A Portable, High-Resolution Ultrasonic Tomography System for Nondestructive Imaging of Inclusions in Steel Components

The US Navy seeks an innovative nondestructive inspection (NDI) technology capable of determining the position of the inclusion content of steel materials. The targets are requested in the 0.001" particle size with full volume inspection of the material with a maximum thickness of 14" round steel bar stock. Currently existing NDI techniques including eddy current and X-ray computerized tomography (XCT) encounter the following challenges: a) accurately determining the inclusion content; b) dealing with geometrical complexity like gear teeth; c) not being portable for environments including steel manufacturing sites, component production sites, and repair facilities; d) generating instantaneous results; and e) covering a relatively-large range with required accuracy. To address the critical need, X-wave Innovations, Inc. (XII) proposes to develop a portable, High-Resolution Ultrasonic Tomography (HRUT) system, which builds on XII-developed ultrasonic tomographic imaging technology. The HRUT system is portable and does not require a confine compartment. It can instantaneously generate 3D images with labeled inclusions and other potential defects in metallic components with complex geometries. The success of the proposed effort will result in the development of a novel ultrasonic tomographic technology, and a new nondestructive imaging system that is portable, cost-effective, and easy to use for field applications.