Ultrasonic phased array detection method for butt fusion welding defects of HDPE pipes

Abstract

The welding joint is the weak link of the high-density polyethylene pipeline. The continuous development of ultrasonic phased array technology is expected to replace traditional non-destructive testing methods. In this paper, ultrasonic phased array technology is used to detect the defects of butt fusion welding. The results show that the ultrasonic phased array can distinguish between metallic and non-metallic inclusions, and the inclusion size can be displayed. Besides, insufficient fusion defects have no obvious defect features in the sector scan results. The types of insufficient fusion defects can be judged from the end-face line scan results.

Numerical analysis of the phased array imaging with a stacked plate buffer

“…The beam forming and focusing are possible by adjusting the delay given to the vibrating elements, and new technologies have also been developed, such as a full matrix capture (FMC), which collects a very large number of waveforms by switching the vibrating elements, and a total focusing method (TFM), which is the imaging algorithm using the large number of waveforms collected by the FMC. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] However, when considering the installation of a phased array probe in plant piping to monitor crack propagation during operation, the high temperature resistance of the phased array probes becomes important when the piping is subjected to high temperatures. For example, in new nuclear power plants that use liquid sodium as a coolant, the temperature of the piping can reach several hundred degrees Celsius, while a typical phased array probe can only maintain its functionality up to about 60 °C.…”