Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Part 1
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1D Linear array probes are the most widely used for industrial inspection and the
only type that is supported directly in the OmniScan MX2 software wizards.
Phased array probes other than 1D linear must use focal laws generated from an
external calculator for import into MX2.
Complex probes and wedges such as 2D or TRL type arrays or complex techniques
such as pitch-catch require more input parameters and must be generated with a
computer based phased array calculator and imported into the OmniScan MX2 on
the memory card.
Olympus probes are sold with common housings to minimize the amount of
wedges and accessories.
Below is pictured a standard 5L64-A2 probe that uses the same housing as the
2.25L64-A2. All A2 probes are compatible with A2 wedges and are listed in the
OmniScan MX2 database independently to account for different pitch and
position.
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OmniScan MX2 Training Pipeline Weld Probes for use with MX2
Pipe Wizard probes such as the
PWZ series are the workhorse of the
Olympus pipeline phased array
systems.
Typical applications include high
speed precision inspection using
zone discrimination and amplitude
techniques on pipeline girth welds.
Suitable for manual and automated
inspections.
Specialized wedges used with the
PWZ include carbide wear pins and
sophisticated irrigation channels.
Internal radius focusing for improved
length sizing of pipeline flaws.
(Sharp C-scan and B-scan)
Short cable and front cable exit
available for scanner
accommodation.
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Some housing types can accommodate probe models of different pitch size and
frequency, and may not be symmetrical in the housing.
Wedges compatible with these types of probes contain separate probe position
options with separate attachment points including reversing the probe.
Care should be taken to ensure the correct probe, wedge, and wedge position
are selected from the wedge database.
A2 Housing
5L64
Position
2.25L64
Position
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Included in the wedge label after the housing family (SA10, SA12, etc.) is the
nominal refracted angle (N60S) in steel with no beam steering.
To achieve a shear wave refracted angle of 60 degrees (N60S) in steel the wedge
is cut with an incident angle of 39 degrees in Rexolite. (Snells law)
N55 and N60 are common wedge designs because this angle allows good beam
steering from approximately 30-70 degrees for most probes\wedge combinations.
39 degrees in
Rexolite
60 degrees in
carbon steel
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A zero degree wedge is designed for both straight beam and angle beam
longitudinal wave inspection as is typically used in corrosion mapping or composite
lamination type inspections.
This type of wedge acts as a stand off delay and provides improved near surface
resolution compared to using a probe with no wedge.
The 0L wedge also protects the probe as scanning with no wedge exposes the
probe membrane to wear and damage.
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Inspection in the circumferential axis or Long seam type inspection requires a COD
wedge and special hardware and software considerations.
COD wedges are calibrated at the factory for precise incident angle to be used in the
focal law calculator. Each wedge is treated independently for precision.
The COD inspection for the OmniScan MX2 requires that the focal laws be built
externally with a computer based calculator like Tomoview and imported into the
OmniScan MX2 for use.
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The Hydroform corrosion mapper is a form of a specialized phased array probe and
wedge using water as the coupling medium.
It uses a stable water column with an adjustable probe height to transmit sound into
the component for corrosion inspection and C-scan generation.
The Hydroform wedge parameters for the phased array calculator are selected
directly from the database in the MX2 software and use the velocity of water.
The benefits of using water as the wedge include improved component coupling and
improved near surface defect resolution.
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Intro to Phased Array Using the OmniScan MX2 Part 1 Beam Formation
A focal law is the pattern of time delays applied to pulsing and receiving elements of
an array probe in order to steer and focus the resulting sound beam and echo
response.
The speed or PRF, the quantity of A-scans in one or more groups, and the type of
beam formations possible is limited by instrument specifications and software
capability.
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Resulting A-scan
Intro to Phased Array Using the OmniScan MX2 Part 1 Beam Formation
A simpler explanation is that a focal law is an A-scan. When used in pulse echo
mode the transmitted and received delays are the same and are using the same
group of elements.
The phasing affect allows multiple focal laws or A-scans that differ in angle and focus
to be generated from the same group of elements and summed in a sector scan or
linear scan type display.
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Intro to Phased Array Using the OmniScan MX2 Part 1 Beam Formation
Linear Scan Definition
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Intro to Phased Array Using the OmniScan MX2 Part 1 Beam Formation
Sound beams can be focused like light rays with the energy focusing at a given
point and then expanding beyond it.
The depth of focus is changed by varying the applied delays on the elements and is
built into the focal law along with the angle steering.
The maximum depth or sound path that a beam can be focused is defined by the
near field which is a function of element size, frequency, and material velocity.
The effective sensitivity is improved by a smaller beam diameter with more energy
at the focus point.
Increasing the size of the aperture or creating the same aperture using more
smaller elements increases the sharpness of the focused beam and improves
results.
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Intro to Phased Array Using the OmniScan MX2 Part 1 Beam Formation
Beam focusing is only possible within the near field of the probe.
The near field is different in the active and passive axis of the array and can be
calculated with the formula below.
Most methods for calculating the near field should be considered close
approximations due to simplifying the formula and not taking into account every
probe parameter.
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Intro to Phased Array Using the OmniScan MX2 Part 1 Beam Formation
Different focusing strategies can provide optimized results for different
applications.
There are five primary types of focusing associated with phased array
inspection:
1. Depth focusing. Defined from the bottom of the wedge in depth and different
for every angle.
2. Sound path focusing. Defined by the uncorrected sound path and the same for
every angle.
3. Projection focusing. Defined by the surface distance from the wedge face.
4. Focal plane focusing. Defined by an X,Y position in the material.
5. Unfocused. Any value that is beyond the near field of the probe\aperture.
Depth
Sound Path
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Projection
Focal Plane
Intro to Phased Array Using the OmniScan MX2 Part 1 Beam Formation
In addition to standard IIW and similar calibration blocks, there are industrial
standards such as ASTM E2491 that specify techniques and calibration
block designs for verification of the phased array beam profile.
Beam profile, beam steering limits, beam focusing, element activity, etc can
be verified similarly to the requirements of conventional UT with specialized
reference standards.
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Question: What are the four groups of essential parameters for the
phased array calculator?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Probe parameters.
Wedge parameters.
Material Velocity
Beam Formation.
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Thank You!