Assessing and maintaining the integrity of aging structures such as pipelines, bridges, and ships is crucial. The ability to detect and characterize degradation to infrastructure allows proactive measures to be taken to minimize potential loss of life, and damage to property and natural resources such as that which occurred with the 2010 San Bruno, Calif. pipeline explosion. A new non-destructive method for direct measurement of structural integrity has been developed by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that allows for detection of stresses and damage not visually identifiable.

Researchers found that by making various ultrasonic scans at preselected locations along the material being tested, they are able to determine areas in which the structure is stressed or damaged. Previous technologies required cutting into the structure to assess potential strain or damage. This new technology uses multiple sensors to sweep the surface, sending an ultrasonic pulse that rapidly, reliably, and non-intrusively “looks” at and characterizes the structure material. Data from the scan is plotted using various parameters, and lines or curves are then fitted to the respective plotted points. Review of the plotted curves allows the location and severity of defects within the scanned sections to be determined and quantified. With this information various other decisions can be made related to how, when, or whether repair or replacement of a particular portion of a structure should be made. Additionally, a baseline can be established representing the integrity of the structure, resulting in potential cost and operational benefits as on-going, regular sweeps are compared to the baseline for informed decision making.

Partners are sought to further develop the technology into a commercial prototype for field deployment.