Abstract: A connector assembly for connecting an ultrasonic transducer to a transducer fixture of an ultrasonic inspection system. The assembly includes a male connector element including a protrusion having a circular cross section and a mount for connecting the male element to at least one of the transducer and the transducer fixture. The assembly also includes a female connector element including a recess sized and shaped for rotatably receiving the male element protrusion to releasably connect the male connector element to the female connector element and a mount for connecting the female element to at least one of the transducer and the transducer fixture. In addition, the assembly includes a fastener mounted on at least one of the male and female connector elements for releasably fastening the male connector element to the female connector element to retain the male element protrusion in the female element recess and to prevent the male element from rotating with respect to the female element.

Abstract: The method of producing a binary flaw-no flaw image of an object, including employing an ultrasonic data acquisition system to obtain data values f(i,j) which define a C-scan image (F) of the object, dividing the C-scan image (F) into a plurality of subimages (G.sub.k for k=1,2, . . . ,K), determining regional threshold levels y(k) for each of the plurality of subimages, using said regional threshold levels y(k) to determine pixel threshold levels t(i,j) for each pixel (i,j) of the image (F) by interpolation, and generating a binary flaw-no flaw image (B) by assigning binary values thereto based on a comparison between the pixel threshold levels t(i,j) and data values f(i,j), thereby providing a method which achieves a high probability of flaw detection and a low probability of false flaw indications.

Abstract: A method for detecting and characterizing flaws in an object having an arbitrary-shaped geometry. The present invention uses a synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) which enables maximum aperture imaging. Maximum aperture imaging is attained by determining whether a plurality of reconstruction points within an object are in the width of a transmitted ultrasonic sound wave.

Abstract: A method of suppressing grain noise resulting from ultrasonic inspection of an object, including ultrasonically scanning an object and detecting waveform signals therefrom, determining, from the signals, data values which define a 3D waveform data set U(x,y,t) having both spatial (x,y) and temporal (t) ultrasonic data values from the scanned object, converting the 3D waveform data set into a 3D filtered waveform data set V(x,y,t) by performing a 3D filtering operation thereon, wherein for each data value in the 3D waveform data set U(x,y,t), a filtered data value is obtained by taking into account data values which are adjacent thereto both spatially and temporally, thereby reducing grain noise relative to flaw signals to enable a high probability of flaw detection and a low probability of false flaw indications.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for processing and interpreting data acquired from an eddy current probe array inspection system, based on a background subtraction technique. Test and reference waveform data sets are acquired, and subsequently combined. However, the data sets are first normalized and registered to the same position, registering on characteristic signals produced when scanning over edges. Specific techniques are disclosed for normalizing, correcting for spatial offsets, determining the actual locations of edge signals by peak detection and correlation, and adjusting for variations in the number of points in the test and reference data sets.