Flexible ultrasonic transducer and a transducer block

A method for attaching a single transducer to an object to be inspected comprising the following steps:

• attaching each individual transducer block to an individual positioning block such that it holds for each assembly of a transducer block and a positioning block that an outer surface of the piezoelectric ceramics element lies above an upper portion of a bottom surface of the positioning block;
• for each assembly positioning a bottom of a positioning block of the assembly at a surface of the object in such away that the transducer block of the assembly is above the surface of the object without contacting the surface of the object wherein a bottom side of the housing of the transducer block of the assembly faces the surface of the object, wherein the positioning block of the assembly is attached to the object in such a way that the transducer block of the assembly is in its desired position above the surface of the object without contacting the surface of the object wherein a bottom side of the housing of the transducer block of the assembly faces the surface of the object;
• for each assembly attaching the transducer block of the assembly to the object to be inspected;
• for each assembly removing the positioning block while maintaining the associated transducer block attached to the object.

An assembly of a transducer block comprising

• a first outer surface;
• a second outer surface lying opposite to each other wherein the piezoelectric ceramics element is attached to the first outer surface wherein the dimensions of the first outer surface and the piezoelectric ceramics element are such that a first portion of the first outer surface is not covered with the piezoelectric ceramics element;
• wherein the first electrical conductor is electrically conductive attached to at least one of a first portion of the second outer surface and the first portion of the first outer surface wherein the first portion of the first outer surface and the first portion of the second outer surface lie opposite each other and have about the same dimensions and positions in a plane wherein the metal plate extends;
• wherein at least a portion of the insulation covering covers the first portion of the first outer surface so that the piezoelectric ceramics element is arranged to be directly dry coupled to an surface of an object to be inspected by means of the transducer;
• wherein the transducer is associated with a transducer block comprising a housing with a top side and a bottom side wherein at least a portion of the second outer side of the transducer is attached to a first portion of the bottom side of the housing such that the first portion of the bottom side of the housing and the portion of the second outer surface of the transducer face each other;
• and
• wherein the transducer block and the position block are detachably connected to each other wherein an outer surface of the piezoelectric ceramics element lies above an upper portion of the bottom surface of the positioning block lying adjacent the transducer block and wherein the transducer block and the positioning block are movable relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to the bottom side of the housing.