Causal dilated convolutional neural networks for automatic inspection of ultrasonic signals in non-destructive evaluation and structural health monitoring
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Mariani, Stefano
Rendu, Quentin
Urbani, Matteo
Sbarufatti, Claudio
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This paper presents a deep learning network that performs automatic detection of defects by inspecting full ultrasonic guided wave signals excited in plate structures. The findings show that the algorithm, which is an adaptation of WaveNet, and hence is based on causal dilated convolutional neural networks, is effectively able to learn features and/or patterns related to the presence of waves scattered from damage, thus eliminating the need for any feature engineering to be performed by human operators. The network outperformed the widely used conventional approach that combines the optimal baseline selection and baseline signal stretch compensation methods when tested on two different datasets. The first dataset consisted of finite element simulated Lamb wave signals acquired in a pitch-catch configuration on a steel plate across a 50 °C range of temperature variations, and the second was a publicly available experimental dataset of Lamb wave signals also acquired in pitch-catch mode on a composite plate with a 40 °C range of variations. The improvements over the conventional approach are particularly encouraging when analyzing signals at temperatures well outside the temperature range available in the set of baseline signals, hence suggesting that this class of algorithms can complement or substitute existing methods, especially when testing occurs at unseen environmental and operational conditions, or when the effects of sensor drift make conventional methods less effective.
Date Issued
2021-08-01
Date Acceptance
2021-02-03
Citation
Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 2021, 157 (1), pp.1-22
ISSN
0888-3270
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
1
End Page
22
Journal / Book Title
Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing
Volume
157
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0888327021001436
Subjects
0905 Civil Engineering
0913 Mechanical Engineering
0915 Interdisciplinary Engineering
Acoustics
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
107748
Date Publish Online
2021-02-28