Ultrasonic Phased Array Testing

Ultrasonic Phased Array Testing

INSPECTION AND TESTING METHOD

Principle

The ultrasonic phased array testing method is an advanced non-destructive testing method used in the industrial field. Single-element probes, called monolithic transducers, emit a beam in a fixed direction. To test a high-volume material, a conventional probe must be physically moved or rotated to scan the beam throughout the area of interest.

On the other hand, the beam of a phased array probe can be moved electronically without physically moving the probe, and can therefore scan a large volume of material at high speed. The beam is controllable because a phased array probe is composed of several small elements. By varying the synchronization, that is, by vibrating the elements one by one in a certain order along a line, a constructive interference pattern is generated, thus creating a beam along a well-defined angle. The beam is scanned like a flashlight through the object under test and the data from the beams is put together to create an image corresponding to a slice of the object.

Advantages

• Produces an image that represents a section through the object.
• Greatly simplifies the inspection of complex geometry components.
• Can test welds at multiple angles from a single sensor, greatly increasing the probability of detecting anomalies.
• Produces detailed reports on the device itself.