Taking Advantage of Signal Processing for Lifetime Management

So as to detect and characterize potential defects in pipes, inspections are carried out. Should a defect be detected, one can be asked to prove the component still stands the mechanical constraints. Then, it is essential to characterize the defect, especially when the demonstration relies on mechanical calculus: the better the characterization, the better the mechanical assessment. Still, the characterization of the defect from the sole data is sometimes very difficult and the justification process can thus be dramatically jeopardized. In such cases, signal processing can be very helpful for the interpretation of the data and for the defect’s characterization. This paper is dedicated to the inspection of pipes with narrow beam X-ray imaging. For this application, the characterization of the defect is indeed very difficult. We show that the signal processing makes it possible to achieve a 3-D reconstruction of the component providing a characterization of the defects. Thus, the signal processing can turn out to be an essential step between measurement and mechanical calculus.