Nowadays, composite material is being used widely, namely because of its unique characteristics. QA of parts and laminates made of composite is a challenge. Nevertheless, using UT techniques to perform NDT inspection of such parts provides equally reliable and repeatable results for both in-line and maintenance examination.
Many components may be composed of a specific fibre. An 0-degree inspection is highly recommended as transverse wave velocity varies with the beam angle, making angular scans inappropriate. Remember that composites are an anisotropic material that has different strength properties depending on the fibre pattern.
This application proposes pulse-echo inspection using plastic resolute, rubber or water delay line.
Visit the Sonatest Ltd website for more information on Composite Inspection in Phased Array