Defect detection in ultrasonic images

The detection and characterization of defects contained in aircraft parts made of carbon composites using ultrasonic image analysis based on contour and region based segmentation methods is discussed. The experimental and analytical results show that the problems encountered in ultrasonic images are varied and require the use of different approaches for proper characterization of defects. The use of the contour based approach enabled well defined boundaries of defects and structural features to be obtained from ultrasonic images having a homogeneous background. The region based segmentation method could not differentiate between defects and structural features. A combination of the contour and region based segmentation methods enabled defect detection to be made based on geometric constraints. Other methods based on mathematical morphology also showed encouraging results