A system includes a scanner body, a sensor package, a magnet, an actuator mechanism, and a retention mechanism. The sensor package includes a ferromagnetic strip and a flexible coil configured to at least one of transmit and detect a guided wave. The magnet is for applying a biasing magnetic field to the ferromagnetic strip. The actuator mechanism is configured to provide a mechanical pressure coupling between the magnetostrictive strip and a structure, and the retention mechanism is configured to counteract a force applied by the actuator mechanism. A processor is in communication with the sensor package and is configured to record guided wave signals detected by the flexible sensor coil, record scanner body location data provided by a position encoder, and generate two-dimensional image data of an anomaly in the structure based on the guided wave signals and location data. Methods of use and operation also are disclosed.

A method of determining a thickness of a region of wall- or plate-like structure which is thinner than a thickness of a surrounding region of the structure due to a cavity in the structure is disclosed. The method comprises comparing a measured time-frequency dispersion map for at least one dispersive guided wave obtained by measuring the structure using guided waves with a reference time-frequency dispersion map obtained by modelling the structure, determining a cut-off frequency, fc, at which the measured time-frequency dispersion map and the reference time-frequency dispersion map differ and calculating the thickness of the thinner region in dependence upon the cut-off frequency.

Detection, identification, and monitoring of various composite-damage types such as impact damage, delaminations, etc. using angle-beam coupled guided waves and methods and systems that permit excitation with angle-beam techniques of certain composite-material guided-wave modes that cannot be excited in isotropic metals with angle-beam methods.

Methods and systems for subsurface imaging of nanostructures buried inside a plate shaped substrate are provided. An ultrasonic generator at a side face of the substrate is used to couple ultrasound waves (W) into an interior of the substrate. The interior has or forms a waveguide for propagating the ultrasound waves (W) in a direction (X) along a length of the substrate transverse to the side face. The nanostructures are imaged using an AFM tip to measure an effect (E) at the top surface caused by direct or indirect interaction of the ultrasound waves (W) with the buried nanostructures.

An apparatus for guided wave testing of a test object comprises a linear array of receiver electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs), and at least one linear array of transmitter EMATs disposed substantially parallel to the linear array of receiver EMATs and configured to launch guided waves in said test object in a direction substantially perpendicular to the at least one linear array of transmitter EMATs. Either (i) transmitter coils of the at least one linear array of transmitter EMATs have a common winding direction, receiver coils of adjacent receiver EMATs have alternating winding directions, and receiver coils of at least two adjacent receiver EMATs are connected in series, or (ii) transmitter coils of the transmitter EMATs have alternating winding directions, receiver coils of adjacent receiver EMATs have a common winding direction, and receiver coils of at least two adjacent receiver EMATs are connected in series.

A method of determining a thickness of an elongate or extended structure (2; FIG. 8) using elastic waves is disclosed. The method comprises receiving at least one time-domain signal from a transducer (12), generating a frequency-domain signal in dependence upon the at least one time-domain signal, reducing noise in the frequency-domain signal to provide a de-noised frequency-domain signal, comparing the de-noised frequency-domain signal with at least one reference signal, each reference signal corresponding to a respective thickness; and determining the thickness of the elongate or extended structure in dependence comparing the de-noised frequency-domain signal with the at least one reference signal.

An ultrasonic testing device that can make a robotic testing system reach the surface of a complex curved composite workpiece that is not easy to reach and perform a quality testing. By pumping a coupling liquid into the device so that the coupling liquid enters a waveguide and jets onto the surface of the workpiece, an ultrasonic wave can be transmitted in the waveguide and reach the surface of the workpiece and penetrate the workpiece, thereby achieving the purpose of quality testing of the workpiece. By providing two ultrasonic testing devices without a waveguide on both sides of a tested workpiece, respectively, and by mounting the waveguide on one side or both sides of the ultrasonic testing devices, it is possible to transmit the ultrasonic waves to the surface of the workpiece or to receive the ultrasonic waves from the surface of the workpiece.

A system includes a magnetostrictive strip configured to be wrapped at least partially around an outer surface of a structure. A plurality of coil circuits are disposed on at least one flexible PCB that is configured to be disposed adjacent to the magnetostrictive strip. Each coil circuit is individually controllable by a plurality of channels to at least one of excite or detect guided waves in the structure. A plurality of magnets are configured to induce a magnetic field in the magnetostrictive strip. A connector is configured electrically connect at least one of the plurality of coil circuits and at least one the plurality of channels. A body constructed from a flexible material is sized and configured to at least partially encapsulate at least one other component of the system.

A method for removing a guided wave noise in a time-domain may include recording one or more acoustic signals with one or more receivers at a first location, wherein the one or more acoustic signals are raw data. The method may further include determining a slowness range, estimating a downward guided wave noise by stacking the one or more acoustic signals based at least in part on a positive slowness, estimating an upward guided wave noise by stacking the one or more acoustic signals based at least in part on a negative slowness, and identifying a dominant direction of propagation. The method may further include identifying a slowness from a highest stacked amplitude for the dominant direction of propagation, estimating a downward guided wave noise with the slowness, estimating an upward guided wave noise with the slowness, and subtracting the downward guided wave noise and the upward guided wave noise.

A system comprising a motorized scanner, a magnetostrictive EMAT sensor, and a mechanism to pressure-couple the sensor against the structure that is going to be ultrasonically inspected. The magnetostrictive EMAT sensor includes a magnet or magnets to provide a biasing field, an EMAT RF coil or coils to generate the RF field, a magnetostrictive strip under the coil or coils where the ultrasound is generated. Different magnet and coil configurations can be used to generate guided waves, such as shear horizontal and lamb waves, or bulk waves at different angles. The motorized scanner moves the sensor on the structure and stops at the desired inspection locations based on position readings. Once in position, a built-in device applies downward pressure on the sensor to pressure couple the magnetostrictive strip against the structure so the ultrasound can propagate within this structure and ultrasonic readings can be taken.