Beam and Inspection Simulations are essential to design an inspection solution. It allows optimization of the solution prior to design. CIVA software is the most appropriate tool for these simulations.

For example, the following beam profile of an inspection of flat panels shows the beam profiles of a linear Phased Array transducer on a CFRP panels. The simulation show the longitudinal, transverse and top view when changing the water column. The profiles clearly show that for this transducer and set-up, that a 75 mm is the best option. The 25mm water column is particularly not symmetric and would lead to a poor NDT inspection.

The image on the right is the beam simulation for a 25 mm water column. The transducer is a linear Phased Array probe of 32 elements, with a 0,8 mm pitch, a 10 mm elevation and a frequency of 5 MHz. A sixteen element aperture without focusing is represented. The images show clearly that the beam is not symmetric.