Phased Array Ultrasonic Technology Research For Wheel Flaw Inspection

Ultrasonic phased array nondestructive inspection is a new technology in the field of ultrasonic nondestructive inspection recent years. It originated in the twentieth century, the sixties. Ultrasonic phased array early application is in the field of high-resolution medical imaging. Because of the system was complex and production costs were high in early days, its application of industrial nondestructive inspection was limited. In recent years, increasingly, attention has been paid, with the piezoelectric composite technology, microelectronic technology, probe design and manufacturing process, the power of software, the latest developments in ultrasonic phased array technology gradually began to apply a relatively high technical requirement for air, rail, nuclear industry, boiler and pressure vessel the field of industrial nondestructive inspection.Ultrasonic phased array technology uses an array of ultrasonic transducer array element for each phase control, access to flexible and controllable synthesis of beam. It has dynamically focusing, imaging detecting, detecting objects in complex shapes, improving the detection sensitivity, resolution, signal to noise ratio and many other advantages.In this paper, according to the new trends of developments in the field of ultrasonic flaw inspection at home and abroad, a phased array technology was applied into wheel set flaw inspection. To the features and distribution of the flaws in wheel rim and disk, flexible beam control and focusing, the two advantages of ultrasonic phased array technology were used to optimize the wheel flaw inspection steps, accuracy and efficiency. In accordance with series of tests in standard test block, the physical test blocks, wheels, wheel defect model, on-site moving trucks online testing, referring to the Ministry of Railways for wheel testing standard documents, a portable hand-off wheel inspection programs were carried out. The phased array ultrasonic wheel defect inspection location and resolution ratio were discussed. Variable aperture focusing and depth focusing were given to optimize wheel inspection. The quality of testing was improved, meanwhile, the high detection efficiency was ensured.In the final, a brief summary of testing in the paper, the application in ultrasonic phased array wheel inspection was made. An objective assessment about the advantages and disadvantages of the ultrasonic phased array wheel flaw inspection was made. The key issues and improvements in the future were presented. The prediction of wheel flaw inspection development direction in the future was also made.