A contact-type line-focus ultrasonic probe has been developed. The probe is composed of a quarter cylindrical wedge and a piezoelectric transducer attached to its cylindrical surface. A key feature of the developed probe is that longitudinal wave is incident to the testing object at all angles from 0° to 90° simultaneously. Basic characteristics of the probe have been examined by visualizing ul...

We review recent work on the application of fluctuation analyses of time series for pattern classification in nondestructive materials inspection. These analyses are based on the evaluation of time-series fluctuations across time intervals of increasing size, and were originally introduced in the study of fractals. A number of examples indicate that this approach yields relevant features allowi...

Managing pipe damaged by Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) has been a formidable challenge to the pipeline industry. The development of a practical solution for the measurement and evaluation of SCC has been marred by the complexity of crack shapes, their distribution within a crack colony, and the lack of non-destructive technology capable of reliably measuring the crack depths. Laser ultrasonic...

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping has been used in place of steel alloys in the petrochemical, power, and mining industries due to its exceptional resistance to corrosion and erosion. Recently, HDPE has also been used for nuclear safety-related cooling water applications. The application of nuclear quality assurance requirements creates reasonable assurance that the production fusion join...