Knowledge Based Assistant for Ultrasonic Testing Methodology of

Materials
by Reynold Franklin,* Udaya B. Halabe and B. Gopalakrishnan

This month's article presents an interesting concept for testing

metals. The proposed expert system will be a useful tool for
ultrasonic testing of metals. In this paper, the authors discuss the
development of an artificial intelligence system for choosing a
suitable ultrasonic testing procedure for a given application.
Ripi Singh
Guest Editor

Introduction

Ultrasonic testing (UT) is one of the most widely used NDT techniques for discontinuity
detection and material characterization in various engineering fields. The advantages of
UT as compared to other nondestructive techniques for metal tests are higher
penetration, higher sensitivity and greater accuracy (Bar-Cohen et al., 1992). A major
disadvantage of UT is that extensive technical expertise is required for its application.
Extensive knowledge is required to identify the right testing methodology for a given
application to obtain reliable results. Also, deciphering the received signals and
correlating them to discontinuities or other indications requires the knowledge of an
expert. Computer based tools representing the knowledge of an expert are ideal for
industrial applications of UT, but they have to be user friendly and provide meaningful
results. Several researchers have developed artificial intelligence (AI) systems to
interpret the received ultrasonic signals and link them to various parameters of NDT
characterization (Wendal and Dual, 1996; Sinha and Reddy, 1996; Rose, 1996; Roy et
al., 1995; Shankar et al., 1991). However, very little effort has been spent on developing
AI tools to assist an ultrasonic inspector in choosing a suitable testing method
(transducer type and frequency, propagation mode and type of ultrasonic couplant).

he strength of an expert system lies in its ability to store, formalize and

process qualitative data.

A complex relationship exists between the type of NDT characterization desired and the
UT procedure. This relationship is further complicated by site conditions such as the
presence of a coating on the metallic component and limited access for placing the
transducers while the component is in use. Hence, extensive knowledge is required on
the part of the ultrasonic inspector for choosing the suitable testing procedure.
Therefore, an AI system that would help the ultrasonic inspector in choosing a suitable
testing methodology will greatly enhance the quality of testing and reduce its cost while
maintaining quality and reliability. Such an AI system could also greatly reduce the
chances of generating ambiguous signals and hence facilitate the use of the other AI
systems available for signal processing. The development and application of a rule
based decision logic that can incorporate the expertise of humans for UT in metals are
discussed in this paper.
Why Use an Expert System?
Ultrasonic testing procedures are developed by extensive research involving various
factors. The success of each testing procedure is demonstrated by experimental work in
the laboratory and/or field environment. Generally, the test procedure developed for a
particular application may not be directly translated to other applications. Moreover, UT
procedures for metals have been well established for several engineering applications.
Hence, for choosing the appropriate test procedure, there is little scope for human
reasoning but more for human knowledge. Expert systems can be used effectively for
translating human knowledge into computer programs (Buchanan and Shortliffe, 1984).
Expert systems have been successfully used in transforming human knowledge into
problem solving tools by various researchers (Forouraghi, 1997; Gopalakrishnan et al.,
1997; Gopalakrishnan et al., 1994; Sinha and Reddy, 1996; Anderson, 1992; Komai et
al., 1992; Shankar et al., 1991; Srinivasan and Kane, 1990; Iudica, 1987; Fisher, 1985;
Lacoe, 1984).
Several qualitative factors such as metal type, surface condition and accessibility will
influence the testing procedure. The strength of an expert system lies in its ability to
store, formalize and process qualitative data. Moreover, the factors associated with the
testing procedure can be formalized into sequential data which means decision trees
and rules can be used to represent the underlying theory. This makes the use of an
expert system a logical choice. Also, expert systems have a good user interface as an
inherent part of the system which can be effectively used to explain to the user why and
how a testing procedure works. Details related to decision making and
recommendations can also be explained to the user. Hence, an expert system is an
appropriate tool for developing the AI system on the UT methodology for metals.
Development of the Expert System
An expert system is defined as an intelligent system composed of a knowledge base, an
inference engine, a working memory, a user interface and an explanation based
subsystem. Expert systems have been developed to function as advisors in
manufacturing, financial and other industrial applications. There are several established

methods of knowledge representation such as the predicate calculus based approach,

