Omni-directional guided wave transducer arrays for the rapid inspection of large areas of plate structures

Omni-directional guided wave array transducers contain a circular pattern of elements that individually behave as omni-directional point transmitters or receivers. The data set acquired from such an array contains time-domain signals from each permutation of transmitter and receiver. A phased addition algorithm is developed that allows an omni-directional, B-scan image of the surrounding plate to be synthesized from any geometry of array. Numerically simulated data from a single reflector is used to test the performance of the algorithm. The results from an array containing a fully populated circular area of elements (Type I array) are found to be good, but those from an array containing a single ring of elements (Type II array) contain many large side-lobes. An enhancement to the basic phased addition algorithm is presented that uses deconvolution to suppress these side-lobes. The deconvolution algorithm enables a Type II array to equal the performance of a Type I array of the same overall diameter. The effect of diameter on angular resolution is investigated. Experimental data obtained from a guided wave array containing electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT) elements for exciting and detecting the S/sub 0/ Lamb wave mode in a 5-mm thick aluminium plate are processed with both algorithms and the results are discussed.