Peak NDT – Development of High Performance, Lightweight Compact, Ultrasonic Phased Array Controller with DRE Capabilty

超声波检测（UT）广泛应用于工业中，用于询问部件、设备和产品的缺陷；确保它们符合使用目的，并减少在使用中发生故障的风险，根据故障的性质，这种风险可能对环境和当地居民造成灾难性的影响。相对最近的技术进步已经看到了相控阵（PA）技术的引入，类似于医院婴儿扫描仪，工业UT世界。相控阵能够向操作员提供比传统超声波装置更易于解释的显示，因此在许多工业部件的超声波无损检测中越来越受欢迎。目前的市场在高规格的高成本单位和功能较差的低成本便携式单位之间两极分化。目前的中间地带，紧凑但高规格的PA单元可能需要集成到在线测试系统中，没有得到充分的服务。此外，如果被检查的部件对超声波有高度衰减，或者在靠近一些大几何特征的地方寻找非常小的缺陷，那么现有系统的动态范围可能不够，操作员可能需要在两个不同的灵敏度级别上查看响应。该开发项目不仅旨在满足对中等价格紧凑但高性能的PA UT单元的需求，而且还需要即时增加动态范围，即动态范围增强（DRE）。技术挑战不仅在于将PA电子设备“硬塞”到更小的外壳中，同时还增加了系统的动态范围，这些挑战并非微不足道，并促使女王创新奖获奖者Peak NDT申请SMART资金，以便产品能够在合理的时间框架内推向市场。

Ultrasonic Testing (UT) is widely used in industry to interrogate components, plant andproducts for flaws; to make sure that they are fit for purpose and to reduce the risk of failure in service, which, depending on the nature of the failure, may be catastrophic for the environment and for the local population. Relatively recent advances in technology have seen the introduction of Phased Array (PA) technology, similar to a hospital baby scanner, to the industrial UT world. With the ability to present the operator with a more readily interpretable display than that from a conventional ultrasonic unit, phased arrays are becoming increasingly popular for the ultrasonic non-destructive inspection of many industrial components. The present market is polarised between high specification high cost units and less capable low cost portable units. Currently the middle-ground, where compact but high specification PA units may be needed to integrate into in-line testing systems, is not adequately served.Additionally, where the component being inspected is highly attenuating to ultrasound or where very small defects are being sought in close proximity to some large geometric feature then the dynamic range of existing systems may be inadequate and the operator may need to view the responses at two different sensitivity levels.This development project seeks to address not only the requirement for a mid-priced compact but high performance PA UT unit but also the need for an instantaneous increase in dynamic range, Dynamic Range Enhancement (DRE). The technical challenges posed not only in ‘shoehorning’ the PA electronics into a smaller enclosure but also at the same time increasing the dynamic range of the system are not insignificant and have prompted Queen’s Award forInnovation Winners, Peak NDT to apply for SMART funding so that a product can be brought to market in a reasonable time-frame.