Improvement of ultrasound backing on NDE probes

Background
Probes for mechanized NDE purposes are typically placed on the surface to be inspected using a manipulator system. The manipulator is remotely controlled and usually operates in hazardous conditions (reactor vessels etc.). The probe is manipulated in a pattern over the surface and data (ultrasonic or eddy-current) is collected and analyzed.

Many of our products utilize TOFD (time-of-flight diffraction) ultrasonic (US) probes for non-destructive testing of nuclear reactors. To achieve a good signal the ultrasonic probe must be well damped. Today multiple manufacturing efforts are required to obtain a high-quality probe.

The aim of this project is to improve the manufacturing process of backing for ultrasonic probes to achieve a well-known outcome. The current method/process result in backing with very varying bandwidths and is unreliable. Investigate which factors are the most important and figure out a method producing backing material of high quality and reliability, in order to decrease the overall manufacturing time for ultrasonic NDE probes.