TWI's experts are constantly investigating new ways to use long range ultrasonic technologies, and find alternative applications. This work is done through TWI's usual project channels:

Group Sponsored Projects

Being formed

7373 Long range ultrasonic inspection

  • Guided wave LRUT for screening
  • Performance validation
  • Phased array and swept frequency
  • Development of guidelines

Completed

5686 Long-range ultrasonic inspection for petrochemical plant

  • Large area technique
  • Demonstrating performance in application
  • Detection of flaws and corrosion
  • Focussing detailed inspection effort

Current Collaborative Projects:

AWARE
NDT inspection of inaccessible electrical wiring in ageing aircraft.
Project Website: www.aware.uk.com

COMPAIR
Continuous health monitoring and non-destructive assessment of composites and composite repairs on surface transport applications.
Project Website: www.compairproject.com

INSIGHT
In-situ wireless monitoring of offshore wind towers and blades.
Project Website: www.insightproject.co.uk

LRUT FOOD
Advanced Long Range Ultrasonic Technology (LRUT) for Integrity Assessment.
Project Website: www.lrutfood.co.uk

MICCS
Methodology for fast and reliable Investigation and Characterization of Contaminated Sites.

SELFSCAN
Neural Net based defect detection system using Long Range Ultrasonic Testing (LRUT) technology for Aircraft Structure Health Monitoring.

SHIPINSPECTOR
Detection of Safety Critical Cracks and Corrosion in Ships using Novel Sensors and Systems based on Ultrasonic Linear Phased Array Technology.
Project Website: www.shipinspector.eu

SUBCTEST
Development of novel inspection NDT techniques and robots to be deployed by remote operating vehicles (ROVs) for the subsea inspection of offshore structures.
Project Website: www.subctest.com

TIDALSENSE
Development of condition monitoring system for marine current turbine structures.

TIM
Development of in-situ, non-invasive monitoring of the integrity of above ground storage tanks using novel Long Range Ultrasonic Testing (LRUT) techniques.

WINTUR
In-situ wireless monitoring of on- and offshore wind towers and blades using energy harvesting technology.
Project Website: www.wintur-project.com

RISERTEST
Development of a guided long-range ultrasonic inspection system for the examination of offshore subsea risers, steel catenary risers (SCRs) and flowlines.

PIPESCAN
Development of systems for the inspection of metal pipelines buried underground, in concrete, in water or covered with coatings.

OPCOM
Development of ultrasonic guided wave inspection technology for the condition monitoring of offshore structures.

LRUCM
Long range ultrasonic condition monitoring of engineering assets. Visit website: www.lrucm.eu.com

TankInspect
Condition monitoring of large oil and chemical storage tanks using ultrasonic guided wave tomography without the need to empty and clean the tanks.

Development of phased array and swept frequency guided wave long range ultrasonic techniques for fitness for service assessment of pipe corrosion.

A key technology for direct assessment of buried pipelines - validation and enhancement of long range guided wave ultrasonic testing.

Core Research Projects

0401-7 Guided wave phased array technology for assessing corrosion in pipelines

Objectives

  • To find the most effective techniques for focussing guided waves into one region of the pipe.

  • To determine the scope of the focussing technique for a range of pipe geometries.

  • To assess the potential for sizing corrosion defects using modelling techniques for focussing of guided waves.

0401-15 Validation of theoretical models for focussed/phased array ultrasonic inspection of clad pipes

Objectives

  • To validate theoretical models for focussed and/or phased array ultrasonic techniques for the inspection of clad pipes.

  • To demonstrate detection performance of focussed and/or phased array ultrasonic techniques for clad pipe.

0401-18 Piezodiagnostics - smart structural diagnostics using piezo-generated elastic waves

Objectives

  • To develop a smart piezo-diagnostics technology with the potential of long distance operation (wave propagation for distances greater than 1km) thereby overcoming the requirement for close proximity between the wave-generator, sensors and potential defects.

  • To develop an associated data processing methodology enabling real-time monitoring, multi-damage detection and it s precise identification (dispersed locations and intensities).

  • To develop a prototype installation for remote monitoring.

  • To evaluate the developed monitoring system, in laboratory and industrial conditions.