High contrast ultrasonic imaging of resin-rich regions in graphite/epoxy composites using entropy

Michael S. Hughes, John E. McCarthy, Paul J. Bruillard, Jon N. Marsh, Samuel A. Wickline

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

This study compares different approaches for imaging a near-surface resin-rich defect in a thin graphite/epoxy plate using backscattered ultrasound. The specimen was created by cutting a circular hole in the second ply; this region filled with excess resin from the graphite/epoxy sheets during the curing process. Backscat-tered waveforms were acquired using a 4 in. focal length, 5MHz center frequency broadband transducer, scanned on a 100 × 100 grid of points that were 0.03 × 0.03 in. apart. The specimen was scanned with the defect side closest to the transducer. Consequently, the reflection from the resin-rich region cannot be gated from the large front-wall echo. At each point in the grid 256 waveforms were averaged together and subsequently used to produce peak-to-peak, Signal Energy (sum of squared digitized waveform values), as well as entropy images of two different types (a Renyi entropy, and a joint entropy). As the figure shows, all of the entropy images exhibit better border delineation and defect contrast than the either the peak-to-peak or Signal Energy. The best results are obtained using the joint entropy of the backscattered waveforms with a reference function. Two different references are examined. The first is a reflection of the insonifying pulse from a stainless steel reflector. The second is an approximate optimum obtained from an iterative parametric search. The joint entropy images produced using this reference exhibit three times the contrast obtained in previous studies.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication42nd Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation
Subtitle of host publicationIncorporating the 6th European-American Workshop on Reliability of NDE
EditorsLeonard J. Bond, Dale E. Chimenti
PublisherAmerican Institute of Physics Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)9780735413535
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 10 2016
Event42nd Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, QNDE 2015, Incorporating the 6th European-American Workshop on Reliability of NDE - Minneapolis, United States
Duration: Jul 26 2015Jul 31 2015

Publication series

NameAIP Conference Proceedings
Volume1706
ISSN (Print)0094-243X
ISSN (Electronic)1551-7616

Conference

Conference42nd Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, QNDE 2015, Incorporating the 6th European-American Workshop on Reliability of NDE
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityMinneapolis
Period07/26/1507/31/15

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