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DISTRIBUTED CIRCLE METHOD FOR GUIDED WAVE BASED CORROSION DETECTION IN PLATE-LIKE STRUCTURES

  • US 20170191966A1
  • Filed: 01/04/2016
  • Published: 07/06/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2016
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. A method for characterizing a thickness deviation in at least a portion of a plate-like structure, the method comprising:

  • deploying adjacent to at least a portion of a plate-like structure a sensor network comprising a plurality of transducers, the at least a portion of the plate-like structure having a presumed substantially uniform pristine thickness and formed of an presumed substantially homogenous material and characterized by a known dispersion curvatures that depend on the plate thickness and material properties;

    propagating guided waves through the at least a portion of the plate-like structure within the sensor network, wherein the sensor network provides at least four discrete wave transmission paths that traverse the at least a portion of the plate-like structure;

    determining the velocity of the guided waves along each discrete wave transmission path based on a predetermined distance between sensors that define the path and the time of flight of the transmitted waves along the wave transmission path;

    detecting within the at least a portion of the plate-like structure the presence of any deviation in thickness from the presumed pristine thickness, wherein a deviation in thickness is present when the determined velocity along at least one of the wave transmission paths deviates from an expected pristine guided wave velocity provided by the known wave mode velocities that depend on the relationship between wavelength and plate thickness; and

    estimating the location and approximate area of any deviation in the thickness within the at least a portion of the plate-like structure, wherein a deviation in thickness is present when at least four wave transmission paths traverse the deviation as evidenced by a detected deviation of velocity from expected pristine guided wave velocities along at least four wave transmission paths, and whereby the location and size of a patch of thickness deviation is estimated as a circle based on the determined velocities and predetermined distances for each of the transmission paths, and the expected pristine guided wave velocity provided by the known wave mode velocities that depend on the relationship between wavelength and plate thickness.

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