Ensuring the integrity of joined materials is always paramount in delivering quality and safety in both structural members and manufactured components. Ultrasonic inspection has long been used as a primary nondestructive test (NDT) method for a variety of weld and bonding processes. Selection of a range of frequencies and modes of sound propagation allows testing a variety of materials, including metals, plastics and composites over a broad range of thickness and joint configurations.
Conventional ultrasonic flaw detection using small, handheld instruments with single element transducers is well-established as a quality control technique in many manufacturing and service industries. In recent years, there has been growing interest in phased array systems that use sophisticated technology based on multi-element probe assemblies to generate steered beams and create cross-sectional pictures similar to those in medical ultrasound imaging. These instruments also are commonly used for industrial inspections.