A nondestructive ultrasonic imaging system for detection of flaws in metal blocks

An ultrasonic imaging system is presented for the nondestructive evaluation of internal defects in metal blocks. The surfaces of the blocks are coarsely scanned by a single ultrasonic transducer to record multiple A-scans. The recorded A-scans are processed by a synthetic-aperture focusing technique (SAFT) algorithm to search for defects in a metal specimen. The processed information is then sent to a graphics package to be displayed on a CRT screen of a personal computer. The current linear imaging technique is presented and is compared to the SAFT algorithm. The theory and limitations of the SAFT algorithm as well as the hardware implementation are discussed. Images of defects in aluminum blocks are illustrated with varying operating parameters showing the performance of the imaging system.>