The inspection of curved components using flexible ultrasonic arrays and shape sensing fibres

Abstract

A novel inspection system which incorporates a low-profile flexible ultrasonic array and a shape sensing fibre is presented in this paper. The system is shown to be able to directly measure the location of the elements in the array as it conforms to a curved surface. This enables the accurate ultrasonic imaging and inspection of components with complex geometries for sub-surface defects. The system offers many significant advantages over other inspection approaches and is particularly applicable to in situ inspections where access is limited.