Piezocomposite technology An innovative approach to the improvement of N.D.T. performance using ultrasounds
Ph. Dumas, J. Poguet, G. Fleury · 2002
The ever-increasing need for improved performance and adaptation to particular inspection conditions calls for the development of new ultrasound sensor technologies, such as Piezocomposite 1-3 technology. This technology makes use of piezoelectric elements in the form of composites made up of ceramic micro-rods embedded in a polymer matrix. This article will describe the structure of these piezocomposite materials and their most important electroacoustic and mechanical characteristics. A certain number of applications that can benefit from this technology will also be presented. These applications make use of a large number of different types of sensors in the 200 kHz to 20 MHz frequency range, in particular immersion sensors with high electroacoustic performance (sensitivity, signal / noise ratio, damping), focused sensors with very high lateral resolution, high temperature sensors, and multi-element or phased array sensors.