GE Debuts Hard Contact Surface, Straight Beam Phased Array Probes

The MB.FPA16 and B.FPA16 ultrasonic probes from GE Measurement & Control are the world’s first straight beam phased array probes to feature hard face, direct contact surfaces instead of non-abrasive protective membranes. As a result, they offer longer working life and higher sensitivity, without the need for delay lines, while providing the time-saving, comprehensive coverage of phased array technology. Typical applications include fast, accurate and comprehensive inspection of billets, welds and forgings in a wide range of industrial sectors.

The new probes are each available at frequencies of 2 MHz and 4 MHz. B.FPA16 probes have a longitudinal steering wave range of ±35°, and MB.FPA16 probes a steering range of ±45°, providing comprehensive sector scan coverage without the need for wedges. The high energy of the longitudinal wave enables the inspection of work pieces up to 100 mm thick, and a high bandwidth signal ensures high resolution of defects and near-surface defect detection.

With their ergonomic and robust housing, the probes offer ease of inspection in the harshest of applications and their low-profile, fingertip design, with a height of only 14 mm, offers accessibility in areas of limited access, while their small footprint permits inspection of curved surfaces.

The new probes are suitable for use with a wide range of commercially available phased array flaw detectors and they can also be used as conventional straight beam probes for thickness measurement, dynamic focusing and DAC sizing.