Simulation of ultrasonic testing for resolution of corrosion detection in pipes

Abstract

Ultrasonic testing is a conventional non-destructive test technique widely used in the industry. In this paper, we study ultrasonic testing for detection of internal corrosion of the thin-walled pipes. When the reflective surface is too close to the probe, ultrasonic excitation over a large area leads to interference in the reflection wave. This puts a limitation on the probe size, given the expected accuracy of the measurement. This paper investigates the relation between the accuracy and the probe size, using Finite Element Method (FEM) for simulation of ultrasound wave propagation.