Integrated system for ultrasonic testing

Multibeam-multipulse ultrasonic test techniques have been very successful in detecting and sizing flaws. In the hands of a highly skilled examiner, excellent results are obtained. However, the required skill level has been an impediment to wide dissemination of these techniques. To address this problem, an integrated, computerized system using image processing and artificial intelligence has been developed. The system acquires multibeam-multipulse ultrasonic test signals, uses image processing to extract the signal from interference and noise, and provides a description of the signals that is passed to an artificial-intelligence-based module for artifact rejection and interpretation. The integrated system is discussed in this paper