Ultrasonic weld inspection design using simulation

Computer modelling is increasingly being used to assist NDT engineers to design ultrasonic inspections of quantified performance and improved reliability. A computer package was developed which allows assessment of system performance in 3D situations. The package allows the inspection to be defined in detail in terms of the characteristics of the probes, the manipulator used to scan them and of the component geometry. An interactive graphics facility allows the axis of the beam from any probe to be viewed relative to the component geometry at any point in the scan. The facilities described allow inspections to be designed to achieve quantified performance