensing elements arranged along the damage growth direction. Each sensing element monitors a specific segment of the damage growth path, allowing the system to achieve linear response over a wider range of damage sizes without requiring multiple separate sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sensing elements are integrated into a single sensor unit with a common structure and mounting mechanism. This merging approach provides the measurement capabilities of multiple sensors while maintaining the simplicity of a single device unit, reducing overall system complexity.
4Productivity
If the sensor response is used to predict damage size, then the productivity is high, but the measurement precision decreases due to variance in sensor response
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is divided into multiple sensing elements arranged along the damage growth direction. Each sensing element monitors a specific segment of the damage growth path, allowing the system to achieve linear response over a wider range of damage sizes without requiring multiple separate sensors.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for enhancing performance curve generation, damage monitoring, and improving non-destructive testing performance. Damage standards used for performance curve generation are monitored using a non-destructive testing (NDT) sensor during a damage evolution test performed with the standard. The evolution test may be intermittently paused to permit ground truth data to be collected in addition to the NDT sensor data. A damage evolution model may be used to estimate ground truth data during the intervening periods of the damage evolution test. The NDT sensor data and ground truth data are used to generate performance curves for the NDT system. Multiple sensors may be monitored at multiple locations on the damage standard and multiple damage evolution tests may be performed with multiple damage standards.