INTERNATIONAL ISO

STANDARD 23243
First edition
2020-11

Non-destructive testing — Ultrasonic

testing with arrays — Vocabulary
Essais non destructifs — Contrôle à l’aide de réseaux ultrasonores —
Vocabulaire

Reference number
ISO 23243:2020(E)

© ISO 2020
ISO 23243:2020(E)

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© ISO 2020
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ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

 ISO 23243:2020(E)

Contents Page

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ iv
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. v
1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms and definitions ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 .1 Terms related to s o und .................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 .2 Terms related to the tes t equip ment .................................................................................................................................... 1
3 .2 .1 ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Pro b es

3.2.2 Instruments ....................................................................................................................................................................... 10

3 .3 Terms related to tes ting ............................................................................................................................................................... 11
3 .3 .1 Tes ting techniques ....................................................................................................................................................... 11
3 .3 .2 S ignals , p res entatio ns and indicatio ns ...................................................................................................... 16
3 .3 .3 Evaluatio n o f indicatio ns .......................................................................................................................................
19

Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20

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ISO 23243:2020(E)

Foreword
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 135, Non-destructive testing, Subcommittee
SC 3, Ultrasonic testing, in collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
Technical Committee CEN/TC 138, Non-destructive testing, in accordance with the Agreement on
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 ISO 23243:2020(E)

Introduction
T h i s do c u ment fol lows a s tr uc tu re s i m i l ar to that i n I S O 5 5 7 7 but on ly ta ke s i nto accou nt term s relate d

to u ltras on ic arrays .

T he genera l term s a l re ady defi ne d i n I S O 5 5 7 7 are a l s o va l id for u ltras on ic arrays .

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 23243:2020(E)

Non-destructive testing — Ultrasonic testing with arrays —

Vocabulary
1 Scope
This do c u ment defi ne s term s used in u ltras on ic te s ti ng with arrays . This i nclude s phas e d array

te ch nolo g y a nd s igna l pro ce s s i ng te ch nolo g y u s i ng a rrays , e . g. the fu l l-matri x c ap ture (F MC ) (3 . 3 .1 . 2 8 )

and the to ta l fo c u s i ng te ch n ique ( T F M ) (3 . 3 .1 . 3 5 ).
2 Normative references
T here a re no normative re ference s i n th i s do c ument.

3 Terms and definitions

I S O and I E C mai nta i n term i nolo gic a l datab a s e s for u s e i n s tanda rd i z ation at the fol lowi ng add re s s e s:

— I S O O n l i ne brows i ng pl at form: avai l able at https://www.iso .org/obp

— I E C E le c trop e d ia: avai lable at http://www .org/
. ele c trop e d i a

3.1 Terms related to sound

3.1.1
main lobe
main beam
s ou nd b e am i n the i ntende d d i re c tion, typic a l ly with the h ighe s t pre s s u re with i n the s ou nd field

N o te 1 to entr y: T h i s app l ie s to convention a l a nd array probes (3.2.1.3).

3.1.2
side lobe
p a r t o f the s ound field wh ich corre s p ond s to a lo c a l ma xi mum i n the far field, deviati ng from the

direction of the main lobe (3.1.1 ) a nd typic a l ly lower i n a mpl itude

N o te 1 to entr y: T h i s app l ie s to convention a l a nd array probes (3.2.1.3).

3.1.3
grating lobe
p a ra s itic repl ic ation o f the main lobe (3.1.1 ) cau s e d b y s p atia l u nders ampl i ng ( low ratio b e twe en

waveleng th a nd pitch (3.2.1.16 ) ) , devi ati ng from the d i re c tion o f the mai n lob e and p o s s ibly o f s i m i l ar

ampl itude

N o te 1 to entr y: T h i s app l ie s to array probes (3.2.1.3 ) o n l y.

3.2 Terms related to the test equipment

3.2.1 Probes
3.2.1.1
array
pie zo ele c tric plate d ivide d i nto s evera l elements (3.2.1.2 ), wh ich a re acou s tic a l ly a nd ele c tric a l ly

s ep arate d

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ISO 23243:2020(E)

3.2.1.2
array element
element
s ma l le s t p ar t o f the array (3.2.1.1 ) ac ti ng a s a tra n s ducer

N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 1.

