Abstract: Disclosed is a composite focusing wedge for ultrasonic non-destructive testing/inspection. The composite wedge comprises a base made of machined or cast material, and a lens made of a material which is cast in liquid form and subsequently solidifies. The acoustic velocity in the base material is less than that in the lens material. The castable lens material conforms exactly to a convex machined or cast surface of the base, thereby forming a concave lower surface of the lens. A flat ultrasonic probe is coupled to a planar upper surface of the lens. The minimum distance between the lower concave and upper planar surfaces of the lens is less than one acoustic wavelength in the lens material. The ringdown time of reverberations between the two surfaces is then sufficiently short that there is no interference between the reverberations and signals from sub-surface flaws in the object being tested.

Abstract: The phased-array probe to be received on a probe receiving area of a wedge generally has a probe housing, a plurality of acoustic transducer elements disposed in the probe housing and distributed along a length of a working surface of the probe housing, and a matching layer covering the plurality of acoustic transducer elements and extending to cover an extended region of the working surface of the probe housing such that the matching layer forms a closed contact with an upper end of an acoustic damping junction of the wedge when the working surface of the probe housing of the phased-array probe is received on the probe receiving area of the wedge, wherein the closed contact prevents acoustic energy from being reflected from the extended region of the working surface of the probe housing.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method suitable for calibrating a phased array system configured to inspect square bars. A square bar is provided with an array of parallel linear notches across the full range of the testing surface of the square bar for this calibrating purpose. The square bar is passed through the probe in probe's passive direction during the calibration. The phased array system is adjusted and calibrated so that the echo amplitude for each inspection channel of the phased array probe received from each notch is substantially equal. Then a known flaw with a typically expected flaw's size and shape is created on the same testing surface so that the system's sensitivity is adjusted using the amplitude of the echo signal from the known flaw as a baseline.

Abstract: A coupling wedge for use with a ultrasonic phased array inspection system has a body with a bottom side configured to face the object to be tested and a front side generally oriented at an angle to the bottom side and a top side to be coupled with a phased array probe. The probe includes a plurality of apertures. The front side of the wedge has grooves formed with a plurality of reflectors that are positioned on the front side of the wedge, leaving a distance from the bottom side. The change in TOF values from the reflector to a specific aperture enable the determination of the temperature change in the wedge. An alarm to an operator or alternation of focal laws in the system for temperature compensation can be applied.

Abstract: Disclosed is a calibration method and system for non-destructive testing and inspection (NDT/NDI). The method and system involve establishment of a reference database by conducting FMC acquisition on a first calibration block having standardly known indications with a first series of depths and under a laboratory standard calibration condition. Then phased-array operation is conducted on a second calibration block, which is substantially the same as the first block, having indications with a series of corresponding user measured depths and under a second calibration condition as close to the laboratory condition as possible. The calibration is then made with the gain compensation calculated based on the response signals from the indications of the second block, the first series of gain data from the reference database, and the user measured depths for the corresponding indications under the second calibration condition.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved method of sizing a defect using a phased array system with a single probe orientation requiring only a simple one-pass scan. It is an improvement of the ADDT standard which is adapted to phased array systems with fixed probe orientations. Based on pre-configured parameters obtained from C-scans, the method as presently disclosed provides novel analysis on C-scans and more complete information on defects, including the orientation and sizes in length and depth or thickness of the defects. Phased array systems devised with the presently disclosed method can perform such inspection and complete sizing automatically for longitudinal, transverse and oblique defects in one pass of scan.

Abstract: A method of using a 1.5D array ultrasonic probe as a component of an inspection system intended for different diameter cylindrical parts without mechanical adjustments of the probe is presented. In particular, the method is presented as a way to improve the near surface resolution over an extended range of cylindrical parts diameter and inspection depths/tubes wall thickness with respect to usual 1D arrays of fixed curvature along the elevation axis. The method relies on a customizable concentric firing pattern of the acoustic pulses with respect to the cylindrical part surface, and on adjustment of the aperture size of the said array. The intended effect is to sharpen and minimize the extent of the front wall echo and to optimize the response from an eventual flaw in the inspected range.

Abstract: A phased array system and the inspection method which is configured to inspect the weld seam of an HSAW for all standard types of flaws located both near pipe's internal and external surfaces in one scan pass, diminishing the need of making mechanical adjustment for the probes during the one pass of scan. The configuration includes the usage of at least one linear PA probe for Lamination inspection right above HAZ zone, at least one pair of PA probes for longitudinal defects inspection and holes detection and at least two pairs of PA probes for transversal defect inspections.

Abstract: A coupling wedge for use with a ultrasounic phased array inspection system has a body with a bottom side configured to face the object to be tested and a front side generally oriented at an angle to the bottom side and a top side to be coupled with a phased array probe. The probe includes a plurality of apertures. The front side of the wedge has grooves formed with a plurality of reflectors that are positioned on the front side of the wedge, leaving a distance from the bottom side. The change in TOF values from the reflector to a specific aperture enable the determination of the temperature change in the wedge. An alarm to an operator or alternation of focal laws in the system for temperature compensation can be applied.

