Applications of Flexible Ultrasonic Transducer Array for Defect Detection at 150 °C

Sensors

Jeanne-Louise Shih²  Kuo-Ting Wu¹  Cheng-Kuei Jen²  Chun-Hsiung Chiu³  Jing-Chi Tzeng³ 

[1] National Research Council Canada, Boucherville, QC J4B 6Y4, Canada; E-Mail:;Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, 3480 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 2K6, Canada; E-Mails:;Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen-Hwa 1st Rd., Kwei-Shan, Tao-Yuan 333, Taiwan; E-Mails:

关键词: flexible ultrasonic transducer array;    PZT sol-gel;    pulse-echo mode;    pitch-catch mode;    total focusing method;    phased-array imaging;    defect detection;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s130100975

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In this study, the feasibility of using a one dimensional 16-element flexible ultrasonic transducer (FUT) array for nondestructive testing at 150 °C is demonstrated. The FUT arrays were made by a sol-gel sprayed piezoelectric film technology; a PZT composite film was sprayed on a titanium foil of 75 μm thickness. Since the FUT array is flexible, it was attached to a steel pipe with an outer diameter of 89 mm and a wall thickness of 6.5 mm at 150 °C. Using the ultrasonic pulse-echo mode, pipe thickness measurements could be performed. Moreover, using the ultrasonic pulse-echo and pitch-catch modes of each element of FUT array, the defect detection was performed on an Al alloy block of 30 mm thickness with a side-drilled hole (SDH) of ϕ3 mm at 150 °C. In addition, a post-processing algorithm based on the total focusing method was used to process the full matrix of these A-scan signals of each single transmitter and multi-receivers, and then the phase-array image was obtained to indicate this defect- SDH. Both results show the capability of FUT array being operated at 150 °C for the corrosion and defect detections.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.