Key
1 array element

2 wedge
α wedge angle

β natural refracted beam angle (3.2.1.26)

Figure 1 — Wedge and array with relevant parameters

3.2.1.3
array probe
prob e with an array (3.2.1.1) of elements (3.2.1.2 ) for tran s m itti ng and/or re ceivi ng

3.2.1.4
arrangement of the array
s p atia l d i s tribution o f a l l the elements (3.2.1.2 ) in an array (3.2.1.1)
3.2.1.5
linear array
1-D-linear array
array (3.2.1.1) of elements (3.2.1.2 ) arra nge d in a s i ngle s traight l i ne a l lowi ng s te eri ng in one

direction ( primary axis ( 3 . 2 .1 .1 8 ) ) and fo c u s i ng i n the dep th d i re c tion

N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 2.

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Key
X p rimary axis

Figure 2 — Linear array; 1-D-linear array

3.2.1.6
annular array
array (3.2.1.1 ) o f ri ng- s hap e d elements (3.2.1.2 ) arra nge d concentric a l ly a l lowi ng fo c u s i ng i n the dep th

direction
N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 3.

Figure 3 — Annular array

3.2.1.7
sectorial annular array
annular array (3.2.1.6 ) with the ri ngs d ivide d i nto s e c tors a l lowi ng s te eri ng i n two d i re c tion s a nd

focusing in the depth direction

N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 4 a nd Figu re 5 .

Figure 4 — Sectorial annular array

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ISO 23243:2020(E)

Figure 5 — Partial sectorial annular array

3.2.1.8
1-D-curved array
array (3.2.1.1 ) arrange d on a comple te or p a r ti a l c yl i nder, where the maj or tran s m itti ng a xi s i s rad ia l

N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 6 .
a nd Figu re 7

Figure 6 — 1-D-curved array covering a complete circle

Figure 7 — 1-D-curved array covering part of a circle

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3.2.1.9
convex array
1-D-curved array ( 3 . 2 .1 . 8) typic a l ly u s e d for the te s ti ng o f tub e s from the i n s ide

3.2.1.10
concave array
1-D-curved array ( 3 . 2 .1 . 8) typic a l ly u s e d for the te s ti ng o f tub e s from the outs ide

3.2.1.11
dual-array probe
prob e with s ep arate arrays (3.2.1.1 ) for tran s m itti ng and re ceivi ng

N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Fig u re 8 .

Figure 8 — Example of a dual-array probe

3.2.1.12
2-D-array
matrix array
array (3.2.1.1) of elements (3.2.1.2 ) a rrange d in a re c tangu lar p attern a l lowi ng s te eri ng in b o th

directions ( primary axis ( 3 . 2 .1 .1 8 ) and secondary axis ( 3 . 2 .1 .19) ) and fo c u s i ng i n the dep th d i re c tion

N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Fig u re 9 a nd Figure 10.

Key
X p rimary axis

Y s eco ndary axis

Figure 9 — Example of a 2-D-matrix array

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ISO 23243:2020(E)

Key
X p rimary axis

Y s eco ndary axis

Figure 10 — Axes of a 2-D-matrix array

3.2.1.13
sparse array
array (3.2.1.1 ) with a l i m ite d nu mb er o f elements (3.2.1.2 ) d i s tribute d over a rel atively l arge a re a, with

i rregu la r d i s ta nce s b e twe en the elements , for example accord i ng to a Poi s s on- d i s k d i s tribution

3.2.1.14
width of an element
dimension of the element (3.2.1.2 ) a long the primary axis of an array ( 3 . 2 .1 .1 8 )
N o te 1 to entr y: For linear arrays ( 3 . 2 .1 . 5 ) see Figure 11.

