Study on flexible phased array ultrasonic testing

The objective of this study was to solve the irregular work testing In Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), because of its effective electronic scanning and good resolution, phase array ultrasound testing is becoming more and more popular. But it is difficult to test the irregular work with the phase array ultrasound directly. Normally the irregular work is put in a water tank. Because of the unmatched impedance between water and the work, most of the ultrasound will be reflected on the surface of the work. Therefore, the sensitivity will descend. Another disadvantage of this method is that some work cannot be put in the tank. Flexible phased array ultrasound testing has been developed to improve the irregular work testing. There are two advantages of the flexible phased array ultrasound testing: flexible contacting and flexible electronic scan. One key technology of this new method is the design of a flexible phased-array probe that can contact the irregular work directly. Another one is to locate the elements' position. Experiment of testing columniform work proves that flexible phased array ultrasonic testing can improve the irregular work testing.