Single ultrasonic probe able to reproduce flaw shape

Large-diameter short-focused normal beam (NB) probe can be represented as a number of small probes stuck together, where the central part works as a small NB probe, while the peripheral parts work as small angle probes in the pulse-echo and pitch-catch modes. It provides the direct NB reflection, generated by the central part of the probe (i.e. by NB probe), and at the same time, such probe, due to its large diameter and short focus, also transmits and receives the UT waves at various angles. That is why transducer with large diameter and short focus can “see” flaw simultaneously at various angles and from different directions. Besides, such probe can approximately realize the data fusion technique, because all received ultrasonic responses will be presented on one image.