Abstract: A system and method are provided for performing a hole inspection performance study. Specimens for the performance study are made from a reconfigurable set of inspection plates. Each plate includes multiple test holes which are located symmetrically. The plates may be of various thicknesses and materials. Each test hole may or may not have a feature such as a crack or machining notch. Such features may be located at various positions of the hole, such as at an edge, within the bore, and at various circumferential positions. A specimen is formed by stacking two or more plates and securing the stack together with an alignment tool. A variety of specimens may be formed by using different combinations of inspection plates and flipping and rotating the member plates. A hole inspection system is disclosed as well as an inspection procedure and data processing algorithm for inspecting each hole.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for inspecting challenging material locations such as holes. The system may include a sensor cartridge (“mandrel”) for hole inspection that has a helical portion to which a sensor array is attached. The radius of the helical portion can be increased or decreased by applying a torque to the helical portion thereby allowing the sensor to be inserted into a hole or pressed against the wall of the hole. A scanner is described to which mandrels can be quickly connected and changed enabling an inspector to quickly switch between different mandrels (e.g., for different holes sizes and sensor configurations). Also disclosed is an inspection procedure and data processing algorithm for performing an inspection. The data processing algorithm utilizes a signature library for enhancing the detection or sizing of features of interest such as cracks. The algorithm and library can account for material edges, various material types.