| ABSTRACT: | RAPID, LOW-COST, FULL-WAVEFORM MAPPING AND ANALYSIS WITH ULTRASONIC
ARRAYS
D. Lines1, J. Skramstad2, and R. Smith3
1Diagnostic Sonar, Livingston, West Lothian, UK; 2NDT Solutions Inc, New Richmond, Wisconsin, US;
3QinetiQ; Farnborough, Hampshire, UK.
Many ultrasonic techniques have been proposed for large-area inspection but few can achieve the quality
and versatility of information contained in the ultrasonic RF waveform. However inspection speed is always
an issue. Phased arrays can offer very rapid area coverage rates and the data acquisition and processing
technology used for real-time B-scan imaging means that the full-waveform can be acquired without
compromising inspection speed. The system can pulse at up to 30kHz, corresponding to 1.8sq.m/minute, and
so the actual inspection rate is only constrained by the acoustic properties of the material.
This approach has now been extended, by integration with the ANDSCAN¨ mapping system, so as to
provide seamless, full-waveform acquisition over large areas with accurate absolute position of each
waveform relative to the structure. The availability of this 3D data set allows a wide range of post-
processing options, from multiple gates to spectral analysis, and these have been incorporated into a
waveform analysis software plug-in. All of this can be done offline so minimizing on-site inspection time.
The paper reports on the improvements to the array and scanning system and outlines how the rapid
acquisition of full waveform data can simplify the way that inspections are performed and ensure the future
compatibility of the stored data.
|