Influence of Ultrasonic Inspection Parameters on the Detection of Cable Lead Seal Defects

The quality of the lead sealing process at highvoltage cable terminals directly impacts the operational safety of the power grid. Currently, there are limitations in detecting lead sealing defects in high-voltage cables. To address issues such as low imaging quality and difficulty in identifying defects that often occur in ultrasonic phased array detection of lead sealing, this study investigated the factors influencing imaging quality in phased array ultrasonic testing. Specifically, it analyzed the effects of various ultrasonic detection parameters, including focal length, deflection angle, gain, and pulse width, on the phased array imaging of lead sealing defects. The characteristics of echo amplitude variation and imaging quality for defects at various depths were also investigated, and a comparative analysis with flat test blocks was performed to identify the main influencing factors and patterns affecting the imaging quality of lead sealing defects. The findings provide references for improving the ultrasonic phased array detection process at cable terminals and enhancing defect detection accuracy. Additionally, the results are of significant value for the engineering application of phased array ultrasonic imaging in detecting and quantifying lead sealing defects in high-voltage cables.