Automated defect recognition (ADR) for monitoring industrial components using neural networks with phased array ultrasonic images

Abstract In this paper, we propose a framework to automate the process of defect characterizing for industrial structural component health monitoring by implementing automatic defect recognition (ADR) system. The ADR system consists of a convolutional neural network (CNN) and an edge detection algorithm medial axis transform (MAT). The CNN learns the defect feature space from the training dataset to detect and classify the defect. The MAT algorithm is used upon post-validation of the ADR, and the predicted feature’s edges are extracted to size them. The ADR is trained using the simulation-assisted finite element (FE) simulation datasets consisting of side drilled holes (SDH) and crack defects images. The training datasets are generated by introducing virtual array source aperture (VASA), which is a full matrix capture (FMC) scanning strategy by activating the group of elements in an active aperture with predefined focal laws to form a focused beam at a virtual source in the material. The VASA technique uses multiple virtual sources and active aperture positions in a given transducer, which are determined using the Poisson point process. The ultrasound beam is excited in sequence on each virtual source, and the reflected wave is recoded using all the transducers in the array to create FMC A-scans signals. The total focusing method (TFM) technique is a postprocessing algorithm implemented on the FMC signal to generate an image. A large quantity of training datasets is created for each defect by modeling various FE models with varying defect morphology. To create nearly close to experimental images, the experimental noise is introduced in the simulated images. The three separate ADR systems are trained with individual defects class and combined defects. The effectiveness of the trained ADR system is validated by conducting experiments on the plates with laboratory-made SDH and crack defects, the casting components, and weldments with unknown defect types and sizes. The mAP of ADR training is 82%, and the F1-score on testing image classification is 89%. The ADR system could detect and size the smallest defect is 0.219 mm, which is λ L /5.