NDT Data Fusion

X.E. Gros

DUT, BSc (Hon), MSc, PhD

Independent NDT Centre, France

W
ARNOLD
A member of the Hodder Headline Group
LONDON • SYDNEY • AUCKLAND
Copublished in North, Central and South America by
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York • Toronto
First published in Great Britain in 1997 by
Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group,
338 Huston Road, London NWl 3BH

Copublished in North, Central and South America by

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue,
New York, NY 10158-0012

© 1997 X E Gros

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically,
including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval
system, without either prior permission in writing from the publisher or a
licence permitting restricted copying. In the United Kingdom such licences
are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency: 90 Tottenham Court Road,
London WIP 9HE.

Whilst the advice and information in this book is believed to be true and
accurate at the date of going to press, neither the author nor the publisher
can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions
that may be made.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

ISBN O 340 67648 5

ISBN O 470 23724 4 (Wiley)

Typeset in 10/12 pt Times by Mathematical Composition Setters Ltd,

Salisbury, Wiltshire SP3 4UF.

Printed and bound in Great Britain by St. Edmundsbury Press,

Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Hartnolls Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall.
To Rachael
 Preface

This book is the first to be devoted exclusively to the concept of multisensor integration
and data fusion applied to non-destructive testing (NDT). Data fusion is a rapidly
evolving technology, and is now the most recent addition to NDT signal processing
methodologies for efficient understanding and interpretation of data.
This text provides a valuable source of information on NDT, data fusion, composite
inspection, scientific visualisation and performance analysis of NDT methods. The text is
intended for inspectors, students and researchers working in the fields of NDT, signal
processing and measurement and testing, and delivers a comprehensive, easy-to-read guide
on the concept of NDT data fusion. Its main objective is to initiate the readers into the
subject by introducing data fusion processes. Problems are approached progressively
through detailed, original experimental case studies, and solutions gradually implemented
so that beginners can follow the procedures effectively. In addition, the oil, nuclear and
aerospace industries may find the application of data fusion to weld and composite
inspections worthwhile.
NDT Data Fusion offers practical guidance for those wishing to develop and explore
NDT data fusion further. It is intended to offer the most comprehensive introduction
available at this time to the concepts of NDT and multisensor data fusion. In order to
maintain a balance between theoretical and experimental discussions, chapters 1 and 4
present the theory behind NDT data fusion while chapters 5 to 7 concentrate on the
implementation phase. Multisensor NDT data fusion is introduced in the first chapter
which gives a general idea to the readers of the applications of non-destructive examin-
ation (NDE), its limitations and how data fusion techniques can contribute to the
improvement of the overall performance of a non-destructive inspection. Chapter 2
presents a review of multisensor data fusion models, statistical and probabilistic methods
currently used to combine information from multiple sources. A survey of data integration
and fusion applications as well as a practical example of NDT data fusion are discussed.
Existing non-destructive testing techniques, their advantages and limitations, are outlined
in chapter 3. This chapter offers synthesised information about NDT techniques as well as
their possible industrial applications.
The computer visualisation of scientific data constitutes the topic of the fourth chapter.
A brief description of the tools available and the applications of scientific visualisation in
industry, and more particularly in NDT, is presented and illustrated. Virtual reality,
computer animation and image processing techniques are also addressed. The first
implementation of multisensor NDT data fusion in the assessment of composite materials
using a Bayesian statistical inference approach is discussed in chapter 5. Inspection of
composite samples currently used in the aerospace industry using multiple NDT
techniques is described. The experimental results of these inspections are presented and the
performance of these techniques evaluated using probabilistic and statistical processes.
The integration and combination of information from multiply eddy current sensors, using
a Bayesian approach, and the outcome of this implementation, are discussed and analysed.
Chapter 6 investigates NDT data fusion applied to weld inspection. The applications of
data fusion highlighted in this chapter are directly relevant to nuclear and offshore
industries. A Bayesian statistical inference approach and the Dempster-Shafer theory of
evidence are used to combine data from multiple NDT instruments; their advantages and
limitations are discussed in this chapter. Finally, chapter 7 concludes this book with
discussion and comments on the current and future trends of NDT data fusion and its
impact on industry.
A bibliography of text and literature related to NDT, data fusion, visualisation and
artificial intelligence is also included as well as a glossary of some of the most important
terms used in these disciplines.
It is hoped that NDT Data Fusion will give the reader a general overview of what is still
required and what could be achieved to maintain high safety levels in industry, and will
provide engineers, researchers, students and NDT inspectors with a more complete picture
and a more accurate assessment of structural integrity than are currently possible with a
single NDT technique. Finally, it is hoped that readers will gain an understanding of the
great benefits which can be achieved by implementing multisensor data fusion, not only in
NDT but in any discipline involved in measurement and testing.
X.E. Gros
 Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank P. Strachan and D.W. Lowden from the Robert Gordon
University, Aberdeen, for the useful advice and support they provided throughout his
research work on multiprobe NDT data fusion.
The author also wishes to acknowledge G. MacGregor (Core Technical) for his interest
in this research and for the loan of NDT equipment without which measurements could not
have been carried out. Special thanks are also due to D. Graham and to I. Findlay for
access to radiographic and infrared thermographic equipment. In addition, the author
would like to acknowledge J. Bousigue (Ingenieur E.N.S.I. de Caen, D.E.A. Traitement et
Synthese d'Image) for his invaluable discussion and generous help in programming.
Last but not least, the author cheerfully thanks Dr R.D. Wakefield for her faithful
support, patience and encouragement during completion of this book.
 List of Abbreviations

