An Analysis of Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing versus Conventional Ultrasonic Testing in the Utility Pole Industry

摘要

For years, conventional ultrasonic testing (UT) systems have aided manufactures and utilities in weld inspection and crack identification, both during fabrication and during in-service maintenance checks. Ultrasonic technology has advanced over the years but the fundamentals of how sound propagate through materials have not changed. An important advancement has been the development of Phased Array UT (PAUT) which enables the inspector to use a probe with multiple elements to focus, steer and scan with a single transducer, greatly improving the inspection of complex weld geometries. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of PAUT and Conventional UT in the utility pole industry and will show how Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing is a viable technological advancement and should be included as a tool in the arsenal of the utility pole inspection team.