TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 781/2003
R M Sanderson
Background
The use of guided waves to test pipes non-destructively is fast becoming a well-established technique. Teletest®, marketed by Plant Integrity Ltd., is used to screen tens of metres of pipe from a single position. Rings of transducers are placed in an accessible region of the pipe and testing can then be carried out further down the pipe. A possible extension of the technique is the use of guided waves to detect flaws in rails.
TWI has developed a finite element technique for calculation of dispersion curves of any cross section and any material. Increased computing power and improved finite element solvers have dictated that dispersion curves can be calculated over a wider and hence more applicable range of frequencies.
Objectives
- To validate the wave propagation modelling technique against experimentally measured transmission data in a steel plate.
- To quantify the reflection characteristics of guided waves from flaws in pipes.
- To quantify the propagation characteristics of guided waves in rails with a view to applying the technique to rails in the future.
- To quantify the reflectivity of guided waves from flaws in rails