Latest News

2010 NDT Training Course Schedule is available now!

WINS acquires state-of-the-art equipment for enhanced Guided Wave Inspection Services for Pipelines and Bridge Cables, November 2009.

WINS delivers Acoustic Emission Level III Training Course in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 5-9, 2009

WINS is awarded contract with U.S. Department of Energy for developing inspection technology for health monitoring of coal power plant components, August 2009

WINS presents a paper at NYC Bridge Conference titled "Structural health monitoring using wireless acoustic emission sensor network" in August, 2009

WINS is awarded contract with NSF for developing inspection technology for Steel Piles, July 2009

WINS presents  "Acoustic emission input to inspection-based bridge maintenance" at the International Conference on Fracture & Fatigue in July, 2009

WINS is awarded Market Access Grant from Pennsylvania IBD to launch Joint Venture in India, May 2009

In-service Testing of Composite Cylinders
WINS personnel have performed studies of the behavior of acoustic waves in Type III composite cylinders.  A simple, low-profile ceramic piezoelectric disk was used in this application and it worked well. Input signal was sent to a transducer located on the top of the cylinder at the tangent point just inside the dome at one end, and received on the bottom tangent point at the other.



The interaction of the defects in these materials with transmitted ultrasound is complex and the effect on the transmitted wave may alter the waveform in ways other than simple amplitude changes.  A significant change in cross-correlation coefficient between signals in undamaged materials and that obtained from a signal transmitted through a notch oriented parallel to the path between two sensors was obtained.   A summary of the data obtained from a number of defects is shown in the table below.


 Defect type
  Defect size
  Frequency (MHz)
  Correlation Coefficient
 Axial hole
  3.174 mm dia, 4.8 mm deep
  0.19  0.83
 Axial impact
  20 x 20 mm observable surface damage
  0.19  0.44
 Axial parallel notch
  25 x 2 x 2 mm
  0.19  0.83
 Axial perpendicular notch
  25 x 2 x 2 mm
  0.19  0.68
 Circumferential hole
  3.175 mm dia, 4.8 mm deep
  0.322  0.79
 circumferential damage
  20 x 20 mm observable surface damage
  0.322  0.69
 circumferential parallel notch
  25 x 2 x 2 mm
  0.322  0.93
 circumferential perpendicular notch
   25 x 2 x 2 mm  0.322  0.85