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Key
a width o f an element

b length of an element ( 3 .2 .1 .1 5 )
c pitch (3.2.1.16)
d space/gap between elements ( 3 .2 .1 .1 7 )
X p rimary axis

Figure 11 — Linear array

3.2.1.15
length of an element
dimension of the element (3.2.1.2 ) a long the secondary axis of an array ( 3 . 2 .1 .19 )
N o te 1 to entr y: For linear arrays ( 3 . 2 .1 . 5 ) see Figure 11.
3.2.1.16
pitch
d i s tance b e twe en the s a me e dge s or b e twe en centre s o f two adj acent elements (3.2.1.2)
N o te 1 to entr y: For linear arrays ( 3 . 2 .1 . 5 ) see Figure 11.
3.2.1.17
space between elements
gap between elements
d i s tance b e twe en two adj acent elements (3.2.1.2)
N o te 1 to entr y: For linear arrays ( 3 . 2 .1 . 5 ) see Figure 11.
3.2.1.18
primary axis of an array
primary axis
active direction
mai n a xi s for b e a m s te eri ng p a ra l lel to the width of the elements (3.2.1.14)
N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 10 a nd Figure 11.

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3.2.1.19
secondary axis of an array
secondary axis
passive direction
a xi s p er p end ic u la r to the primary axis ( 3 . 2 .1 .1 8 )
N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 10.
N o te 2 to entr y: Typ ic a l l y the ter m " p a s s ive d i re c tion" i s on l y u s e d for 1-D linear arrays ( 3 . 2 .1 . 5 ) a nd 1-D curved
arrays ( 3 . 2 .1 . 8 ).
3.2.1.20
reference point on the wedge
co ord i nate s o f the p oi nt on the we dge wh ich i s u s e d to p o s ition a defi ne d p oi nt o f the array (3.2.1.1)
N o te 1 to entr y: Typic a l l y the d i s ta nce s from the re ference p oi nt to the we dge co ntac t s u r face a nd to the front of

the we dge a re u s e d .

3.2.1.21
active aperture
group o f ac tive elements (3.2.1.2 ) op erate d to ge ther when tran s m itti ng and/or re ceivi ng

3.2.1.22
elementary aperture
active aperture (3.2.1.21 ) made o f on ly one element (3.2.1.2)
3.2.1.23
virtual probe
active aperture (3.2.1.21 ) op erate d with one delay law (3.2.2.12)
3.2.1.24
virtual source aperture
VSA
group o f ac tive elements (3.2.1.2 ) op erate d to ge ther duri ng tran s m i s s ion u s i ng a delay law (3.2.2.12)
cho s en to m i m ic a s ou rce at a vi r tua l p oi nt

3.2.1.25
sensitivity curve of an array
repre s entation o f the s en s itivity o f e ach element (3.2.1.2 ) s ucce s s ively con ne c te d to the s ame channel
(3.2.2.1)
N o te 1 to entr y: Typic a l l y a fl at re fle c tor much l a rger th a n the ap er tu re o f the array (3.2.1.1) is used.
3.2.1.26
natural refracted beam angle
angle b e twe en the re frac te d b e am a xi s and the norma l to the i nter face without electronic beam steering
(3.3.1.13)
N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 1.
N o te 2 to entr y: T he n atu ra l re frac te d b e a m a ngle co r re s p ond s to the nom i n a l p rob e a ngle (s e e I S O 5 5 7 7 ) o f a

convention a l p rob e .

3.2.1.27
natural refracted beam
b e am i n the d i re c tion o f the natural refracted beam angle (3.2.1.26)
[S O U RC E : I S O 1 8 5 6 3 -3 : 2 01 5 , 3 . 6 ]

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3.2.1.28
plane of natural refraction
deflection plane (3 . 2 .1 . 2 9 ) without skewing (3.2.1.32 ) and without tilting (3 . 2 .1 . 3 5 )
N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 12 a) a nd b) .

a) Steering angle b) Skew angle c) Tilt angle

Key
1 plane of natural refraction ( 3 .2 .1 .2 8 )
2 tes t o b j ect

3 (3.2.1.30)
steering angle
4 skew angle (3.2.1.33)
5 tilt angle (3.2.1.36)
6 deflection plane ( ) 3 .2 .1 .2 9

F i g u r e 1 2 — D e fi n i t i o n s o f
a n g l e s

3.2.1.29

(3.3.1.20) is performed
d e f l e c t i o n p l a n e

plane i n wh ich electronic scanning

N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 12.

3.2.1.30
steering angle
angle b e twe en the b e am a xi s a nd the proj e c tion o f the norma l to the te s t s u r face on the deflection plane
( 3 . 2 .1 . 2 9 )
N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 12 a) .

