This nondestructive method of testing has become increasingly lightweight and user-friendly.







UT inspection can be performed on concrete, wood, composites, metals, alloys, and weld inspections. Ultrasonic testing supports the power generation, refinery, oil, and gas industries. Some applications for UT include vehicles, pressure vessels, pipes, and tanks. The list below details the differences between conventional UT and PAUT.



Today, UT and PAUT can be performed with devices that are user-friendly and portable. However, this has not always been the case. This article discusses the progression of Ultrasonic and Phased Array Testing equipment from mammoth units to lightweight devices.

For over sixty years, ultrasonic inspection has proven to be a reliable, safe nondestructive testing method for detecting cracks, defects, porosity, and other internal flaws. Both conventional ultrasonic testing (UT) and phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) are nondestructive testing methods that use ultrasonic waves (or high frequency sound waves) to find flaws, cracks, and material thickness. Ultrasonic frequencies range from 0.1-50 MHz. In PAUT, a computer assisted transducer pulses at different time intervals.UT inspection can be performed on concrete, wood, composites, metals, alloys, and weld inspections. Ultrasonic testing supports the power generation, refinery, oil, and gas industries. Some applications for UT include vehicles, pressure vessels, pipes, and tanks. The list below details the differences between conventional UT and PAUT.Today, UT and PAUT can be performed with devices that are user-friendly and portable. However, this has not always been the case. This article discusses the progression of Ultrasonic and Phased Array Testing equipment from mammoth units to lightweight devices.

1940s to 1960s: The Early Years



The technological advancements of World War II lead to the development of Ultrasonic Testing. In 1945, the first commercial ultrasonic flaw detector (the Supersonic Reflectoscope) was mass-produced by Sperry Products. Early ultrasonic instruments used bulky vacuum tubes and could not be battery operated. In the 1960s, advancements in solid-state circuitry allowed for smaller, battery-power instruments that could be transported in the field. Although Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing equipment has origins in the 1950s, it was used in the beginning solely for the medical field.



1970s to 1990s: The Rise of the Computer



By the 1970s, Ultrasonic Testing was being widely used, but the equipment was still bulky and not user-friendly. In the decades to come, the development of digital signal processing and inexpensive microprocessors shrunk units and made them easier to use. In 1984, Olympus NDT predecessor Panametrics produced the first portable, all-digital flaw detector called the EPOCH 2002. Although some digital units were being produced during this era, the dominance of digital ultrasonic equipment would not begin until the 2000s.



2000s: The Switch From Analog to Digital



The analog to digital switch became the standard in the 21st century. While ultrasonic instruments had begun to shrink in the 1980s and 1990s, the access to low power electronic components and microprocessors in the 2000s made Ultrasonic Testing and Phased Array Testing very lightweight and portable. Digital signal processing had become increasingly affordable and had several advantages over analog testing.

Stability of horizontal and vertical linearity



Logging software storage of screenshots and measurements in internal memory or removable storage cards



Precision and repeatability of test setups



Easy USB interface for exporting data to other computers for storage or additional analysis

Digital precision in measurement of amplitude and depth/distance



Waveform freeze, peak memory, and zoom functions for easy analysis



Digital filtering can improve near surface resolution

Many of the same technological strides in Conventional Ultrasonic Testing were also happening with Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing. Phased Array for industrial purposes began to show up in the market in the 2000s. Phased Array was no longer limited to just the medical industry. Advancement in Phased Array technology meant the equipment was less expensive, so affordability was not a barrier in the market.



Citations

Cabral, E. (n.d.). User Friendly NDE Phased Array. Retrieved October 22, 2019, from https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/E_Cabral-User_Friendly_NDE_Ultrasound_and_Phased_Array.pdf.

Present State of Ultrasonics. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2019, from https://www.nde-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Ultrasonics/Introduction/futuredirection.htm.

Ultrasonic Flaw Detection Tutorial 1.1 General Introduction to Ultrasonic Testing. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.olympus-ims.com/en/ndt-tutorials/flaw-detection/general/.