Using Lamb wave TDTE method to realize ultrasonic array super-resolution imaging of multiple asymmetric defects

•TDTE high precision imaging of blind hole is realized.•Super resolution imaging of multiple blind holes is realized.•The imaging accuracy is better than the traditional ultrasonic Lamb wave imaging method.•It promotes the TDTE lamb imaging to industrial application. [Display omitted] Lamb waves are characterized by frequency dispersion and mode conversion. The imaging results obtained with traditional ultrasonic array imaging methods suffer from artifacts, reducing the imaging accuracy. In addition, traditional methods are subjected to the Rayleigh criterion and cannot image multiple defects with spacing smaller than the resolution threshold of ultrasound array imaging. In this paper, an ultrasonic Lamb wave inverse scattering topological imaging method based on time-domain topological energy (TDTE) was proposed. In this method, the topological progressive process of the inverse scattering topological imaging method was transformed into solving the direct and the adjoint sound fields. Then, by inverting the time of the adjoint sound field, the direct and the adjoint sound field can focus adaptively at the defect, which overcomes the influence of Lamb wave mode conversion and dispersion on the imaging results, and improves the imaging accuracy and resolution. Finally, the direct and the adjoint sound field are fused, and the TDTE value was taken as the pixel value of imaging. Accordingly, the limitation of the Rayleigh criterion was broken; the resolution of imaging was improved; the multi asymmetric defect imaging with the interval was realized less than the resolution threshold of the ultrasonic array imaging. The experimental results show that the TDTE method for multiple asymmetric defects can achieve super-resolution than the total focus method (TFM) and time-reversal (TR) method and can accurately distinguish the asymmetric defects when the defect spacing is smaller than the resolution threshold of the ultrasonic array imaging.