3.2.1.31
steering range
range o f steering angles (3.2.1.30)
3.2.1.32
skewing
rotating the deflection plane (3 . 2 .1 . 2 9) by a cer tain angle around the normal to the s ur face o f the tes t obj ect

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ISO 23243:2020(E)

3.2.1.33
skew angle
angle on the te s t s u r face b e twe en the deflection plane ( 3 . 2 .1 . 2 9) and the plane of natural refraction
( 3 . 2 .1 . 2 8 )
N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 12 b).
N o te 2 to entr y: I f the plane of natural refraction ( 3 . 2 .1 . 2 8 ) at the te s t s u r face cor re s p o nd s to the pro b e a xi s , then

the skew angle (3.2.1.33 ) cor re s p o nd s to the s qu i nt a ngle a s de fi ne d i n I S O 5 5 7 7 (the a n gle b e twe en the pro b e

a xi s a nd the p roj e c tio n o f the b e a m a xi s o n the te s t s u r face) .

3.2.1.34
skewing range
range o f skew angles (3.2.1.33)
3.2.1.35
tilting
ro tation o f the deflection plane (3 . 2 .1 . 2 9) a rou nd its trace on the te s t s ur face
3.2.1.36
tilt angle
angle b e twe en the deflection plane (3 . 2 .1 . 2 9) a nd the norma l to the te s t s u r face
N o te 1 to entr y: S e e Figure 12 c).
3.2.1.37
tilting range
range o f tilt angles (3.2.1.36)
3.2.1.38
dead element
element (3.2.1.2 ) wh ich i s no longer able to b e ac tive

3.2.2 Instruments
3.2.2.1
channel
ele c tron ic device o f the te s t i n s tru ment for tran s m itti ng (tra n s m itti ng chan nel) and/or re ceivi ng a

s igna l (re ceivi ng ch an nel)

3.2.2.2
multi-channel instrument
te s t i n s tru ment with more than one channel (3.2.2.1)
3.2.2.3
phased array instrument
multi-channel instrument (3.2.2.2 ) c ap able to apply delay laws (3.2.2.12 ) for the op eration o f array
probes (3.2.1.3)
3.2.2.4
FMC instrument
multi-channel instrument (3.2.2.2 ) c ap able to col le c t full-matrix capture FMC) ( ( 3 . 3 .1 . 2 8 ) data

3.2.2.5
TFM instrument
multi-channel instrument (3.2.2.2 ) c ap able to p er form pro ce s s i ng accord i ng to the total focusing
(
technique (TFM) 3 . 3 .1 . 3 5 )

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3.2.2.6
voltage apodisation
app lyi ng d i fferent voltage s to the d i fferent tran s m itti ng elements (3.2.1.2 ) o f an array (3.2.1.1 ) to form a

s p e ci fic s hap e o f the tra n s m itte d b e am

3.2.2.7
gain apodisation
app lyi ng d i fferent gai n va lue s to the d i fferent re ceivi ng elements (3.2.1.2 ) o f an array (3.2.1.1) before
s um m i ng to match the re ceivi ng charac teri s tics

3.2.2.8
voltage apodisation law
set of settings used to control voltage apodisation (3.2.2.6)
3.2.2.9
gain apodisation law
set of settings used to control gain apodisation ( 3 . 2 . 2 .7 )
3.2.2.10
transmitting delay
ele c tron ic delay appl ie d to the ac tivation of the elements (3.2.1.2 ) of an array (3.2.1.1) during
tran s m i s s ion

3.2.2.11
receiving delay
ele c tron ic delay appl ie d to the re ceive d s igna l s from the elements (3.2.1.2 ) of an array (3.2.1.1) during
reception
3.2.2.12
delay law
s e t o f s e tti ngs u s e d to control the s e t o f delays for tran s m i s s ion and/or re cep tion to s hap e the b e am

N o te 1 to entr y: E xa mp le s a re s te er i ng del ay l aw, skewing (3.2.1.32 ) del ay l aw, fo c u s i n g del ay l aw.

