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Development Of Welding Defects Identifier Application

On Radiographic Film Using Fuzzy C-Means (FCM)
Zaenal Abidin
Sekolah Tinggi Teknologi Nuklir-BATAN, Jl. Babarsari Yogyakarta, zaenala6@gmail.com
Achmad Faris S.
Sekolah Tinggi Teknologi Nuklir-BATAN, achmad-faris@ymail.com
Muhtadan
Sekolah Tinggi Teknologi Nuklir-BATAN, muhtadan@gmail.com
Abstract A software development for the
identification of weld defect shape indicator
radiographs has been constructed. The
background of this research is the reading of
the conventional radiographic film that takes a
long time and subjectivity that can trigger
dissent fellow interpreter. The purpose of this
research is to produce Applications that can
identify the form of weld defects in digital
image processing radiographic film by
applying image enhancement, segmentation
Fuzzy C Means (FCM), image morphology,
and feature extraction methods labeling. Image
enhancement process aims to create a better
image quality, including contrast stretching
techniques, noise reduction by a median filter,
and image sharpening with laplacian filter. In a
separate defect of object with a background
image using a clustering segmentation method
Fuzzy C - Means. Feature extraction method
used in this research Labeling by regionprops
command in MATLAB toolbox. Results of the
research is an application that has been tested
and able to interpret defects form with 91.85%
success rate of 60 label image data.
Keyword radiographic film, image enhancement,
segmentation, Fuzzy C-Means.

1. INTRODUCTION
Radiographic Testing (RT) is one of the most important
nondestructive testing techniques for welding inspection. It
is based on the ability of foton (x-ray or ray) to pass
through metal and other materials opaque to ordinary light,
and produce photographic records by the transmitted
radiant energy [1]-[3]. Because different materials absorb
either foton to different extents, penetrated rays show
variations in intensity on the receiving films. RT can
examine the internal structure of a weld. Traditionally,
experienced interpreters evaluate the weld quality based on
radiography. It is a time and manpower consuming work.
In addition, human interpretation of weld quality based on
film radiography is very subjective, inconsistent and
sometimes biased. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a

computer-aided system to assist interpretation of radiographic

images to increase the objectivity, accuracy and efficiency of
radiographic inspection [1],[3]-[5].
Currently there are great deals of work and research on the
development of automated systems for inspection and analysis
of radiographs. In our view, the major steps of an automatic
detection system are the film digitization stage, pre-processing
of images, and identification of defects. These developments rely
mostly on techniques such as image processing, feature
extraction, and pattern recognition. The pattern classification
stage is one of the most important steps in the implementation of
an automated radiographic inspection system [6,7]. Digital
image processing applied in the development is technique of
noise removal using median filter, contrast stretching and image
sharpening by Laplacian filter. The purpose of this research is to
produce Applications that can identify the form of weld defects
in digital image processing radiographic film by applying image
enhancement, segmentation Fuzzy C Means (FCM), image
morphology, and feature extraction methods labeling.

2. METHOD
2.1.IMPROVED DIGITAL IMAGE
Image enhancement aims to improve the quality of the display
image to view humans or to convert an image in order to have
a better format so that the image becomes more easily
processed by computers[6]. Operation that repairs image in this
study includes three processes, namely: contrast stretching,
noise reduction by a median filter, and image enhancement
using the Laplacian filter.

2.2. IMAGE CLUSTERING

Clustering is an unsupervised classification (not trained) to a
pattern (data, feature vectors) into groups or clusters based
bebearap resemblance. Intuitively, a different pattern is true
within a cluster will be more similar to each other when
compared with the pattern that is on a different cluster. It can be
defined as the process of defining a mapping or mapping f: D
C of some data D = {t1, t2, ..., tn} into several clusters C =
{c1, c2, ..., cn} it is based on the similarity between them. A
cluster is a set of objects that are merged because of similarities
or closeness. While the image is in the process that divides the
clustering or grouping a set of images into a number of different
Begian, where the different parts of the members have in

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ac.id
Broadly speaking,
This operation
to avoid image processing

common a special (homogen)[6,8].

clustering activity involves several stages, as follows.
1. Represents pattern (may involve feature extraction or
feature selection).
2. Defining proximity or similarity pattern that matches
the domain of the data.
3. Clustering according to the selected algorithm.
4. Creating a data abstraction (if needed).
5. Evaluating clustering results.

2.3. FUZZY C-MEANS (FCM)

The concept of Fuzzy C - Means is the first time to
determine the cluster center, which will mark the location
of the average for each cluster. In the initial condition, the
cluster center is still not accurate. Each data point has a
degree of membership for each cluster. By the way of
improving membership degree and cluster center of each
data point over and over, it will be seen that the center of
the cluster will move towards the right location. This
iteration is based on minimizing an objective function that
describes the distance from the given data point to a cluster
center weighted by the degree of membership of the data
points. The output of the Fuzzy C - Means is a row of
cluster centers and some degree of membership for each
data point. This information can be used to construct a
fuzzy inference system[9,10].

