Accurate modelling of anisotropic effects in austenitic stainless steel welds
- NDE Research, Support and Development, Rolls-Royce Marine, Derby, PO BOX 2000, DE21 7XX (United Kingdom)
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University Walk, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TR (United Kingdom)
The ultrasonic inspection of austenitic steel welds is challenging due to the formation of highly anisotropic and heterogeneous structures post-welding. This is due to the intrinsic crystallographic structure of austenitic steel, driving the formation of dendritic grain structures on cooling. The anisotropy is manifested as both a ‘steering’ of the ultrasonic beam and the back-scatter of energy due to the macroscopic granular structure of the weld. However, the quantitative effects and relative impacts of these phenomena are not well-understood. A semi-analytical simulation framework has been developed to allow the study of anisotropic effects in austenitic stainless steel welds. Frequency-dependent scatterers are allocated to a weld-region to approximate the coarse grain-structures observed within austenitic welds and imaged using a simulated array. The simulated A-scans are compared against an equivalent experimental setup demonstrating excellent agreement of the Signal to Noise (S/N) ratio. Comparison of images of the simulated and experimental data generated using the Total Focusing Method (TFM) indicate a prominent layered effect in the simulated data. A superior grain allocation routine is required to improve upon this.
- OSTI ID:
- 22263840
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1581; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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