Phase-Insensitive Ultrasonic Testing System

Abstract

Ultrasonic testing system developed for use in revealing hidden disbonds at rough, inaccessible interfaces between layers of material. Includes array of small piezoelectric transducers, receiving outputs electronically processed individually and combined in such way as to make system phase-insensitive, overcoming limitations imposed by phase-sensitivity. Development of present ultrasonic system and phase-insensitive-array technique which based motivated by need to detect disbonds under conditions of bondline inhibitor, liner, and fuel at ends of segments of solid rocket motor of space shuttle. Here, liner-to-fuel bondline very rough with respect to ultrasonic wavelength.