A device for use in inspecting a test object is provided. The device can include a body including a first end and a second end. The second end can be opposite the first end. The device can also include a probe receiver located at the first end of the body. The probe receiver can be configured to receive an ultrasonic probe. The device can further include a coupling portion located at the second end of the body. The coupling portion can be configured to position the ultrasonic probe with respect to an axis of force transmission of a test object or normal to one or more material layers of the test object during an ultrasound inspection of the test object. Methods of forming the device and performing ultrasonic inspection of a test object with the device are also provided.

The disclosure relates to a control method of a probe with ultrasonic phased array transducers in a hinge array, and belongs to the technical field of ultrasonic detecting. The control method includes the steps: firstly, fixing a part under test, making a central piezoelectric array element of piezoelectric array elements for the ultrasonic phased array transducers in the hinge array make contact with a surface of the part under test, and then fixing a fixed support; before detection is started, driving the hinge array through voice coil motors to make the piezoelectric array elements completely fit the surface of the part under test, wherein the number of the piezoelectric array elements is 2N+1 (N=1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), and different values of N are selected according to a size of the part under test; with the value of pressure of the central piezoelectric array element as a standard and difference values between values of pressures of other piezoelectric array elements and the value of pressure of the central piezoelectric array element as control signals of respective corresponding voice coil motor coils, controlling output rods to drive the hinge array; keeping the values of pressures of all the piezoelectric array elements consistent by means of an incremental digital PID control method; and then realizing deflecting and focusing of ultrasonic waves by means of a time delay rule for ultrasonic detecting, thereby detecting parts under test with planar or curved surfaces.

Multi-centric radius focusing is used to inspect a radiused surface of a radiused part having a varying radius without mechanically adjusting the array sensor. A plurality of focal laws are designed to electronically steer and focus ultrasound at respective focal points corresponding to centers of curvature of a simulated radiused surface having a varying radius. The mechanical probe that carries the array sensor is located to two physical places that are outside of the radiused area and have a spatial relationship that varies less than the radius of the radiused surface varies. As the probe is moved along the radiused part, the probe maintains the array sensor at a constant location relative to the radiused part. As the array sensor scans the radiused part, the array sensor is electronically adjusted to focus at the respective focal points in sequence.

An automated device for non-destructive testing for the detection of defects of a complex tubular product includes at least one ultrasound transducer arranged to emit an ultrasound beam having an emission orientation. The automated device further includes control and processing electronics configured to define at least one ultrasound burst parameter as a function of the longitudinal and/or circumferential position of the ultrasound emission means, so as to detect defects in the tube wall. The at least one parameter being chosen from the burst emission orientation, the gain or the position of the temporal filter.

Disclosed herein a method of producing an ultrasound that includes defining a set of criteria for an ultrasound emitter comprising a plate. The set of criteria includes a power output criterion, a frequency criterion and number of nodes for a resonance mode of the plate, a focus criterion, and a durability criterion. The method includes determining an outline and a thickness range for the plate, based on the set of criteria. The method includes using topology optimization to determine internodal zone dimensions for the plate, based on the set of criteria, the outline, and the thickness range. The method includes manufacturing the plate according to the internodal zone dimensions.

Disclosed is a method for determining a whole macro-micro process of rock deformation and failure based on a four-parameter test, including following steps: firstly, obtaining acoustic emission data and deformation data of a sample in a compression test, and then calculating the deformation data according to a finite deformation theory to obtain a mean rotation angle θ at each stress level; using Grassberger-Procaccia (G-P) algorithm to calculate the acoustic emission data, and obtaining a fractal dimension of a temporal distribution D.sub.T of an acoustic emission signal and calculating a fractal dimension of a spatial distribution D.sub.S; obtaining a microscopic morphology of a fracture surface by scanning electron microscope (SEM) test after the compression test, and calculating a fractal dimension D.sub.A of the fracture surface; finally, obtaining a mathematical trend relationship between θ and D.sub.T, D.sub.S and D.sub.A according to a comprehensive analysis of D.sub.T, D.sub.S, D.sub.A and θ.

An ultrasonic phased array transducer assembly having a single housing in which a plurality of phased array transducer subassemblies are mounted at a skewed angle relative to a leading face of the housing and to each other, with each transducer mounted on composite wedge(s) at different orientations within the housing.

An inspection robot, and methods and a controller thereof are disclosed. An inspection robot may include an inspection chassis including a plurality of inspection sensors and coupled to at least one drive module to drive the robot over an inspection surface. The inspection robot may also include a controller including an inspection data circuit to interpret inspection base data, an inspection processing circuit to determine refined inspection data, and an inspection configuration circuit to determine an inspection response value in response to the refined inspection data. The controller may further include an inspection response circuit to, in response to the inspection response value, provide an inspection command value while the inspection robot is interrogating the inspection surface.

An acoustic lens to steer an acoustic beam includes a first structure, a second structure spaced from the first structure, an array of projections disposed between the first and second structures, each projection of the array of projections extending from the first structure toward the second structure to define a respective gap between the projection and the second structure, and an actuator configured to move the first structure, the second structure, or the array of projections for collective adjustment of the respective gaps of the array of projections. Each projection is configured to define one or more respective unit cells, each unit cell having a sub-wavelength size relative to the acoustic beam to establish an effective refractive index profile for the acoustic beam between the first and second structures. The actuator is configured such that the collective adjustment of the respective gaps varies across the array of projections to spatially modify the effective refractive index profile to steer the acoustic beam.

Disclosed herein is a method for depth-profiling of samples including a target region including a lateral structural feature. The method includes projecting an optical pump pulse on a semiconductor device comprising a target region, such as to produce an acoustic pulse which propagates within the target region of the semiconductor device, wherein a wavelength of the pump pulse is at least two times greater than a lateral extent of a lateral structural feature of the semiconductor device along at least one lateral direction, projecting an optical probe pulse on the semiconductor device, such that the probe pulse undergoes Brillouin scattering off the acoustic pulse within the target region, detecting a scattered component of the probe pulse to obtain a measured signal, and analyzing the measured signal to obtain a depth-dependence of at least one parameter characterizing the lateral structural feature.