Ultrasonic Testing Compensation for Temperature and Liquid Effects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrasonic testing methods for structures face inaccuracies in detecting changes due to environmental and operational conditions such as temperature changes and liquid presence, which can lead to false or missed detections of structural changes.
Innovation Solution
A multi-level compensation approach is employed, using phase-shifting in the time-domain to account for temperature changes and frequency-filtering in the frequency-domain to compensate for liquid-boundary effects, allowing for more accurate detection of structural changes by excluding frequencies dominated by liquid presence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ultrasonic testing is performed to detect structural changes, then detection capability is provided, but environmental and operational conditions (temperature changes, liquid presence) cause measurement inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ultrasonic signal into different frequency components through Fourier transformation. By dividing the signal spectrum into multiple frequency bins, the system can selectively process different frequency ranges affected differently by temperature and liquid presence, allowing targeted compensation for each frequency band's specific interference characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing temperature compensation factors and liquid presence correction coefficients to adjust the ultrasonic signal characteristics. These parameters are derived from environmental sensors and signal analysis, and are used to transform the raw signal into a compensated signal that accounts for temperature variations and liquid boundary effects, thereby improving measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If signal processing is applied to compensate for environmental conditions, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing compensation lookup tables for temperature effects and liquid presence characteristics before actual testing. During operation, the system simply retrieves and applies the appropriate compensation factors based on measured environmental conditions, avoiding complex real-time calculations and reducing processing complexity while maintaining high measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components including temperature sensors, liquid level detectors, and signal transformation layers that mediate between the raw ultrasonic signal and the final detection result. These intermediaries provide structured interfaces for compensation processing, making the overall system more modular and manageable despite the increased processing requirements.
3Reliability
If frequency filtering is used to eliminate liquid boundary effects, then detection reliability improves, but loss of information occurs at filtered frequencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively filtering only specific frequency ranges that are predominantly affected by liquid boundary effects, while preserving other frequency ranges that contain structural information. The compensation process applies different processing strategies to different frequency bands, maintaining high reliability in liquid-affected bands while preserving information in less affected bands.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring the compensated signal for residual liquid effects and adjusting the filtering parameters accordingly. The system analyzes the spectral content of the processed signal and dynamically adjusts which frequencies to filter or compensate, ensuring that information is preserved when possible while maintaining detection reliability when liquid interference is present.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances the accuracy of ultrasonic testing by effectively compensating for temperature and liquid-related interference, leading to reliable detection of material loss, conversion, or addition in structures.
Implementation Method 1
An acoustic transmission transducer may transmit one or more acoustic signals along a structure
Implementation Method 2
An acoustic reception transducer may receive the acoustic signal(s) after the acoustic signal(s) have traveled along at least a portion of the structure
Implementation Method 3
The change to the operating temperature of the structure may be compensated for by phase-shifting the signal characteristics of the received acoustic signal to match the baseline signal characteristics
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-level compensation is used to compensate for environment and operational condition changes in ultrasonic testing of structures. A phase-shifting (time-domain) compensation is utilized to compensate for changes in operating temperature of a structure between acquisition of baseline and monitoring measurements. A frequency-filtering (frequency-domain) compensation is utilized to compensate for liquid-boundary effects (i.e., effects caused by static and/or dynamic liquid presence within the structure) during acquisition of baseline and monitoring measurements. The multi-level compensation addresses amplitude changes, time shifts, and frequency content variations in ultrasonic measurements due to temperature changes and acoustic interaction with liquid presence within the structure, and increases the accuracy of ultrasonic testing.