INTRODUCTIONNDE technology encompasses a broad field of applications [1] such as material selection, properties characterization, defect detection, damage assessment, process monitoring, in-service sensing, etc. However, the most common application of NDE, for hardware manufacturers, remains in quality assurance of products at various check points. In such operations, process engineers and customers demand well archived inspection procedures and test records for future reference. Although inspection reports may serve this purpose, imaging techniques that directly correlate measured NDE parameters with specimen coordinates are the preferred methods for inspection and data presentation.In recent years, advancements in computer hardware, software, and peripheral electronics technology have facilitated the development and improvement of NDE inspection systems. Consequently, many ultrasonic imaging systems, with varying degrees of sophistication, have been devised [2][3][4]. The basic ultrasonic imaging system plots proportional gated RF amplitude with respect to each sampling coordinate. More elaborate ultrasonic imaging systems digitize and acquire entire A-scan waveform at all sampling positions for versatile post-scan signal processing and data manipulations [5].There are three basic schemes of ultrasonic image acquisition and presentation, namely B-scan, C-scan, and Time-Of-Flight (TOF). The acquired ultrasonic signals are typically processed and presented in one of the following forms of visualization: grayscale, false-color, 3-D mesh, or the combination of mesh and grayscale or false-color images. Since there are no natural colors associated with the ultrasonic signals, false-color pallets are assigned to represent different bands of signal amplitude to enhance the image. In any of the above listed forms of image presentation, a single image can only display one measured parameter. We have developed an unique data acquisition and image processing system that enables the presentation of two ultrasonic parameters in a single image. In this paper, we will review the principle of operation, describe the hardware and software configurations, and demonstrate this improved ultrasonic image presentation method.In modern applications, multiple NDE methods and techniques are often required to obtain various aspects of materials and defect properties of a hardware component. The new operation promotes an emerging area of NDE research interest in data fusion and integration. The objective is to consolidate all pertinent NDE information and convey the result to other engineering disciplines in a comprehensive manner. Also, advanced concurrent engineering requires active integration of various manufacturing procedures into one harmonious process. It is thus necessary to convey all engineering information among each other in a common platform, namely specimen coordinates. The method that combines two distinct ultrasonic parameters in one image represents a simple example of data fusion.