3.2.2.13
amplitude balancing
comp en s ation for the d i fference s i n the s en s itivity o f the elements (3.2.1.2 ) and/or channels (3.2.2.1)
3.2.2.14
sensitivity curve
repre s entation o f the s en s itivity o f e ach element (3.2.1.2) connected to its channel (3.2.2.1) prior to
amplitude balancing (3.2.2.13)
3.2.2.15
combined equipment
con ne c te d s e t i nclud i ng the i n s tru ment, the prob e and con ne c ti ng c able s i nclud i ng adap ters

[S OU RC E : I S O 1 8 5 63 -3 : 2 01 5 , 3 .1]

3.3 Terms related to testing

3.3.1 Testing techniques

3.3.1.1
array technique
u ltras on ic te s ti ng te ch n ique u s i ng a multi-channel instrument (3.2.2.2 ) and a n array probe (3.2.1.3 ) ab le

to control i nd ividua l elements (3.2.1.2 ) for tran s m i s s ion and/or re cep tion

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3.3.1.2
phased array technique
u ltras on ic te s ti ng te ch n ique u s i ng a phased array instrument (3.2.2.3
) and a n array probe ) able (3.2.1.3
to provide electronic beam steering (3.3.1.13 ) and/or electronic beam shaping (3.3.1.12
) for tra n s m i s s ion

and/or re cep tion

3.3.1.3
phased array setup
prob e arrangement defi ne d b y prob e cha rac teri s tic s (e . g. fre quenc y, prob e element (3.2.1.2 ) s i z e, b e a m

angle, wave mo de) , probe position (3.3.1.4 ) , and the nu mb er o f prob e s

[S O U RC E : I S O 1 3 5 8 8 : 2 019, 3 . 3 ]

3.3.1.4
probe position
PP
d i s tance b e twe en the front o f the we dge a nd the re ference p oi nt on the te s t obj e c t

[S O U RC E : ISO 1 3 5 8 8 : 2 019, 3 .4, mo d i fie d — the word s " weld centre l i ne" h ave b e en replace d by

" re ference p oi nt on the te s t obj e c t".]

3.3.1.5
scan increment
d i s tance b e twe en s ucce s s ive data col le c tion p oi nts in the d i re c tion o f s c an n i ng (me chan ic a l ly or

ele c tron ic a l ly)

[S O U RC E : I S O 1 3 5 8 8 : 2 019, 3 . 5 ]

3.3.1.6
skewed scan
s ca n p er forme d with a skew a ngle ( 3.2.1.33)
N o te 1 to entr y: T he s kew a n gle c a n b e ach ie ve d ele c tro n ic a l l y o r b y me a n s o f p rob e o rientatio n .

[S O U RC E : I S O 1 3 5 8 8 : 2 019, 3 . 6 , mo d i fie d — "skewe d angle" h as b e en rep lace d by "s kew angle".]

3.3.1.7
mode of operation
s p e c i fic ation o f shots ( 3 . 3 .1 . 8) and active apertures (3.2.1.21 ) for e ach p o s ition o f the prob e

[S O U RC E : I S O 1 8 5 6 3 -3 : 2 01 5 , 3 . 5 , mo d i fie d — the l i n k to I S O 1 8 5 6 3 -3 : 2 01 5 , C lau s e 6 h as b e en dele te d .]

3.3.1.8
shot
combi nation o f s i ngle e xcitation o f tran s m itti ng element(s) (3.2.1.2 ) a nd acqui s ition o f the elementary
signal(s) (3.3.2.1) of receiving element(s)
3.3.1.9
group of shots
multiple shots ( 3 . 3 .1 . 8) c arrie d out with the array (3.2.1.1 ) i n one p o s ition de d ic ate d to one typ e o f

electronic scanning (3.3.1.20)

3.3.1.10
single-aperture technique
u ltras on ic te s ti ng te ch n ique u s i ng the s ame ap er tu re o f the array (3.2.1.1 ) for tran s m itti ng and

re ceivi ng for all shots ( 3 . 3 .1 . 8 )

3.3.1.11
multi-aperture technique
u ltras on ic te s ti ng te ch n ique u s i ng d i fferent ap er tu re s o f the array (3.2.1.1 ) for tra n s m itti ng and

re ceivi ng for all shots ( 3 . 3 .1 . 8 )

