Non-destructive evaluation means and method of flaw reconstruction utilizing an ultrasonic multi-viewing transducer data acquistion system

Claim 1

A non-destructive evaluation method for reconstruction of flaws in a host material utilizing an ultrasonic multi-viewing transducer data acquisition system in the long and intermediate wave lengths comprising the steps of: placing said host material in a fluid medium; determining the parameters of acoustic velocities of the fluid medium and host material, attenuation of the host material, and density of said host material; detecting a flaw in the host material; compiling information identifying the location of the flaw; coursely positioning a transducer array by positioning means to the flaw utilizing the compiled information of the location of the flaw, the transducer array including a central transducer having a propogation axis and a plurality of perimeter transducer radially positioned around the central transducer, each having a propogation axis; positioning the central transducer so that its axis is in alignment with a flaw in said host material by a monitoring pulse-echo operation of the center transducer; finely positioning the plurality of perimeter transducers surrounding said central transducer so that the axes of said perimeter transducers convergingly intersect the axis of said central transducer at the position of said flaw by monitoring the pulse-echo operation of the central transducer and deriving information on the length of a path through the fluid medium between each perimeter transducer and the host material, and the depth of the flaw within the host material; and adjusting said central and perimeter transducer with adjustment means, to a desired orientation with said host material and with each other, to equalize their time path by transmitting ultrasonic pulses form the central transducer receiving the reflected pulses in the perimeter transducers, and comparing the time periods with the pulse-echo operation of the central transducer.