Unsupervised machine learning for flaw detection in automated ultrasonic testing of carbon fibre reinforced plastic composites.

The use of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) composite materials for critical components has significantly surged within the energy and aerospace industry. With this rapid increase in deployment, reliable post-manufacturing Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) is critical for verifying the mechanical integrity of manufactured components. To this end, an automated Ultrasonic Testing (UT) NDE process delivered by an industrial manipulator was developed, greatly increasing the measurement speed, repeatability, and locational precision, while increasing the throughput of data generated by the selected NDE modality.

Analysis of neural networks for routine classification of sixteen ultrasound upper abdominal cross sections.

Purpose: Abdominal ultrasound screening requires the capture of multiple standardized plane views as per clinical guidelines. Currently, the extent of adherence to such guidelines is dependent entirely on the skills of the sonographer. The use of neural network classification has the potential to better standardize captured plane views and streamline plane capture reducing the time burden on operators by combatting operator variability.

Prescriptive Method for Optimizing Cost of Data Collection and Annotation in Machine Learning of Clinical Ultrasound.

Unlabelled: Machine learning in medical ultrasound faces a major challenge: the prohibitive costs of producing and annotating clinical data. Optimizing the data collection and annotation will improve model training efficiency, reducing project cost and times. This paper prescribes a 2-phase method for cost optimization based on iterative accuracy/sample size predictions, and active learning for annotation optimization.

Phantom Study of Arterial Localization using Tactile Sensor Array and a Normal Vs. Shear Pulse Pressure Propagation Method.

Objective: Locating the radial artery reliably is a key challenge in reducing patient risks from complications in Trans-Radial Access, which is an important clinical method for catheterization, cardiac monitoring, and neuroendovascular procedures. New tactile sensing technology is being developed to bridge the skill, cost, and performance gap between ultrasonic needle guidance, and manual palpation, for use in developing countries. This paper further develops tactile artery localization with a novel algorithm for arterial localization based on the properties of a curved tactile sensor array.

Threshold-Based BRISQUE-Assisted Deep Learning for Enhancing Crack Detection in Concrete Structures.

Automated visual inspection has made significant advancements in the detection of cracks on the surfaces of concrete structures. However, low-quality images significantly affect the classification performance of convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the suitability of image datasets used in deep learning models, like Visual Geometry Group 16 (VGG16), for accurate crack detection.

A shear horizontal phased array steering excitation technique for remnant wall thickness quantification.

Precise wall loss quantification in pipe and plate structures is a critical and challenging task, especially in cases where direct access to the component is limited. Accurate knowledge of the remaining wall thickness allows for timely maintenance or replacement to avoid catastrophic failures. In this work, wall loss quantification is performed utilizing the cut-off frequency of mode SH1.

Design and Manufacture of an Optimised Side-Shifted PPM EMAT Array for Use in Mobile Robotic Localisation.

Guided wave Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMATs) offer an elegant method for structural inspection and localisation relative to geometric features, such as welds. This paper presents a Lorentz force EMAT construction framework, where a numerical model has been developed for optimising Printed Circuit Board (PCB) coil parameters as well as a methodology for optimising magnet array parameters to a user's needs. This framework was validated experimentally to show its effectiveness through comparison to an industry built EMAT.

Single-mode Lamb wave excitation at high-frequency-thickness products using a conventional linear array transducer.

Lamb wave excitation at high-frequency-thickness products offers a potential solution for high-resolution guided wave testing. The method is attractive for crack imaging and corrosion mapping, especially in hidden locations where direct access is limited. However, multiple modes may propagate, complicating signal interpretation, which is undesirable.

Non-Invasive Radial Artery Blood Pressure Monitoring Using Error Compensated Tactile Sensors and Patient Specific Oscillometry.

This paper presents a new method of measuring non-invasive blood pressure at the radial artery based on oscillometry and tonometry. A localized capacitive tactile sensor array is used with a novel algorithm based on waveform features for optimizing oscillometry ratios. A novel tonometer is presented with typically 1% base measurement error, with sensor errors compensated using a custom error model, and applied to blood pressure measurement at the radial artery.

Breast Cancer: Model Reconstruction and Image Registration From Segmented Deformed Image Using Visual and Force Based Analysis.

Breast lesion localization using tactile imaging is a new and developing direction in medical science. To achieve the goal, proper image reconstruction and image registration can be a valuable asset. In this paper, a new approach of the segmentation-based image surface reconstruction algorithm is used to reconstruct the surface of a breast phantom.

Time-of-flight measurement techniques for airborne ultrasonic ranging.

Airborne ultrasonic ranging is used in a variety of different engineering applications for which other positional metrology techniques cannot be used, for example in closed-cell locations, when optical line of sight is limited, and when multipath effects preclude electromagnetic-based wireless systems. Although subject to fundamental physical limitations, e.g.

Simulation of ultrasonic lamb wave generation, propagation and detection for a reconfigurable air coupled scanner.

A computer simulator, to facilitate the design and assessment of a reconfigurable, air-coupled ultrasonic scanner is described and evaluated. The specific scanning system comprises a team of remote sensing agents, in the form of miniature robotic platforms that can reposition non-contact Lamb wave transducers over a plate type of structure, for the purpose of non-destructive evaluation (NDE). The overall objective is to implement reconfigurable array scanning, where transmission and reception are facilitated by different sensing agents which can be organised in a variety of pulse-echo and pitch-catch configurations, with guided waves used to generate data in the form of 2-D and 3-D images.