Methods of ultrasonic inspection in the automobile industry

New construction types and new joining methods in the modern car manufacturing industry require new or adapted inspection techniques and equipment to ensure traffic safety concerns. For the construction of car bodies, different joining methods are applied, for example spot welds, laser seam welds, MAG welds and adhesive joints. For these types of joints, special ultrasonic techniques were developed and are still in development. This includes the development of special probes, systems and software. This paper covers a selection of new ultrasonic techniques for the inspection of different kinds of joints, especially in the car body; and does not represent all ultrasonic applications in the automobile industry.