According to one embodiment, a processing system sets a detector to a prescribed position. The detector includes a plurality of detection elements arranged along a first direction and a second direction. The second direction crosses the first direction. The processing system causes the detector to perform a probe of a weld portion of a joined body. The probe includes a transmission of an ultrasonic wave and a detection of a reflected wave. The processing system calculates a center position of the weld portion in a first plane along the first and second directions based on intensity data. The intensity data is of an intensity of the reflected wave obtained by the probe. The processing system performs a position adjustment of moving the detector along the first plane to reduce a distance between the center position and a position of the detector in the first plane.

Methods, systems, and computer-readable storage media for providing high-resolution assessment of the condition of pipes of a fluid distribution down to the individual pipe stick. An acoustic sensor is placed in acoustical communication with a pipe at one end of a target segment. An acoustical wave is generated in the pipe at a first out-of-bracket excitation location while signal data is recorded from the acoustic sensor. Timing information regarding the arrival at the acoustic sensor of reflections of the acoustic wave from pipe joints in the target segment is extracted from the recorded signal data, and a time delay between reflections from consecutive pipe joints is computed. An acoustic propagation velocity in a pipe stick between the consecutive pipe joints is then computed based on the time delay and a length of the pipe stick. A condition of the pipe stick is determined based on the computed acoustic propagation velocity.

Apparatus, systems, and methods for pipeline condition assessment using phased array ultrasonic transducers are disclosed. A sensing module for assessing pipeline condition comprises a body; and one or more phased array ultrasonic transducers (PAUTs) assembled on the surface of the body, each PAUT configured to emit multi-channel ultrasonic waves for scanning a pipe wall.

A bolt includes a head portion on which a recess is formed. The recess has a bottom surface and a sidewall extending from a periphery of the bottom surface. The sidewall has a lower end defined by the bottom surface and includes an increased diameter portion and a reduced diameter portion. The increased diameter portion has an inner diameter larger than an inner diameter of the lower end of the side wall. The reduced diameter portion has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the increased diameter portion. The reduced diameter portion is located opposite to the bottom surface across the increased diameter portion.

An ultrasonic scanner acquires a gain profile including gain values for corresponding travel times in ultrasonic echoes reflected by a reference object. An ultrasonic probe signal is sent toward a test object. In response, an ultrasonic echo reflected by the test object is received at the scanner. A time of arrival of the echo is estimated. The gain profile is aligned with the echo according to the estimated time of arrival of the echo. The echo is amplified using the aligned gain profile and the amplified echo is digitized before being attenuated using the aligned gain profile. An actual time of arrival of the echo is calculated based on the attenuated digitized echo. The gain profile is re-aligned with the attenuated digitized echo according to the actual time of arrival of the echo. The attenuated digitized echo is re-amplified using the re-aligned gain profile to obtain a gain-corrected echo.

A compression technique can be used for processing or storage of acquired acoustic inspection data. For example, data indicative of peak values of an A-scan time-series can be stored to provide a compressed representation of such time-series data. A representation of the original A-scan data can be reconstructed, such as using the data indicative of the peak values, and a digital filter. Such an approach can dramatically reduce a volume of data associated an acoustic acquisition, such as a Full Matrix Capture (FMC) acquisition to be used for Total Focusing Method (TFM) beamforming and related imaging.

There are described a system and method for performing ultrasound testing of a component comprising a first material layer and a second material layer bonded by an adhesive layer. The method comprises applying input ultrasound to the component to cause longitudinal propagation of ultrasonic guided waves through the first material layer and the adhesive layer; acquiring acoustic waves from the component, wherein the acoustic waves produced by the longitudinal propagation of the ultrasonic guided waves; generating a signal representation of the acoustic waves; comparing the signal representation of the acoustic waves to a plurality of reference signals to identify a characteristic of the adhesive layer; and outputting an output signal indicative of the characteristic of the adhesive layer.

An acoustic scatterometer has an acoustic source operable to project acoustic radiation onto a periodic structure and formed on a substrate. An acoustic detector is operable to detect the −1st acoustic diffraction order diffracted by the periodic structure and while discriminating from specular reflection (0th order). Another acoustic detector is operable to detect the +1st acoustic diffraction order diffracted by the periodic structure, again while discriminating from the specular reflection (0th order). The acoustic source and acoustic detector may be piezo transducers. The angle of incidence of the projected acoustic radiation and location of the detectors and are arranged with respect to the periodic structure and such that the detection of the −1st and +1st acoustic diffraction orders and discriminates from the 0th order specular reflection.

A sensor includes a flexible cable arranged to provide a plurality of independent electrical coils and a connector. Each of the plurality of independent electrical coils extend from a first end to a second end and is configured to be wrapped at least partially around a surface of a structure to be tested. The connector is electrically coupled to the first end of at least one of the plurality of independent electrical coils. The plurality of independent electrical coils is configured such that current will flow in a common direction between the first ends and the second ends within each said independent coil. Systems and methods also are disclosed.

A system comprising a computer readable storage device readable by the system, tangibly embodying a program having a set of instructions executable by the system to perform the following steps for detecting a sub-surface defect, the set of instructions comprising an instruction to receive scan data for a part from a transducer; an instruction to collect the scan data; an instruction to determine an indication in the scan data that indicates a distractor, wherein the indication is based on a learning phase module and an inference phase module that the processor uses to self-assess the indication; and an instruction to create a defect indication report.