GE Introduces First Hard Contact Surface, Straight Beam Phased Array Probes
Huerth, Germany – May,12, 2015 — The MB.FPA16 and B.FPA16 ultrasonic probes from GE Measurement & Control are the world’s first straight beam phased array probes to feature hard face, direct contact surfaces instead of non-abrasive protective membranes. As a result, they offer longer working life and higher sensitivity, without the need for delay lines, while providing the time-saving, comprehensive coverage of phased array technology. Typical applications include fast, accurate and comprehensive inspection of billets, welds and forgings in a wide range of industrial sectors.
As Weiwei Zhang, senior product manager at GE, explains, “By developing new manufacturing technology, we have been able to match a low impedance composite transducer material with a high impedance hard face protection. Consequently, there is no need for surface protection or delay lines which can cause recurring interface echoes, reducing the inspection range and affecting the probability of detection of small defects. In addition, the phased array operation of the probe eliminates the need for wedges, which further increases the probes’ sensitivity, especially for near-surface defects, and significantly reduces inspection times.”
The new probes are each available at frequencies of 2 MHz and 4 MHz. B.FPA16 probes have a longitudinal steering wave range of ±35°, and MB.FPA16 probes a steering range of ±45°, providing comprehensive sector scan coverage without the need for wedges. The high energy of the longitudinal wave enables the inspection of workpieces up to 100mm thick and a high bandwidth signal ensures high resolution of defects and near-surface defect detection.
With their ergonomic and robust housing, the probes offer ease of inspection in the harshest of applications and their low-profile, fingertip design, with a height of only 14mm, offers accessibility in areas of limited access, while their small footprint permits inspection of curved surfaces.
The new probes are suitable for use with a wide range of commercially available phased array flaw detectors, including GE’s Phasor, and they can also be used as conventional straight beam probes for thickness measurement, dynamic focusing and DAC sizing.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) imagines things others don’t, builds things others can’t and delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company can. In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE is inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure the world. www.ge.com
About GE Measurement & Control
GE Measurement & Control is a leading innovator in advanced, sensor-based measurement; non-destructive testing and inspection; flow and process control; turbine, generator, and plant controls; and condition monitoring. Providing healthcare for our customers’ most critical assets, we deliver accuracy, productivity and safety to a wide range of industries, including oil & gas, power generation, aerospace, metals and transportation. Headquartered in Boston, USA, Measurement & Control has more than 40 facilities in 25 countries and is part of GE Oil & Gas. For further information, visit www.ge-mcs.com.
About GE Oil & Gas
GE Oil & Gas works on the things that matter in the oil and gas industry. In collaboration with our customers, we push the boundaries of technology to bring energy to the world. From extraction to transportation to end use, we address today’s toughest challenges in order to fuel the future.
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