Phased array inspection of industrial bolt defects

EchoBolt’s dedicated team of specialists has experience of successfully implementing this technique across a wide range of industrial applications including wind turbine blade studs, grouted structural anchors and gas turbine rotor tie rods.

Fastener defects are a leading structural integrity risk across industries that utilise large, bolted connections. Fatigue defects can develop, typically at points of highest stress concentration, propagating incrementally over time before reaching a critical defect size where overload rupture occurs. This can lead to significant consequential damage to equipment and unplanned downtime.
Phased array ultrasonics utilises multiple ultrasonic probes to send and receive sound waves, creating high-resolution images of the interior of the fastener. This non-destructive testing method can quickly detect cracks and other imperfections of a few millimetres in scale that may affect the performance and integrity of a bolt.

At EchoBolt, we have developed a unique encoded scanning technique for phased array implementation that precisely locates a defect within a bolt. This accurate, high-resolution mapping allows us to deliver an efficient, comprehensive inspection service for strutural fasteners, identifing defects and removing problem bolts long before failure.

EchoBolt can carry out phased array ultrasonic inspections in parallel with ultrasonic preload measurements of bolts. Our approach enables faster, more accurate, and more efficient inspection of bolts than traditional methods, making it an essential tool for integrity management of large, bolted connections across industries.