Abstract: Disclosed in the present disclosure is a phased array system configured to ultrasonically inspect test targets complex surfaces while employing the surface profiling capability of phased-array linear and sectorial scans. Adaptive focusing is employed for inspecting the test target by using customized apertures according to the surface profiles to generate a plurality of beams that are evenly and thoroughly spaced along a scan line inside the test target.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved method of sizing a defect using a phased array system with a single probe orientation requiring only a simple one-pass scan. It is an improvement of the ADDT standard which is adapted to phased array systems with fixed probe orientations. Based on pre-configured parameters obtained from C-scans, the method as presently disclosed provides novel analysis on C-scans and more complete information on defects, including the orientation and sizes in length and depth or thickness of the defects. Phased array systems devised with the presently disclosed method can perform such inspection and complete sizing automatically for longitudinal, transverse and oblique defects in one pass of scan.

Abstract: A method of using a 1.5D array ultrasonic probe as a component of an inspection system intended for different diameter cylindrical parts without mechanical adjustments of the probe is presented. In particular, the method is presented as a way to improve the near surface resolution over an extended range of cylindrical parts diameter and inspection depths/tubes wall thickness with respect to usual 1D arrays of fixed curvature along the elevation axis. The method relies on a customizable concentric firing pattern of the acoustic pulses with respect to the cylindrical part surface, and on adjustment of the aperture size of the said array. The intended effect is to sharpen and minimize the extent of the front wall echo and to optimize the response from an eventual flaw in the inspected range.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasonic phased array non-destructive inspection system that includes a PA probe, a conventional PA inspection unit and a refraction angle verification unit. The PA inspection unit is employed to emit ultrasonic angle beams into an AWS IIW Block and to receive a set of corresponding echo signals reflected from the calibration block and to provide time-of-flight (TOF) values corresponding to each angle beam. The refraction angle verification unit then provides a true angle for each of the angle beams based on the ultrasonic and geometric characteristics of the block and the measured TOF values. Other calibration blocks such as the DSC and Nayships blocks can also be used for this purpose.

Abstract: A phased array system and the inspection method which is configured to inspect the weld seam of an HSAW for all standard types of flaws located both near pipe's internal and external surfaces in one scan pass, diminishing the need of making mechanical adjustment for the probes during the one pass of scan. The configuration includes the usage of at least one linear PA probe for Lamination inspection right above HAZ zone, at least one pair of PA probes for longitudinal defects inspection and holes detection and at least two pairs of PA probes for transversal defect inspections.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method suitable for calibrating a phased array system configured to inspect square bars. A square bar is provided with an array of parallel linear notches across the full range of the testing surface of the square bar for this calibrating purpose. The square bar is passed through the probe in probe's passive direction during the calibration. The phased array system is adjusted and calibrated so that the echo amplitude for each inspection channel of the phased array probe received from each notch is substantially equal. Then a known flaw with a typically expected flaw's size and shape is created on the same testing surface so that the system's sensitivity is adjusted using the amplitude of the echo signal from the known flaw as a baseline.

Abstract: A weld seam tracking device for tracking weld seams on pipes or the like uses NDT/NDI sensor(s) in conjunction with an NDT/NDI operation, such as an ultrasonic phased array (PA) inspection. Processing of the weld seam tracking data is integrated or combined with the existing data processing element of the existing NDT/NDI inspection devices. Wide scanning areas of phased array probes allow weld seam tracking and inspection to be performed using a single set of probe and data processing elements to achieve both fault scanning and seam tracking with a single run of the PA scan.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasonic phased array non-destructive inspection system that includes a PA probe, a conventional PA inspection unit and a refraction angle verification unit. The PA inspection unit is employed to emit ultrasonic angle beams into an AWS 11W Block and to receive a set of corresponding echo signals reflected from the calibration block and to provide time-of-flight (TOF) values corresponding to each angle beam. The refraction angle verification unit then provides a true angle for each of the angle beams based on the ultrasonic and geometric characteristics of the block and the measured TOF values. Other calibration blocks such as the DSC and Nayships blocks can also be used for this purpose.

Abstract: A weld seam tracking device for tracking weld seams on pipes or the like uses NDT/NDI sensor(s) in conjunction with an NDT/NDI operation, such as an ultrasonic phased array (PA) inspection. Processing of the weld seam tracking data is integrated or combined with the existing data processing element of the existing NDT/NDI inspection devices. Wide scanning areas of phased array probes allow weld seam tracking and inspection to be performed using a single set of probe and data processing elements to achieve both fault scanning and seam tracking with a single run of the PA scan.