Economical instrumentation utilising ultrasonic guided waves on threaded steel with a USB oscilloscope

Abstract

Guided ultrasonic wave is a diagnostic method that utilizes high frequency wave propagation to analyze the physical condition of a material in real-time. This research aims to develop economical instrumentation using guided ultrasonic waves on threaded steel with the help of a USB oscilloscope. Threaded steel, which is used as reinforcement in construction structures, often develops cracks that affect its strength and reliability. Therefore, there is a need for an efficient evaluation method to identify the condition of this material. The system developed in this study overcomes measurement challenges at high frequencies, such as significant noise and complex propagation modes, by utilizing narrow bandwidth signals. The performance of the system is evaluated through analysis of signal to noise ratio, averaging effect, filtration, and initial gain. The results show that techniques such as averaging, bandpass filtration, and gain using a pre-amplifier successfully improve measurement accuracy and reliability despite the limitations of USB oscilloscopes in signal capture quality. These findings provide a reliable low-cost instrumentation alternative for monitoring and physical characterization of threaded steel in civil engineering applications.