(4
)
(5)

3.4. MORPHOLOGY IMAGE

3. Update the cluster center vk

(3)

(6)
5. Repeat until the algorithm converges

3. PROCEDUR
Digital image used radiographic films have a format .bmp
or .jpg, for a program that reads a digital image
radiographic film designed to read both formats .bmp or
bitmap files is a common format for storing bitmap
images developed by Microsoft and is used as an
uncompressed image. While format jpeg (Joint
Photographic Experts Group) is a standard photographic
image quality [3].

3.1.CUTTING IMAGE

The quality of a radiograph will affect the process of

interpretation, not least in the form of a digital image that is
caused in general of the process of conversion from analog
radiograph image into digital form using only the camera
optics[5]. To overcome this, the digital radiograph image of the
image must be improved first. Before the digital image
enhancement processing the RGB image should be changed
(converted) into a first grayscale image by using the command
rgb2gray. Improvement of digital images in this study includes
three processes, namely stretching contrast, noise reduction by a
median filter, and image sharpening with laplacian filter. For the
third image processing operations above, use the commands that
have been available in Matlab toolbox.
One of the digital image segmentation method used to separate
the background image and the object segmentation defects is
Fuzzy C - Means. This method divides an image into regions homogeneous regions based on certain criteria that similarity
between the gray level of a pixel with gray level pixels - pixels
neighbors, then the result of this segmentation process will be
used for further high-level process that can be performed on an
image, for example, the process of image classification and
object identification process. Initial value of the program cluster
Fuzzy C - Means is determined at random. The number of
clusters can be determined as needed with a minimum number of
clusters amounted to 2, which means separating the defect with
the background image of the object[7].

Fuzzy C-Means algorithm is as follows [9,10]:

1. Select the number of clusters
c (2 c M x N)
(1)
2. Set the initial value of fuzzy clustering matrix U
(2

3.2. DIGITAL IMAGE ENHANCEMENT

3.3. SEGMENTATION FUZZY C MEANS

2.4. FUZZY C-MEANS ALGORITHM

4. Update fuzzy clustering matrix

on the
identification process that is not useful and to reduce the
computing time and the image that needs to be cut into smaller
sizes. The command is to do a digital image which cuts crop =
imcrop (f), where f is the image that will be cut, while the crop is
the result of cutting. Operator / user can choose the location of
the image will be cut according to the needs.
How to get a piece of the image is by dragging the mouse cursor
to form a box with the desired size and then clicked 2 times.
Image will be cropped automatically and will be processed in the
pre - prosessing.

The results of image segmentation have been obtained then

performed morphological processes. In this morphological
processes there are 3 options for the extraction of useful
components in the representation of the image of the
morphological closing, dilation, and erosion.
The processes of operation morphological equipped with
structure element and the value of neighborhood. Structure
elements used is arbitrary, diamond, disk, and square while the
value of adjacency can be changed within 1 to 10. Changes in
structure elements and the value of adjacency can impact the
input image to be processed at extraction.

3.5. LABELING AND FEATURE EXTRACTION

The process of this label serves to define the same binary value
on the image extraction results. The image of the selected label
indications represent the deformed shape. In this study, the
expected output of the classification is performed by clustering

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION ,

TECHNOLOGY, AND SCIENCES
Jl. Raden Mattaher No. 16 Jambi, Indonesia. Kampus UNJA Pasar, UNIVERSITY OF JAMBI
website: www.icets.unja.ac.id Email :
icets@2untimes.
ja.ac.id The image will be cropped automatically
much as 3 indicative
then clicked

method Fuzzy C - Means This is as

form of disability that are elongated, round, and irregular.
Once the value of the label of each image is known, we
can determine the value of properties of the image of weld
defects such as area, perimeter, major axis length, minor
axis length and eccentricity. The value of properties is
obtained by using the command regionprops existing
Matlab Toolbox. Value of feature extraction for each label
is then measured with the roundness formula for
indications of irregular shape, the major axis length ratio
values and minor axis length to indicate an elongated
shape, and eccentricity for indications rounded shape.
Value the value can be searched by the following
formula.
Roundness=

and will be processed in the pre processing. This process is

shown in Fig. 2.

(a)

(7
)
(8)

(b)

(9
)
(10
)

(c)

Indications of irregular shape =

lengthwise =

round = eccentricity < 0.7

3.6.

