Fast and automatic array tilt compensation for 1.5D array transducers

Phased Array (PA) imaging with linear arrays provides a view of a cross section of the component under inspection, in a plane supposed to be normal to the array aperture. This is always true when the component is inspected in direct contact with the transducer, but it cannot be assured in water immersion tests, where misalignments between the scanning head and the component are very difficult to avoid. When the misalignment occurs in the elevation direction of the array, 1.5D matrix arrays become an alternative for compensating it. Nevertheless, dynamically adapting the focal laws during the inspection still remains as an open topic in ultrasound Non-Destructive-Testing (NDT). In this work, we propose a simplified method for exploiting the out-of-plane correction capabilities of a 1.5D array without the burden of complex imaging methods like Total Focusing Method (TFM), which inevitable increase the inspection time and the electronic system complexity.