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Inspection of Composite Radii


Phased Array Solution

This solution features special curved linear arrays of 16 to 64 elements and appropriate positioning hardware to align all of ultrasonic beams at 90 degrees to the curved inspection surface allowing for complete inspection from the ID or OD. The main advantage of utilizing this inspection solution is rapid inspection of the entire area in a single pass with proper detection angles.Adjustable positioning wedges combined with the sector scan view allow quick adjustment of the beams to ensure proper angle of incidence all along the radius.The front wall of the radius will appear flat when properly adjusted by the positioning knob. The proper probe holders can be selected by the basic corner geometry. The same probe can be used on a wide variety of geometries by changing the probe holder.The probes can also be positioned in immersion tanks using typical probe positioning methods.

The use of CFRP (Carbon fiber reinforced polymers) in manufacturing is widespread and growing due to the demand for strong but lighter building materials. Aerospace and wind power are just a few of the industries increasing there use of composites in the manufacturing stage. As the use of composites has grown so has the complexity of various shapes and sizes current manufacturing technologies can produce out of composite materials. One of the primary inspection difficulties in CFRP material is the inspection of radiused shapes.

Flat composites are primarily tested with ultrasound with 0 degree transducers for delaminations and porosity that are usually detected best perpendicular to the accessible surface of the composite build up.Phased Array Ultrasonics has recently advanced this inspection offering new rapid testing solutions for flat CFRP parts. Radii parts pose an inspection issue because of the curved shape and access to either the inner or outer diameter of that radius.

Instrument Features:

  • Portable or fixed Immersion station testing
  • OmniScan user friendly interface or TV computer control
  • Multiple C-Scan and Gating options
  • Full A-scan / S-scan / C-scan / B-scan recording
  • Customizable amplitude and thickness color palette
  • Post analysis with TV software or OmniPC with composite specific tools

Curved Linear Probe Features:

  • Acoustically matched to water
  • High resolution around the radius
  • Corrosion resistant stainless steel casing
  • Waterproof guarantee up to 1m
  • Compatible with adjustable wedges for ID/OD inspection
  • Compatible with Mini Wheel encoder (wedges)
Olympus IMS

Products Used for This Application
This software is the most efficient and affordable option for OmniScan MX2 and SX data analysis, and features the same analysis tools provided in the MX2 and SX onboard software, with the added flexibility of running on a personal computer.
TomoView is a powerful and flexible PC-based software used for design, data acquisition, visualization, and analysis of ultrasonic signals.
Curved array probes are made with a corrosion-resistant stainless steel case and are guaranteed waterproof up to 1 m underwater. The acoustic impedance of these probes matches water. They are compatible with adjustable immersion wedges and are used for the inspection of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) corners and in addition to the inspection of composite for delamination.
The single group, lightweight OmniScan SX flaw detector features an easy-to-read 8.4-inch (21.3 cm) touch screen and provides cost-effective solutions. The OmniScan SX comes in two models: the SX PA and SX UT. The SX PA is a 16:64PR unit, which, like the UT-only SX UT, is equipped with a conventional UT channel for P/E, P-C, or TOFD inspections.
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