DEVELOPMENT OF APPLICATIONS WITH

A GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE (GUI)

The development application for the identification of weld

defect shape indication radiographs using clustering
method Fuzzy C Means This is an application-based
Graphical User Interface (GUI).
The use of GUI
intended that the resulting applications are to be user
friendly and easy to use, because the application is
expected to be the decision support for an interpreter in
interpreting radiographic weld defect shape on a
radiograph.

(d)
Fig. 1. Image data

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Fig. 2 The process of cutting the image

4.1. DIGITAL IMAGE DATA INPUT

RADIOGRAPH
The data input is the application of digital radiographic
image of BATAN (standard IIW). Radiograph can be with
the defect and non-defect, there are 4 geometric shapes
defect indications, namely (a) branched / stringy, (b)
longitudinal, (c) spherical, and (d) irregular as in Fig. 1.

4.2. CUTTING IMAGE

To avoid image processing on the identification process,
that is not useful and to reduce the computing time, the
image needs to be cut into smaller sizes. The command to
do a digital image which cuts crop = imcrop (f), where f is
the image that will be cut, while the crop is the result of
cutting. This application will ask the operator / user to
choose the location of the image that will be cut according
to the needs.
How to get a piece of the image is by dragging the mouse
cursor with a * to form a box with the desired size and

4.3. DIGITAL IMAGE ENHANCEMENT

Image enhancement process is done after the cutting process of
the image (cropping), this study includes stretching contrast
(contrast stretching) reduction in noise (noise), and sharpening.
The process of noise reduction performed using a median filter
with a kernel size of 3x3.
In contrast stretching, the user can select the auto or manual. To
use the auto option stretchlim command while the user manual,
it can determine the value of the low ins, high in, low out and
high out according to need. Fig. 3 showed the result of contrast
stretching process for setting the contrast auto and manual
settings by setting a low value in 0.1, in the high 0.2, low out of
0.4, and high out of 0.5 image of cutting (cropping).

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(a)auto

(b) manual

Fig.3. Differences in auto and manual contrast stretch

The results of the contrast stretching either auto or manual

have obtained to set the value of the low ins, high in, low
out and high out the stretching process better contrast for
image enhancement stretching the auto contrast the use
stretchlim command. This can be seen in the histogram of
each image. The Fig.4. is a histogram of the image using
the results of cutting stretchlim command and Fig. 5 is a
histogram with a low value in 0.1, in the high 0.2, low out
of 0.4, and high out of 0.5.

Fig. 6. Results of image enhancement.

4.4. SEGMENTATION FUZZY C MEANS

Image segmentation aims to separate the background image with
the image of the object weld defects radiographs which are
generally located in the middle of an image. This segmentation
will be obtained from each of the characteristic shape of defects
in radiographic images making it easier to recognize. The
maximum of iteration are 100 iterations and iteration error rate
of 1E-6. For a number of clusters or groups of binary image has
the same value can be determined as needed. Fig. 7 shows the
results of image enhancement using contrast stretching and
median filter with a 5x5 kernel then performed segmentation
using Fuzzy C-Means.

Fig. 4. Histogram stretching auto contrast

Fig. 7. Results of image segmentation FCM

4.5. MORPHOLOGY IMAGE

Fig. 5. Histogram stretching contrast with the low score on

at 0.1, in the high 0.2, low out of 0.4, and high out of 0.5.
Suppression of noise made by the median filter operator is
medfilt2. Noise reduction aims to reduce noise (white
spots) so that the image quality is getting better. The
higher the value of the filter, the resulting images are
blurred because the value of neighborhood increasingly
widespread. Each pixel of the new image (the result of
noise reduction) will contain the median value in
accordance with the neighborhoods around the pixel value,
according to the input image.
Image enhancement aims to provide a sharper image,
especially at the edges of an object, or referred to in this
research is the edge of the parts that are considered to be
defected in radiographic film. Image enhancement is also
intended to eliminate the blur effect (blur) resulting from
the reduction of noise using median filter. Image
enhancement process is done in the order of arrangement
stretching contrast, median filter, further sharpening the
image. Fig. 6 is a picture of the results of image
enhancement.

In this study used morphological operations are dilation. Dilation

can be used to perform a thickening on the edge of the defect
image of the object so that the object can be connected/
disconnected. As for the structure element used is arbitrary
because the central value at the center of neighborhood elements
that did not change the shape of the image segmentation results
while the other element structure changes the shape of the image
segmentation results.

4.6.FEATURE
METHODS

EXTRACTION

USE

LABELING

The results of improved image quality and segmentation are

processed to take shape defects characteristic of each pattern
using the labeling method.
The using of this method is to obtain unique or specific image
that has separated the background that are subsequently
measured using regionprops command. The advantage of
using this command is that it can determine the value of the size
of the image region such as Perimeter, Area, Minor Axis Length,
and Eccentricity that are used to label the image measurements
in this study. The following are examples of defects shape
rounded indication that are displayed on the GUI according to
Fig. 8.

