ALKALI ACTIVATED FLY ASH BASED CONCRETE: EVALUATION OF CURING PROCESS USING NON-LINEAR ULTRASONIC APPROACH

This paper investigates the applicability of nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) method using ultrasonic signals to monitor the curing of alkali activated fly ash based concrete (AAFC). The evaluation was carried out on AAFC specimens with two different water/binder (W/B) ratios of 0.3 and 0.5 and after curing at 60 °C for 7, 14 and 28 days, respectively. The signals are recorded and analyzed using linear and non-linear ultrasonic techniques. The results show that the non-linear ultrasonic technique has a clear advantage over the linear ultrasonic technique when monitoring the curing of AAFC specimens with the lower W/B ratio. However, the specimens with the higher W/B ratio do not undergo proper curing and therefore do not show clear distinctions between the curing times measured from the two ultrasonic techniques. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the AAFC specimens at different W/B ratios and curing times is also measured. The UCS results showed a good correlation with the ultrasonic results.

Development of ultrasound echocardiography technique for imaging of the cardiovascular system of small organisms in vivo

A technique based on a high-frequency ultrasound scanner was developed for imaging and characterization of the cardiovascular system of small organisms in vivo. An optical microscope combined with the ultrasonic unit was used in the experimental setup for simultaneous recording ultrasonic signals and video data. It was shown that combination of optical and ultrasonic data is effective to visualize dynamic processes in a living object. In addition to imaging of the cardiovascular system, video data was processed to estimate the period and phase of the cardiac cycle and to generate a trigger signal for the ultrasonic unit. The proposed approach and developed experimental setup were applied to imaging of the Danio rerio larva. In a result of the processing of the synchronous ultrasonic and optical data, the blood flow in the heart of the larva and the movement of surrounding organs were observed.

Determination of Propagation Times of Finite Ultrasonic Signals in the UFM Measuring Path

This article provides a brief analysis of the error in calculating the discrete crosscorrelation function of the transit-time ultrasonic flowmeter signals. Special attention is paid to the study of the influence of the obtained discrete correlation function inaccuracy on the ultrasonic flowmeter’s propagation times determining error. It is known that for real time-limited acoustic signals, the discrete correlation function values are calculated with a significant error. The consequence of this is the appearance of the measurement error of the time delay between signals. The reason for this phenomenon is incorrect truncation of finite length digital sequences of the received acoustic signals. The report presents and describes an improved cross-correlation method for determining the time difference. The new algorithm takes into account the existing discretizing parameters of the received UPS – sampling frequency, sequence size and the truncated signal’s shape. Theoretical analytical expressions for the signals discrete cross-correlation function estimating are obtained as an approximation of a continuous function (the method of trapezoids and Simpson is used as an integral replacement). The numerical simulation by MatLab explains the error formation essence in the signal times difference calculating.

Reflection-Mode Ultrasound Computed Tomography Based on Wavelet Processing for High-Contrast Anatomical and Morphometric Imaging

Medical B-mode ultrasound is widely used for the examination of children’s limbs, including soft tissue, muscle, and bone. However, for the accurate examination of the bone only, it is often replaced by more restrictive clinical modalities. Several authors have investigated ultrasonic imaging of bone to assess cortical thickness and/or to estimate the wave velocity through the internal structure. The present work focuses on the transverse slice imaging process using reflection-mode ultrasound computed tomography (USCT). The method is valid for imaging soft tissues with similar acoustic impedances, but in the presence of bone, the higher contrasts alter the propagation of ultrasonic waves and reduce the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). There is a need to change the methods used for the processing of ultrasonic signals. Our group has developed a wavelet-based coded excitation (WCE) method to process information in frequency and time. The objective of this study is to use the method to improve reflection-mode USCT, at low ultrasonic intensities, to better address organ morphometry. Experimental results on a newborn arm phantom and on an ex vivo chicken drumstick are presented, and the usefulness of this WCE-mode USCT is discussed.

An Industrial B-Mode Phased Array Ultrasonic Imaging Reconstruction Algorithm Based on FRI Sampling

Firstly, a novel FRI sampling model has been proposed according to the characteristics of ultrasonic signals. The model has the advantages such as good stability, strong antinoise ability, simple circuit implementation, and fewer preconditions, compared to the traditional methods. Then, in order to verify the validity of the sampling model, the method is applied to B-type ultrasonic imaging, and a B-type phased array ultrasonic imaging algorithm based on FRI sampling model is proposed. Finally, the algorithm simulation experiment is designed, and the results show that the sampling point required by the proposed FRI sampling model is only 0.1% of the traditional B-type phased array ultrasonic imaging method, and the sampling frequency of the proposed ultrasonic imaging algorithm is only 0.0077% of the traditional B-type ultrasonic imaging method. Additionally, the experiment result indicates that this algorithm is more applicable to phased array ultrasonic imaging than the SOS filter is.

Quality evaluation of metal surfaces treatment by wavelet analysis

Purpose. Analyze the effectiveness of using wavelet analysis to assess the quality of metal surfaces. Investigate the possibility of using wavelet analysis in ultrasonic flaw detection. Determine the optimal wavelet families and their criteria for assessing the quality of metal surface processing. Research methods. Orthogonal wavelets are considered: Daubechies wavelet, Simlet wavelet and Coiflet wavelet, which provide the possibility of performing a discrete wavelet transform procedure. The criteria influencing the effectiveness of ultrasonic signal filtering by methods using wavelet analysis are considered. Ultrasonic signals were filtered using wavelet functions. Results. It has been determined that for successful signal filtering, the selected wavelet method must provide a discrete wavelet transformation and have a similarity in the wavelet function shape in the local features of the ultrasonic signals flaw detector. During the work, a rigid threshold for limiting the detail coefficients of wavelet analysis was chosen, as it is the best for filtering tasks. The filtering efficiency is confirmed by the relatively high signal to noise ratio, as well as by the fact that the shape of the pulse extracted from the defect remained almost unchanged. Scientific novelty. When using the Daubechies and Coiflet wavelets as basic functions, as a result of wavelet filtering, it was possible to increase the signal to noise ratio by 20 dB and confidently isolate the useful signal against the background noise, which indicates the prospects of using this kind of transformations in filtering problems. Practical value. The obtained solutions can be used for implementation in signal filtering algorithms in digital processing units of automated non-destructive ultrasonic control systems.