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	Using a symmetric Lamb-guided wave at 32 kHz, the stub angles, without having braces or attachments in the middle, were successfully inspected in a field evaluation test.
	MsS probes were used to inspect the stub angle of an 80-foot-tall transmission tower. The strong end-reflected signal indicated the "good" stub angle.

Stub angles are used to anchor and stabilize lattice towers. A concern with lattice towers is that the buried portions could be heavily corroded and would not be easily detectable from above ground. When corrosion of these stub angles progresses to unsafe levels, catastrophic failure of the tower structure could occur.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists successfully applied MsS^® technology to differentiate good, lightly corroded, and highly corroded stub angles in laboratory testing. Using a symmetric Lamb-guided wave at 32 kHz, the stub angles, without having braces or attachments in the middle, were successfully inspected in a field evaluation test.

For more information about our nondestructive evaluation (NDE) or lattice tower members capabilities, or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Sergey A. Vinogradov, Ph.D., at sviogradov@swri.org or call (210) 522-3342.

ndesensors.swri.org

| Sensor Systems and Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Technology Department | Mechanical Engineering Division | SwRI Home |

Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

January 03, 2013