Ultrasonic Imaging of Defects in Known Anisotropic and Inhomogeneous Structures with Fast Synthetic Aperture Methods

Imaging methods like Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT) are based on the principle of propagation of the measured ultrasonic wave field back to field sources. In the case of a pulse-echo measurement, this back propagation under some approximating conditions leads to an image of the scattering object with well known properties and imperfections. The back propagation through the object which is under concern needs the knowledge of material properties in respect of the wave propagation. If these properties are known, we can use imaging algorithms like SAFT with all their advantages (computational speed and robustness) not only for isotropic but also for anisotropic material; moreover, the inverse propagation concept allows crossing boundaries between materials, even if the materials are anisotropic. Examples of this concept are given with modelled and measured data for tendon duct imaging in concrete structures, for 3D imaging of air cavities in wood specimens and for imaging of defects in anisotropic welds.