A Phased Array Ultrasound Roller Probe for Automated in-Process/Interpass Inspection of Multipass Welds

Vithanage, Randika K. W.; Mohseni, Ehsan; Qiu, Zhen; MacLeod, Charles N.; Javadi, Yashar; Sweeney, Nina E.; Pierce, S. Gareth; Gachagan, Anthony

doi:10.1109/tie.2020.3042112

Cited by 29 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The high interpass temperatures required to maintain the weld integrity (typically up to 250 °C) have driven research into the development of a novel, high-temperature capable PAUT probe [ 41 ]. The probe features a 5 MHz, linear 64-element PAUT transducer immersed in water and enclosed in a moulded high-temperature silicone rubber tyre, capable of operating at temperatures up to 350 °C.…”

Section: Ultrasonic Inspectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensor-Enabled Multi-Robot System for Automated Welding and In-Process Ultrasonic NDE

Vasilev

MacLeod

Loukas

et al. 2021

Sensors

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The growth of the automated welding sector and emerging technological requirements of Industry 4.0 have driven demand and research into intelligent sensor-enabled robotic systems. The higher production rates of automated welding have increased the need for fast, robotically deployed Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE), replacing current time-consuming manually deployed inspection. This paper presents the development and deployment of a novel multi-robot system for automated welding and in-process NDE. Full external positional control is achieved in real time allowing for on-the-fly motion correction, based on multi-sensory input. The inspection capabilities of the system are demonstrated at three different stages of the manufacturing process: after all welding passes are complete; between individual welding passes; and during live-arc welding deposition. The specific advantages and challenges of each approach are outlined, and the defect detection capability is demonstrated through inspection of artificially induced defects. The developed system offers an early defect detection opportunity compared to current inspection methods, drastically reducing the delay between defect formation and discovery. This approach would enable in-process weld repair, leading to higher production efficiency, reduced rework rates and lower production costs.

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Section: Ultrasonic Inspectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensor-Enabled Multi-Robot System for Automated Welding and In-Process Ultrasonic NDE

Vasilev

MacLeod

Loukas

et al. 2021

Sensors

Self Cite

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“…However, when considering automated deployment and surface scanning, excessive and damaging shear forces can be introduced from dragging these polymers across the surface resulting in increased wear and reduced life. A dry-coupled phased array probe, specifically designed for automated in-process inspection of welds was introduced in [42], which can resist elevated temperatures and enable rolling motion across surfaces. This body of work presents for the first time an ultrasonic phased array volumetric imaging concept that can be deployed on the as-built surfaces of WAAM components.…”

Section: 4: In-situ Inspection Of As-built Waam Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-layer ultrasonic imaging of as-built Wire + Arc Additive Manufactured components

Zimermann

Mohseni

Lines

et al. 2021

Additive Manufacturing

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“…The ultrasound-based in-process NDE of welds at elevated temperatures was made possible by the development of novel, phased array ultrasound transducer (PAUT)-based, high-temperature and dry-coupled roller-probes [15,17]. Thanks to its design, based on a PAUT coupled through a water delay line and a flexible silicone rubber, the roller-probe was reported capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 350 • C, which made this device well suited for in-process NDE of arc-based manufacturing processes, where the resistance to elevated temperatures is highly desired [17]. This was a significant advancement in ultrasound NDE transducer development, given a typical commercial PAUT can only operate up to around 60 • C, while commercial delay lines can offset this limit to the temperatures only up to around 150 • C for a short period of time [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collaborative Robotic Wire + Arc Additive Manufacture and Sensor-Enabled In-Process Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Evaluation

Zimermann

Mohseni

Vasilev

et al. 2022

Sensors

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The demand for cost-efficient manufacturing of complex metal components has driven research for metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) such as Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). WAAM enables automated, time- and material-efficient manufacturing of metal parts. To strengthen these benefits, the demand for robotically deployed in-process Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) has risen, aiming to replace current manually deployed inspection techniques after completion of the part. This work presents a synchronized multi-robot WAAM and NDE cell aiming to achieve (1) defect detection in-process, (2) enable possible in-process repair and (3) prevent costly scrappage or rework of completed defective builds. The deployment of the NDE during a deposition process is achieved through real-time position control of robots based on sensor input. A novel high-temperature capable, dry-coupled phased array ultrasound transducer (PAUT) roller-probe device is used for the NDE inspection. The dry-coupled sensor is tailored for coupling with an as-built high-temperature WAAM surface at an applied force and speed. The demonstration of the novel ultrasound in-process defect detection approach, presented in this paper, was performed on a titanium WAAM straight sample containing an intentionally embedded tungsten tube reflectors with an internal diameter of 1.0 mm. The ultrasound data were acquired after a pre-specified layer, in-process, employing the Full Matrix Capture (FMC) technique for subsequent post-processing using the adaptive Total Focusing Method (TFM) imaging algorithm assisted by a surface reconstruction algorithm based on the Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT). The presented results show a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, a potential for early defect detection is achieved, directly strengthening the benefits of the AM process by enabling a possible in-process repair.

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A Phased Array Ultrasound Roller Probe for Automated in-Process/Interpass Inspection of Multipass Welds

Cited by 29 publications

References 14 publications

Sensor-Enabled Multi-Robot System for Automated Welding and In-Process Ultrasonic NDE

Sensor-Enabled Multi-Robot System for Automated Welding and In-Process Ultrasonic NDE

Multi-layer ultrasonic imaging of as-built Wire + Arc Additive Manufactured components

Collaborative Robotic Wire + Arc Additive Manufacture and Sensor-Enabled In-Process Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Evaluation

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