production rule based representation, frame based representation and object oriented
representation. The expert system for UT presented in this paper makes use of rule
based knowledge representation where the knowledge is presented as if/then rules.
These rules exhibit the connection between conditions and conclusions using "and" and
"or" connectives. The inference engine searches the knowledge base, one rule at a
time, in order to arrive at the goal variables (Gopalakrishnan et al., 1997).
Ultrasonic testing of metals constitutes four basic stages as shown in Figure 1. The
testing specifications that are adopted would result in several wave propagation
phenomena which are analyzed and quantified for the desired NDT characterization.
Hence, a strong dependent relationship exists between the required NDT
characterization and the test specifications to be adopted. This relationship is broken
down into several hundred rules and incorporated into the expert system. A major
concern involved in developing the expert system is to obtain the knowledge from the
experts. Usually, an expert's knowledge is obtained through interviews and verbal
communications which are extremely time consuming. Hence, inference rules were
formulated based on the information available in several standard publications. Books
by Krautkrmer and Krautkrmer (1990), Bray and Stanley (1989), Ensminger (1988),
Szilard (1982) and Cartz (1995) provided very useful information. Standard reference
handbooks by Bar-Cohen et al. (1992) and ASNT (1991) were also great sources of
information. Facts collected from major journals in nondestructive testing such as
Ultrasonics, Materials Evaluation, Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation and NDT & E
International were also used. Rules were also generated from the information available
in conference proceedings. It is important to note that the information available in the
above references is based on extensive theoretical and experimental research by
several investigators and represents a fairly comprehensive knowledge base.

Figure 1 Stages of ultrasonic testing.

Typical examples of the rules developed based on the above literature are shown in
Figure 2. As illustrated in Figure 2, based on the user inputs for application type, testing
need, type of component and surface coating conditions, rule 1 makes interim
conclusions about the type of ultrasonic waves to be used for testing. Based on this
rule, if surface cracks are to be detected in a tube structure for mechanical applications
(for example, in machines), the recommended waves are surface, critically refracted
longitudinal and lamb waves. Higher confidence numbers are allotted to the wave type
recommended the most in the literature. Rule 2 is a simple rule, which recommends the
mode of propagation for the chosen wave type. Based on rule 1, if the user chooses
surface waves, the propagation mode recommended as per rule 2 would be pulse echo
or direct transmission.

IF application = mechanical
AND testing = surface_cracks
AND mechpart = tube
AND coating = no
THEN sug_waves = surface cnf 100
sug_waves = LCR cnf 90
sug_waves = Lamb cnf 80;

IF testing = surface_cracks
AND user_wave = surface
THEN sug_mode = pulse_echo cnf 100
sug_mode = direct_transmission cnf 90;

Figure 2 Example of rules in the expert system.

The expert system currently incorporates only the ultrasonic A-scan technique and
contact transducer methods. VP-Expert, which is a rule based expert system
development tool, was used to code the rules and develop the knowledge base. The
early development of the expert system has been presented in Franklin and Halabe
(1997). The rules were incorporated into several knowledge base files, which are
chained together. The expert system makes use of the backward chaining process for

the search because of their popularity and their method of operations. The inference
engine searches the database for data to substantiate the goal conditions (ultrasonic
test specifications). The expert system incorporates five common applications (nuclear,
civil, mechanical, aerospace and pipeline) where UT is most likely to be conducted on
metal components. The question and answer menu of the expert system has been
generated in a graphics mode to provide the best user interface. Testing specifications
for several NDT characterizations such as welds, surface cracks, subsurface cracks,
internal discontinuities, elastic constants, corrosion and residual stresses have been
incorporated in the expert system. Factors such as metal type, surface roughness,
protective coating and access to opposite sides in the metal are also obtained from the
user. These factors are required to decide the suitable type of ultrasonic waves for the
given application. The expert system incorporates several complex geometries which
are: thin plates, thick plates, welded connections, bolted connections, helical springs,
shafts, tubes, turbine blades and boiler plates.
The expert system is intended to provide essential information to help the user in
identifying a suitable testing procedure. Hence, the expert system is formatted in a
manner to provide maximum flexibility for the user. The flow diagram of the knowledge
base in the expert system is shown in Figure 3. The system will recommend four major
parameters of the testing specifications based on the user input. The recommended
parameters are:

ultrasonic wave type

propagation mode
couplant type
transducer frequency and characteristics.

The recommended parameters are shown in bold text in Figure 3. The user's input to
the questions related to surface conditions, specimen geometry and objective of NDT
characterization are used to determine the type of ultrasonic waves to be used in the
testing. Depending upon the input, the system may recommend one or more possible
ultrasonic waves that can be used for the testing. Whenever more than one type of
wave can be used for testing, the system lists the waves in an order of preference. The
user is asked to choose one wave type from the list recommended by the expert
system. Based on the wave type selected by the user and the access condition (user
input), the system recommends the possible propagation modes. Again, the expert
system will list all possible propagation modes and the user selects one of them. The
user selection from the list of expert system recommendations is shown in italics in
Figure 3. Based on the selected propagation mode, metal type (user input) and
temperature of testing (user input), the system recommends the transducer frequency
and its characteristics such as resolution and bandwidth, which are affected by the
damping level of the transducer. The transducer frequency is primarily controlled by the
objective of the NDT characterization. The propagation mode primarily determines the
characteristics of the transducer. The temperature of the metal and the objective of NDT
characterization also helps in identifying the required transducer characteristics. The
temperature and metal type are used to determine the properties of the ultrasonic

couplant. Some important properties of a suitable couplant are displayed along with an
example of a couplant type.

Figure 3 Flow diagram of the structure of the expert system.