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ja.acproduce
.id
This program
can
images that have better image

Fig. 8. Results indication spherical shape defects

parameter values of the defect is
eccentricity = 0.6022
Ti = 0.8099
Compmajmin = 0.5971
So the parameter is a label image with rounded shape
defects.

4.7. TESTING IMAGE LABELING

The test program was conducted by analyzing comparative
indication of the shape defect indicated on the panel with
a visual indication by the user. 20 input images are an
indication of the form of the 60 images obtained from the
labeling process. In this study indicated there are 23
images having an elongated shape defect, 22 images for
indications of a round shape, and 15 images for indications
of defects shape are irregular.
Results of the testing showed the image of the label - the
following: for the indication of defects elongated shape has
an error rate of 8.69% or have a success rate of 91.31%.
For an indication of the form of spherical defects have the
success rate90.91% and for indications of irregular shape
defects have a success rate of 93.33%. This means that
based on the simulation and tests performed system has an
average success rate of 91.85%. Fig. 9 is an image of the
overall results of the testing conducted labels.

Fig. 9. The results of testing of the weld defect shape

radiograph interpretation
In addition to the quality of the input image, especially the
image enhancement processes, the selection of test points
on the image that is deemed defective radiograph also
affect the level of success in the interpretation. Selection of
pixels / dots that fit testing with targeted disabilities will
increase the success rate on the test simulation and the
actual process of interpretation.

5. CONCLUSION

quality
using image enhancement includes stretching contrast, the use of
the median filter to reduce noise, to enhance the image intensity
and image enhancement to provide a sharper image, especially at
the edges of the object are considered disabled welds on the
digital radiograph image.
Applications developed from this research in the form of
software-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) that can separate
the defective object with the background image segmentation
using clustering Fuzzy C - Means and interpret the deformed
shape of the weld defect particularly elongated shape, round, and
not irregular that can be used as an analysis and decision support
interpreters interpreting radiographs in industrial radiographic
weld defect types.

6. REFERENCE
[1] Hayes, C., ABCs of nondestructive weld examination.
Weld J., 76(5), 1997 , pp: 46-51.
[2] Xin Wang, Brian Stephen Wong and ChingSeong Tan,
Recognition of Welding Defects in Radiographic Images
by Using Support Vector Machine Classifier, Research
Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology
2(3): Maxwell Scientific Organization, pp.:295-301, 2010,
ISSN: 2040-7467.
[3] Abidin, Z, Anompa, MA, Muhtadan, Development of
welding defects identifier application on radiographic film
using gray level co-occurrence matrix and Backpropagation, International Conference on Theoritical and
Applied Physics (ICTAP 2012), AIP Publising, pp: 70-74,
2013, ISBN 978-0-7354-1181-4; ISSN 0094-243X USA
[4] Abidin, Z., Nuklir &Aplikasinya, Penerbit STTN-Batan,
2010
[5] Muhtadan, Harsono. D, Pengembangan Aplikasi untuk
Perbaikan Citra Digital Film Radiografi, Prosiding
SemNas IV SDMTeknologi Nuklir STTN-BATAN,
Yogyakarta,2008, pp:467-478.
[6] Putra, D, 2010, Pengolahan Citra Digital, Penerbit Andi,
Yogyakarta.
[7] Marques,O.,2011, Practical Image and Video Processing
Using Matlab, A Jhon Wiley & Sons,Inc, New Jersey.
[8] Jain, A.K., 1999, Data Clustering : A Review, ACM
Computing Surveys, Vol. 31, No. 3, September 1999,
Michigan.
[9] Wang, X.,Y., 2010, A fast and robust image segmentation
using FCM with spatial Information, Beijing University of
Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing .
[10] Alata, M., Molhim, M., Ramini A., Using GA for
Optimization of the Fuzzy C-Means Clustering
Algorithm, Research Journal of Applied Sciences,
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ISSN:2040-7459;E-ISSN:2040-7467

AUTHORS PROFILE
Name
: Zaenal Abidin, Ir, M.Kes
Agencies : STTN BATAN
Email
: zaenala6@gmail.com

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION ,

TECHNOLOGY, AND SCIENCES
Jl. Raden Mattaher No. 16 Jambi, Indonesia. Kampus UNJA Pasar, UNIVERSITY OF JAMBI
website: www.icets.unja.ac.id Email :
icets@unja.ac.id
departmen of Nuclear

Lecturer since 1988, chairman of

physics
Teaching experience:
Nuclear Technology, Safety, NDT