Welcome to the final part of our series on the history of ultrasonic testing, in which we move to the post-war era.🕰️
➡️ In the 1950s, the ultrasonic method gained popularity in industry. Defectoscopes were miniaturized, and the principles of their use were compiled in a landmark publication that appeared in the 1960s. Its authors were the Krautkramer brothers. Despite the passage of years, the book still contains a lot of up-to-date information and was included in the Polish version of the "Ultrasound Bible" by J. Deputat.
➡️ In the 1960s and 1970s, ultrasonic technology developed rapidly, which increased the number of companies producing defectoscopes. Some, like polish Unipan, did not survive, and others were taken over by larger companies such as Panametrics. Competition between Deutsch and Krautkramer continues today, and both companies still offer ultrasonic testing equipment, as does Sonatest, founded in England in 1958.
➡️ In the 21st century, the development of electronics has resulted in the biggest technological leap. Defectoscopes, once large devices, have become small computers. Modern UT techniques allow examinations using 64- or even 128-transducer heads, equivalent to 128 single-transducer heads. UT testing using digitized techniques is currently the most growing branch of nondestructive testing.
Pictured below is Krautkrame's USK 7 ultrasonic defectoscope.