Development of signal processing technique for inspection of defects in stud bolts of nuclear reactor vessel

Bolt failure is a hazard factor for the safety of reactor vessels in nuclear power plants. However, in the practical application of ultrasonic technique for crack detection in stud bolt, the classification of crack signal from the signals reflected from threads in stud bolt is very difficult. In this study, shadow effect technique combined with new signal processing method has been investigated to enhance the detectability of small crack initiated from root of thread in stud bolt. The key idea of new signal processing concept is based on the fact that the shape of waveforms from the threads is uniform since the shape of the threads in a bolt is same. If some cracks exist in the thread, the flaw signals are different from the reference signals. It has shown that the small flaws can be effectively detected by novel ultrasonic technique combined with this new signal processing concept.