Phased Array inspection of curved parts brings some real technical challenges. Evaluation of seam welds on small diameter and heavy wall pipes is difficult to accomplish using actual tools that, most of the time, are based on a flat surface model. This often leads to erroneous and imprecise flaw location and sizes. Furthermore, interpretation of the S-Scans becomes difficult in these circumstances because trying to take into consideration the effect of the convex surface reflections is something the current instrument imagery is not taking into account. The typical tools like presenting a flat overlay of the weld just can’t be used in a practical way when it is question of a curved part. This paper presents a new approach of inspecting seam welds and more generally curved parts, the Phased Array - Curved Surface Correction (PA-CSC). This novel method rethinks almost all aspects of the traditional implementation. Starting from an original beam forming that allows the technician to inspect with a constant resolution in the zone of interest of the weld. As well, this paper describes how the data is represented in a live 3D scan plan in order to facilitate interpretation and identification of flaws. Corrected A-Scan views are also produced, allowing to perform accurate depth and surface measurements.

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