METHOD OF DETECTING HARD ALPHA INCLUSIONS IN A TITANIUM CASTING

摘要

A nondestructive method for inspecting a net-shaped or near-net-shaped titanium base investment casting (12) by scanning a depth of the casting below an exterior surface (12 S) thereof with an ultrasonic wave formed by a phased array probe (20) to inspect for a randomly located, subsurface hard alpha inclusion particle, shell mold-originated inclusion particle and other crack-initiating inclusion particle present in the microstructure of the casting (12). The method is especially useful and beneficial with respect to detecting hard alpha inclusion particles in the microstructure of a fracture-critical region of a structural airframe titanium based investment casting.