The e-Journal of Nondestructive Testing - ISSN 1435-4934 - www.ndt.

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Crack Growth Monitoring with Phased-array Total Focusing Method (TFM)

Oleg Volf, EWI, Columbus, OH USA, ovolf@ewi.org

More info about this article: http://www.ndt.net/?id=25542

Abstract
Standard laboratory fatigue tests typically require monitoring of the crack length at various
intervals to obtain an engineering relationship between applied loading and the rate at which the
crack propagates. The technique that has proven to be the most efficient in way of data
acquisition, analysis, and accuracy, has been termed the ultrasonic phased array technique. Until
recently, no other technique provided high sizing accuracy was possible. With the advent of
phased-array technology and faster computers, a new approach is feasible that can augment or
even replace the older phased array technique. This paper describes how the Full Matrix Capture
(FMC) and Total Focusing Method (TFM) have advanced to provide superior displays and
analysis tools for crack sizing. Examples are provided illustrating simplicity of analysis and
sizing capabilities.

Keywords: Crack Growth Monitoring, Phased Array, PA, Total Focusing Method, TFM, Crack
Sizing, Diffraction Signals

Introduction
Standard laboratory fatigue tests typically require monitoring of the crack length at various
intervals to obtain an engineering relationship between applied loading and the rate at which the
crack propagates. This allows calculation of the fatigue crack growth rate, which can be used in
engineering assessments to predict the remaining service life of high-consequence, cyclically-
loaded structures such as cranes, bridges, aircraft wing spars, power generation turbines, etc.
Crack growth rate can be material- and/or and geometry-dependent, and thus can require some
sophistication in monitoring crack size particularly at low crack growth rates or where
environmental factors (i.e. corrosion) influence fatigue properties.

Conventional laboratory practice for monitoring crack size during fatigue testing involves the use
of instrumentation such as clip gages, cameras, electric-potential drop (EPD) sensors, etc. While
they have high sensitivity and resolution, these types of instruments usually measure an indirect
property as a function of crack size rather than the crack itself. For example, a clip gage
measures a change in compliance or stiffness of a test sample as the crack propagates. EPD
sensors measure a change in the electric resistance during cracking and reduces the cross-
sectional area of the specimen as a low-amperage electric current passes through the non-cracked
portions. Cameras are useful for measuring crack length in thin materials but are far less accurate
in quantifying crack length in thicker sections due to increased tendencies for crack tunneling.
Consequently, while these techniques have been widely used in fatigue testing, they require
careful setup, calibration and, in some cases, complicated data analysis to generate crack size
information. EWI has evaluated the feasibility of using advanced NDE methods as an alternative
approach for crack length measurement to simplify the process and gather better information
about the nature of the crack during propagation (i.e. detect non-planar growth, tunneling, etc.).
Approach
The test setup used a 50 kip servo-hydraulic test frame, a FlexTest GT Controller Version 3.5C
1815 to apply and control the cyclic loads, and an MTS 5 mm clip gage Model 632.02F-21 to
monitor crack length using compliance methods on a standard, single-edge notched bend
(SENB) fracture toughness specimen with a starter notch per ASTM E1820. Figure 1 illustrates
the typical SENB rectangular geometry with a machined notch and fatigue crack that emanates
from the notch bottom. As part of the conventional specimen preparation for fracture toughness
tests, a fatigue crack is grown to a prescribed length from the starter notch. Monitoring the crack
length is done using a clip gage under standard practice. In our study, the initiation and growth of
a fatigue crack was monitored by three different ultrasonic testing (UT) methods along with the
conventional clip-gage method. For most SENB specimens, the final length of the fatigue crack
at the completion of the cyclic loading is 3-5 mm (0.12 to 0.20 in.). However, in this program,
the crack was grown to more than 25 mm (1.0 in.) to comprehensively assess UT techniques for
monitoring crack growth over an extended period of time and for much longer fatigue cracks.

The SENB test specimen was 300mm long, 40mm wide, and 45.9mm high. The notch, 11.2mm
deep, was generated by electro-discharge machining (EDM) with a width of 1mm (Figure 2).
The recorded test parameters during the cyclic loading included number of load cycles,
maximum applied load (to permit calculation of applied stress intensity factor) and crack length
as predicted by compliance methods using the clip gage measurements. (See ASTM E1820 for
more information about these parameters and how they are measured or calculated).

The cyclic loads were applied under three-point bending with the loading concentrated at the root
of the notch. Figure 2 shows the three-point bend rig where the center roller at the top of the
figure is positioned in-line with the machined notch during cyclic loading. A cyclic loading rate
of about 5-10 hertz was applied at a predetermined load range to initiate fatigue cracking and
growth to the target length, at which point the cyclic loading was stopped. The applied loads
were based on the size of the test specimen, the material yield strength, and the depth of the
machined notch to ensure that the resulting cyclic stresses at the notch tip were elastic and
appropriate for fatigue crack initiation and growth (i.e. to prevent plastic deformation or ductile
tearing during cyclic loading).
 Figure 1. Illustration of a conventional SENB test specimen geometry

Figure 2. Fatigue test setup on a servo-hydraulic test machine using an MTS clip gage