Displaying all possible ultrasonic waves and propagation modes that can be used for
the given set of user inputs and requiring the user to select one wave type and one
propagation mode from the displayed list provides flexibility in the system. Also, the
system suggests the range of frequency and transducer characteristics rather than
displaying a transducer model by a manufacturer. Moreover, the couplant characteristics

are displayed to help the user. Thus, the expert system is formatted in a manner to
provide maximum flexibility to the user. For a novice, selection of the primary wave and
mode type will suffice for easy data analysis. In addition, the expert system provides
necessary information on the properties of the various ultrasonic waves, propagation
modes and acoustical properties of common metals in hypertext format. Relevant parts
of several ASTM (1995) standards (shown in Table 1) are also incorporated in the
expert system in hypertext format to help the user.
Table 1 ASTM standads incorporated into the expert system
Standard
Title
E 114
E 164
E 213
E 273
E 494
E 587
E 797
E 1315

Standard Practice for Ultrasonic Pulse-echo Straight-beam Examination by the

Contact Method
Standard Practice for Ultrasonic Contact Testing of Weldments
Standard Practice for Ultrasonic Examination of Metal Pipe and Tubing
Standard Practice for Ultrasonic Examination of Longitudinal Welded Pipe and
Tubing
Standard Practice for Measuring Ultrasonic Velocity in Materials
Standard Practice for Ultrasonic Angle-beam Examination by the Contact Method
Standard Practice for Measuring Thickness by Manual Ultrasonic Pulse-echo
Contact Method
Standard Practice for Ultrasonic Examination of Steel with Convex Cylindrically
Curved
Entry Surfaces

Consultation with the Expert System

The application of the expert system is demonstrated with an example of a consultation.
The user input window is shown in Figure 4. When the user has clicked on the boxes, a
pull down menu appears and the user chooses the appropriate answer to the questions.
The input for testing a steel shaft for internal discontinuities under normal testing
conditions is shown in Figure 4. Based on the user input, the system begins its
recommendation of the testing procedure. The system's first recommendation is
regarding the ultrasonic wave types which can be used for the test, as shown in Figure
5. Here, the system recommends the use of refracted shear or longitudinal waves with a
preference for refracted shear waves. When the user is asked to choose one of the
wave types, the user selects the refracted shear waves. The system then recommends
the propagation modes as shown in Figure 6. Since the pitch catch technique is widely
recommended for testing internal discontinuities using refracted shear waves, it is recommended first and is followed by pulse
echo, which is also used in a few cases. The user has the choice of selecting one of the
modes and the choice is made as a pitch catch technique. Next, the system
recommends the necessary characteristics of the transducer and ultrasonic couplant as

shown in Figure 7. The transducer properties recommended by the system are high
resolution and narrow band. The frequency range commonly used for the testing is from
2 to 10 MHz. A specific frequency is not provided to the user because the choice of
frequency depends on several other factors such as the shaft diameter, wave
attenuation in the metal specimen, pulser energy and noise level of the equipment.
Hence, more information and specific details of the various equipment will be required
to determine the specific frequency of the transducer. The properties of a desirable
couplant such as being a corrosion inhibitor and being slow drying are also displayed,
as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 4 User input to the expert system for consulta

Figure 5 System recommendation for the ultrasonic wave type.

Figure 6 System recommendation for the propagation mode.

Figure 7 System recommendation for the transducer and couplant prop

The user has the option of terminating the consultation or continuing in order to gain
additional information. Necessary information on the various wave types, modes, ASTM
(1995) standards and acoustical properties of common metals are presented in
hypertext format. The main menu for the additional information is shown in Figure 8.
The hypertext words shown in the highlighted format will lead the user into submenus or
a text display screen. Choosing hypertext on the acoustical properties of metals will lead
into the display screen shown in Figure 9. The table was extracted from the information
provided in Bar-Cohen et al. (1992).

Figure 8 Main menu for additional information on ultrasonic testing.

Figure 9 Display of acoustical properties for various metals.

Conclusion
The development and application of an expert system on UT methodology for contact
transducer methods with an A-scan technique are described in this paper. The expert
system presented in this paper would be a useful tool for ultrasonic inspectors for
choosing an appropriate testing methodology for testing metals. This tool, when used in
conjunction with other AI tools for data analysis, could greatly reduce the need for highly
skilled labor for UT. In the current expert system, decision rules were used and coded
using a rule based development tool to provide flexibility and user interface. The expert
system incorporates several common applications of UT, many NDT characterizations
and most geometries. Rules for additional testing conditions and procedures could
easily be added to the knowledge base on a requirement basis. The system

recommends the ultrasonic wave types, propagation modes, transducer characteristics

and the properties of a suitable ultrasonic couplant. Additional information such as
details on the ultrasonic waves, propagation modes, relevant ASTM standards and
necessary acoustical properties of common metals are also incorporated in the expert
system in hypertext format for display to the user.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the American Society for Testing and Materials for
granting permission to display part of the relevant ASTM standards in hypertext format
in the expert system.