Inventors:
Thomas James Batzinger - Burnt Hills NY
Wei Li - Niskayuna NY
Robert Snee Gilmore - Burnt Hills NY
Edward James Nieters - Burnt Hills NY
William Thomas Hatfield - Schenectady NY
Richard Eugene Klaassen - West Chester OH
James Norman Barshinger - Aaronsburg PA
Bruno Hans Haider - Ballston Lake NY
Carl Lawrence Chalek - Glenville NY
Robert John McElligott - Loveland OH
David Charles Franklin - Cincinnati OH
Assignee:
General Electric Company - Niskayuna NY
International Classification:
G01N 924
Abstract:
A method for inspecting a component includes exciting a number of transducers forming an array to produce an ultrasonic transmission beam (beam) focused into the component. The array and the component are separated by a standoff. A number of echo signals are generated using the transducers, and the echo signals are processed in a number of channels. The processing includes both dynamical focus and providing a dynamic aperture on receive, both of which compensate for refraction of the beam at the component/standoff interface. A single-turn inspection method includes: (a) positioning the array facing the component, (b) exciting the transducers, (c) generating a number of echo signals, (d) changing the relative angular orientation of the array and the component around an axis and repeating steps (b) and (c), and (e) processing the echo signals to form at least one processed echo signal.