Non-destructive evaluation system for inspection of weld and braze joints

A system for inspecting a welded or brazed joint, the system comprising:

• an inspection probe comprising:
• a housing having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, the housing defining an internal cavity disposed at the proximal end portion and opposed tapered standoffs disposed at the distal end portion, wherein distal ends of the opposed tapered standoffs define pivot surfaces, and the opposed tapered standoffs are spaced apart to define a secondary enclosure;
• a plurality of transducer elements disposed within the internal cavity of the housing;
• and
• a primary coupling medium comprising a flexible, semi-solid material secured between the opposed tapered standoffs;
• a signal processing module in communication with the plurality of transducer elements;
• and
• a data acquisition unit in communication with the plurality of transducer elements.

A method of inspecting a welded or brazed joint, the method comprising:

• (a) placing an inspection probe at an initial inspection position, the inspection probe comprising:
• a housing having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, the housing defining an internal cavity disposed at the proximal end portion and opposed tapered standoffs disposed at the distal end portion, wherein distal ends of the opposed tapered standoffs define pivot surfaces, and the opposed tapered standoffs are spaced apart to define a secondary enclosure;
• a plurality of transducer elements disposed within the internal cavity of the housing;
• and
• a primary coupling medium comprising a flexible, semi-solid material secured between the opposed tapered standoffs,
• (b) communicating data from the plurality of transducer elements to a signal processing module at the initial inspection position;
• (c) rotating the inspection probe across the welded or brazed joint about a pivot line extending between the opposed tapered standoffs to a stationary inspection position;
• (d) communicating data from the plurality of transducer elements to the signal processing module at the stationary inspection position;
• (e) stitching images obtained at different angles to generate an inspection image;
• and
• (f) optionally repeating steps (c) through (e) until a reconstructed image reaches a predetermined level of detail.