PHASED ARRAY ULTRASONIC INSPECTION METHOD FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS

• Main Authors: FRANKLIN, DAVID CHARLES, KLAASSEN, RICHARD EUGENE, HAIDER, BRUNO HANS, HATFIELD, WILLIAM THOMAS, MCELLIGOTT, ROBERT JOHN, CHALEK, CARL LAWRENCE, BATZINGER, THOMAS JAMES, NIETERS, EDWARD JAMES, LI, WEI, GILMORE, ROBERT SNEE, BARSHINGER, JAMES NORMAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 30.03.2010
• Subjects: ACOUSTICS; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; DIAGNOSIS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; IDENTIFICATION; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING,NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; SURGERY; TESTING

A method for inspecting a component (10) includes exciting a number of transducers (12) forming an array (14) to produce an ultrasonic transmission beam (beam) focused into the component. The array and the component are separated by a standoff (18). A number of echo signals are generated using the transducers, and the echo signals are processed in a number of channels (20). The processing includes both dynamical focus and providing a dynamic aperture (24) on receive, both of which compensate for refraction of the beam at the component/standoff interface. A single-turn inspection method includes: (a) positioning the array facing the component, (b) exciting the transducers, (c) generating a number of echo signals, (d) changing the relative angular orientation of the array and the component around an axis (26) and repeating steps (b) and (c), and (e) processing the echo signals to form at least one processed echo signal.