As phased array UT continues to gain wide acceptance, matrix arrays are also becoming more common and easily attainable, creating a need for higher channel count instruments. The Nuclear and Power Generation industry has been a major influential force in driving NDT technology to its limits to further improve inspection speeds, while dealing with complex geometry. This paper will explore how pairing matrix arrays with new phased array (PA) technology opens doors to better inspections. A high performance PA instrument with faster data rates, a smaller form factor, and capability to adapt to specific applications will also be highlighted. Also, new system integration techniques for demanding applications are discussed.

Phased array UT as an inspection technique in itself continues to gain wide acceptance. However, there is much room for improvement in terms of implementation of Phased Array (PA) technology for every unique NDT application across several industries (e.g. oil and petroleum, nuclear and power generation, steel manufacturing, etc.). Having full control of the phased array instrument and customizing a software solution is necessary for more seamless and efficient inspections, from setting the PA parameters, collecting data and reporting, to the final analysis. NDT researchers and academics also need a flexible and open platform to be able to control various aspects of the phased array process. A high performance instrument with advanced PA features, faster data rates, a smaller form factor, and capability to adapt to specific applications, will be discussed.

Synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) and total focusing method (TFM) have become popular tools in the field of ultrasonic non destructive testing. In particular, they are employed for detection and characterization of flaws. From data acquired with a transducer array, those techniques aim at reconstructing an image of the inspected object from coherent summations. In this paper, we make a comparison between the standard technique and a migration approach. Using experimental data, we show that the developed approach is faster and offers a better signal to noise ratio than the standard total focusing method. Moreover, the migration is particularly effective for near-surface imaging where standard methods used to fail. On the other hand, the migration approach is only adapted to layered objects whereas the standard technique can fit complex geometries. The methods are tested on homogeneous pieces containing artificial flaws such as side drilled holes.

This work deals with advanced and fast imaging techniques using phased array probes for non destructive evaluation or medical imaging. These methods employ a large amount of summations in order to focus at each pixel of the reconstruction image, which often represent a prohibitive computational cost. We present two acceleration methods, i.e. GPU computation and a migration approach. The GPU computing uses massively parallel computations. The migration approach works in the wavenumber domain and permits a significant improvement in terms of image quality. In this paper, we demonstrate the benefits of these techniques with experimental data captured from an aluminum block containing artificial flaws.

Phased array imaging using multi-element probes is an efficient technique to detect and characterize flaws in industrial components. In particular, the total focusing methods are advanced approaches that optimally focus at each point of the reconstruction zone. They generally outperform conventional imaging in terms of reconstruction quality and computational cost. They need all transmitter-receiver pair signals of an array of transducers. Then, the post-processing is performed by computing the proper propagation times at each reconstruction point and by applying coherent summations over all elements. A migration approach working in the wavenumber domain is analogous for total focusing. In this paper, we show experimental results of flaw characterization in homogeneous media using those total focusing methods. We demonstrate that the migration approach leads to a better signal to noise ratio and a better resolution for side drilled hole and horizontal slit reconstruction. On the other hand, the standard total focusing method achieves a better imaging of angled slits.

In recent years, a technique known as Full-Matrix Capture (FMC) has gained some headway in the NDE community for phased array applications. It’s important to understand that FMC is the method that the instrumentation acquires the ultrasonic signals, but further post-processing is required in software to create a meaningful image for a particular application. Having a flexible software interface, small form factor, excellent signal-to-noise ratio per acquisition channel on a 64/64 or 128/128 phased array module with FMC capability proves beneficial in both industrial implementation and in further investigation of post-processing techniques. This paper will provide an example of imaging with a 5MHz linear phased array transducer with 128 elements using FMC and a popular post-processing algorithm known as Total-Focus Method (TFM).

Phased array UT as an inspection technique in itself continues to gain wide acceptance. However, there is much room for improvement in terms of implementation of Phased Array (PA) technology for every unique NDT application across several industries (e.g. oil and petroleum, nuclear and power generation, steel manufacturing, etc.). Having full control of the phased array instrument and customizing a software solution is necessary for more seamless and efficient inspections, from setting the PA parameters, collecting data and reporting, to the final analysis. NDT researchers and academics also need a flexible and open platform to be able to control various aspects of the phased array process. A high performance instrument with advanced PA features, faster data rates, a smaller form factor, and capability to adapt to specific applications, will be discussed.