Because the UT (ultrasonic testing) flexible probe technology may be an appropriate answer to examine components with uneven surface, AREVA has developed an industrial application of the CEA's (French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies) flexible phased arrays sensors. As a "first of a kind" project, the challenges faced were significant, including developing a phased array smart probe suitable for industrial use on rather simple but large scale geometries, permitting UT propagation within a constraining media structure and then targeting a qualification according to ENIQ (European Network for Inspection Qualification) methodology. A prototype flexible probe, designed for UT validation, and final flexible linear array probes permitting the UT behavior (as, e.g., detection and sizing from diffraction type echoes) to be maintained on wavy coupling surfaces, have been manufactured. These probes include a profilemeter with optical sensors control and a specifically designed coupling circuit (avoiding probe housing tightness issues). Qualification has been performed using open test blocks, (where known "defects" exist, for procedure qualification), and blind test blocks, (where "defects" are unknown, for qualification of testing personnel). One open test bloc was customized to represent a "real" surface condition, with gaps up to 2.5 mm under the regular rigid probes. AREVAI/BGSI in Germany was selected to lead the project, with assistance in development and manufacturing sub-contracted to "CEA/LIST" laboratory, and the companies "IMASONIC" and "M2M". This paper describes the development of these probes and explains a few features (ENIQ qualification objectives fulfilled, UT data acquired on actual perturbed surface) that made their industrial implementation successful.
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