Description of the UT Setup

To achieve high resolution and sizing accuracy, an Olympus 7.5L60 PWZ1 7.5MHz linear array
probe containing 60 elements at a pitch of 1 mm was placed on a Rexolite SPWZ1 N55S wedge
to generate shear waves at natural refracted angles 55 degrees (Figure 3). The ultrasonic data was
collected using an Olympus OmniScan X3 instrument. To prevent interference with the test
fixture, the SENB sample was removed after each scan. After the UT measurements were made,
the three-point bend fixture was re-positioned and the cyclic loading re-initiated to continue
crack propagation. Three different UT measurement techniques were evaluated: conventional
phased-array ultrasonic testing (PAUT), PAUT full matrix capture /total focusing method in the
T-T mode (PAUT FMC/TFM-TT), and PAUT FMC in the TT-T mode (PAUT FMC/TFM TT-
T).

Figure 3. The phased array ultrasonic technique setup to monitor the notch

Results
UT readings were taken at 20-30 minute intervals throughout the fatigue test. The test images
display the growth of a crack using the different UT approaches. To optimize the measurement,
the sensitivity of the ultrasonic system was set high enough to be able to detect weak diffraction
signals from fatigue cracks in the pulse-echo mode.
 Table 1. Periodic Crack Measurement Values Using Various Measurement Techniques

Analysis
The data presented can be plotted on a graph of crack size from the original position of the notch
tip against the number of cycles as shown in Figure 4. These results provide valuable insight into
the nature of the material and the variable rate of the crack growth as input to failure models.

Number of Cycles 0
TFM images (left – TT Mode, right – TT-T Mode)

PAUT image (Sectorial Scan)

Number of Cycles 44914

TFM images (left – TT Mode, right – TT-T Mode)

PAUT image (Sectorial Scan)

Number of Cycles 66953

TFM images (left – TT Mode, right – TT-T Mode)

PAUT image (Sectorial Scan)

Number of Cycles 109833

TFM images (left – TT Mode, right – TT-T Mode)

PAUT image (Sectorial Scan)

Number of Cycles 129476

TFM images (left – TT Mode, right – TT-T Mode)

PAUT image (Sectorial Scan)

Number of Cycles 150378

Number of Cycles 150378

TFM images (left – TT Mode, right – TT-T Mode)

PAUT image (Sectorial Scan)

Figure 4. Graphical representation of fatigue crack growth measured using each technique.

At the conclusion of testing, sample 17279-13 was opened to measure the crack physically.
Table 2 lists nine post-test measurements starting from the left side of the fatigue crack profile as
viewed in Figure 5. The table also includes the average, minimum, and maximum measurements
of the crack.
 Figure 5. Image of Sample 17279-4-13 used for detailed crack measurement.

Conclusions and Next Steps

Results using conventional PAUT and TFM techniques demonstrated very similar sizing
accuracy as shown in Table 3. The TFM-measured crack length nearly matched the visual
confirming crack length measurements and was slightly more accurate than PAUT and the
compliance-based clip-gage methods.
 Table 3: Comparison between the four different crack measurement techniques in this
study

The UT measurement techniques show comparable results to the clip gage during the fatigue test
and the gradient of this plot gives the growth rate of the crack at any given time during its
propagation towards failure. Since UT is a nondestructive technique, this process shows promise
for structural health and crack growth applications in the field. EWI plans to complete more
testing to verify the accuracy of this technique for structural health monitoring.

Additionally, the FMC/TFM technique shows a significantly improved visual presentation of the
crack including the orientation of crack propagation (crack angle). As shown in Figure 6, the
TFM crack image is visualized as a cross-section of the sample, which provides more accessible
data and eliminates the need for specially trained UT expertise to evaluate the images.

Figure 6. SENB sample showing fatigue crack and corresponding FMC/TFM image of the crack.

The laboratory feasibility work described here demonstrates the advantages of FMC/TFM over
other conventional NDE and non-NDE methods commonly used to detect and monitor crack
growth. Not only is crack sizing improved, but information regarding the nature and orientation
of cracking can be visualized with FMC/TFM (i.e. crack orientation, degree of branching, etc.).
Moreover, the improved resolution and accuracy obtained with FMC/TFM methods for
inspection of fatigue-sensitive structures offers the potential for increased accuracy in fatigue
crack detection and sizing, which would correspondingly improve the accuracy of engineering
life assessments based on those crack measurements. To provide a basis for establishing field
inspection protocols, additional work should consider more complex specimen crack geometries
such as corner cracks, branched cracking, and buried cracks (i.e. cracks that do not extend to a
free surface).

About the Author

Oleg Volf, Principal Engineer, leads the EWI nondestructive evaluation (NDE) team. His work
involves developing technical scopes of work for projects, building partnerships with other
technical organizations and stakeholders, and promoting EWI’s technical capabilities and
expertise in in-process monitoring, nondestructive testing (NDT) and inspection, and quality
measurement. Oleg holds multiple professional certifications, including Professional Engineer
(P.E.), ASNT Central Certification for NDT UT Level III, CSWIP AUT Data Interpretation
Instructor Certification, and PCN ToFD and PA Certifications. Contact Oleg Volf at
ovolf@ewi.org