These acronyms and abbreviations are official terms related to research and NDT in
Europe. They are widely used in present-day papers and NDT literature. This list is
not definitive and is given only for information as some of the terms are used in this
book.
AC Alternating Current COD Crack Opening Displacement
ACFM Alternating Current Field CPU Central Processing Unit
Measurement CRO Cathode Ray Oscilloscope
ACPD Alternating Current Potential CRT Cathode Ray Tube
Drop C-Scan Contrast Scan
ADC Analog-to-digital Converter CT Computerised Tomography
AE Acoustic Emission DAC Digital-to-analog Converter
AGOCG Advisory Group on Computer dB Decibel
Graphics DC Direct Current
AI Artificial Intelligence DCPD Direct Current Potential Drop
apE Animation Production DGS Distance-Gain-Size
Environment DPEC Deep Penetration Eddy
A-Scan Amplitude Scan Currents
ASCII American Standard Code for EC Eddy Current
Information Interchange EMA Electromagnetic Array
AVS Application Visual Software EMAT Electromagnetic Acoustic
Bel Belief Transducer
bpa Basic Probability Assignment emf Electromotive Force
BS British Standard ES Expert System
B-Scan Brightness Scan ET/ECT Eddy Current Testing
BVID Barely Visible Impact FFD Focus-to-film Distance
Damage FFT Fast Fourier Transform
CAD Computer Aided Design GEP Generalised Evidence
CCD Charge Coupled Device Processing
CIE Commission Internationale de GFRP Glass Fibre Reinforced
TEclairage Plastic
C3I Command Control GMAW Gas Metal Arc Welding
Communication and GTAW Gas Tungsten Arc Welding
Intelligence HAZ Heat Affected Zone
CCTV Closed Circuit Television He-Ne Helium-Neon
CMYK Cyan-Magenta-Yellow- HSV Hue-Saturation-Value
Black HVT Half Value Thickness
IACS International Annealed POD Probability of Detection
Copper Standard P-Scan Projection Scan
ID Inner Diameter PT Penetrant Testing
IEEE Institute of Electrical and QA Quality Assurance
Electronics Engineers QC Quality Control
UT Image Intensifier Tube QNDE Quantitative Non-destructive
IRT Infrared Thermography Evaluation
IT Information Technology RFEC Remote Field Eddy Current
IQI Image Quality Indicator RGB Red-Green-Blue
KBS Knowledge Based System ROC Receiver (or Reliability)
LCD Liquid Crystal Detector Operating Characteristic
LOSWF Lack of Side Wall Fusion ROV Remotely Operated Vehicle
LPI Liquid Penetrant Inspection RT Radiographic Testing
LR Likelihood Ratio RTR Real-time Radiography
MPI Magnetic Particle Inspection SAFT Synthetic Aperture Focusing
MPT Magnetic Particle Testing Technique
MRI Magnetic Resonance SAW Surface Acoustic Wave
Imaging SCC Stress Corrosion Cracking
MRF Markov Random Field SEM Scanning Electron
NDA Non-destructive Assessment Microscopy
NDE Non-destructive Examination SFD Source-to-film Distance
NDI Non-destructive Inspection SNR Signal-to-noise Ratio
NDT Non-destructive Testing SP Signal Processing
NMR Nuclear Magnetic Resonance SQUID Superconducting Quantum
NN Neural Network Interference Device
NP Neyman-Pearson 3-D Three-dimensional
OD Outer Diameter TOFD Time-of-flight Diffraction
OP Operational Amplifier TV Television
PC Personal Computer UT Ultrasonic Testing
PCB Printed Circuit Board UV Ultraviolet
PFC Probability of False Calls VDA Visual Data Analysis
PISC Programme on the Inspection VDU Visual Display Unit
of Steel Components VT Visual Testing
PIs Plausibility XR X-ray Radiography