In-plant vertical setup for 40-ft long friction stir weld inspection. Courtesy of Boeing

The FSW technique has exceptional qualities when applied to thin aluminum, but the process may generate small, tight defects.

Ultrasonic phased array technology was chosen over standard ultrasonic inspection technology as it has proven to be very efficient in the inspection of FSW by allowing inspection of the entire weld volume with a single-line scan.

Inspection speed and data quality are superior in the thin aluminum plates over standard ultrasonic techniques, which would require multiple transducers and raster scanning. Flaw characterization and evaluation is significantly enhanced over available radiographic technology as well.

RD Tech is the uncontested leader in phased array technology applied to NDT. RD Tech has been developing and installing systems using this state-of-the-art technology since 1994 ...