The use of an ultrasonic flaw detector with a phased antenna array for the recording of echo signals to reconstruct the images of reflectors by the method of projection in the spectral space

A method of automated ultrasonic testing based on the use of a PAA flaw detector for the recording of echo signals followed by the reconstruction of the image of reflectors by applying the 3D variant of the method of projection in the spectral space (3D-PSS) is considered. Customized setting of the PAA flaw detector makes it possible to simulate the operation of many single-element transducers with different angles of incidence. This approach allows one to obtain the images of reflectors with a high resolution and a high signal-to-noise ratio at a depth of more than 100 mm. A procedure for the calibration of an antenna array on a prism operating in the mode of emulation of several piezoelectric transducers with different angles of incidence is discussed. The results of a testing a fragment of the support billet for the ITER diverter when obtaining the images by the classical PAA method and with the use of 3D processing, which demonstrate the efficiency of the developed testing technology, are presented.