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3.3.1.12
electronic beam shaping
electronic beam forming
technique used to control the shape o f an ultrasonic beam o f an array (3.2.1.1), e.g. by delay laws
(3.2.2.12 ), by the number of elements (3.2.1.2 ) or by apodisation (3.2.2.6), (3.2.2.7 )
3.3.1.13
electronic beam steering
technique used to control the direction o f an ultrasonic beam o f an array (3.2.1.1)
Note 1 to entry: The beam steering capability is related to the properties o f the array, the properties o f the wedge
or delay path, and can be limited due to the generation o f grating lobes (3.1.3).
3.3.1.14
electronic beam focusing
technique used to focus an ultrasonic beam at one or several focal points
3.3.1.15
static electronic focusing
electronic focusing at one focal point
3.3.1.16
dynamic electronic focusing
dynamic depth focusing
electronic focusing used in the receiving mode to move the focal point along the beam axis, typically in
real time
3.3.1.17
total electronic focusing
electronic focusing which consists o f adapting the receiving delay laws (3.2.2.11 , 3.2.2.12 ) to focus at
many points which form a grid (3.3.2.5), a fter transmission o f a single wide ultrasonic beam
3.3.1.18
adaptive focusing
ocusing based on calculation o f delays using the signals from re ference shot(s) (3.3.1.8 )
f

Note 1 to entry: This definition applies to both phased array technology (electronic beam forming (3.3.1.12 ),
summed A-scan presentation (3.3.2.2 )) and to processing technology, e.g. adaptive TFM ( 3.3.1.35 ).

Note 2 to entry: A typical example o f the use o f adaptive focusing is the identification o f the geometry o f
re fracting, and/or reflecting inter face(s) that allow the processing through such inter face(s).
3.3.1.19
dynamic receiving aperture
electronic control of the dimension of the receiving active aperture (3.2.1.21) o f a single shot (3.3.1.8),
typically in real time
3.3.1.20
electronic scanning
technique used to sequentially move and/or change ultrasonic beams without moving the array probe
(3.2.1.3)
3.3.1.21
electronic increment
step between two consecutive ultrasonic beams and/or focal points during electronic scanning (3.3.1.20)
3.3.1.22
electronic linear scanning
electronic scanning (3.3.1.20) used to control a sequence o f ultrasonic beams by moving the active
apertures (3.2.1.21
) o f an array (3.2.1.1) along a line

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3.3.1.23
electronic sectorial scanning
(3.3.1.20) used to control a sequence of ultrasonic beams by electronically changing
electronic scanning
the beam angles within a defined sector using the same active aperture (3.2.1.21)
3.3.1.24
combined electronic scanning
combination o f electronic linear scanning (3.3.1.22 ) and electronic sectorial scanning (3.3.1.23 ) by moving
the active aperture (3.2.1.21) along the array (3.2.1.1) and simultaneously changing the beam angles
within a defined sector
3.3.1.25
phased array mode
combination o f ultrasonic beams created by phased array technology, e.g. fixed angle, electronic linear
scanning (3.3.1.22 ), electronic sectorial scanning (3.3.1.23)

[SOURCE: ISO 13588:2019, 3.7, modified — the term "mode" has been deleted; "E-scan" and "S-scan"
have replaced by "electronic linear scanning" and "electronic sectorial scanning" respectively.]
3.3.1.26
sampling phased array technique
SPA
data acquisition and data processing, where a single element (3.2.1.2 ) or consecutive elements in an
array (3.2.1.1 ) are used as transmitters, while a selected number o f elements are used as receivers for
each transmitted pulse, where acquired data are processed phase-sensitive by the synthetic aperture
focusing technique (SAFT) or the total focusing technique (TFM) (3.3.1.35 )

3.3.1.27
full matrix
matrix data set consisting o f m × n cells corresponding to all possible combinations o f m transmitted
signals and n received signals with each matrix cell containing an A-scan data set
3.3.1.28
full-matrix capture
FMC
data acquisition process where each element (3.2.1.2 ) in an array (3.2.1.1) is successively used as
transmitter, while all elements are used as receivers for each transmitted pulse
Note 1 to entry: For m transmitters and n receivers a matrix o f m × n A-scan signals is created.
3.3.1.29
half-matrix capture
HMC
data acquisition process where all elements (3.2.1.2 ) in an array (3.2.1.1) are successively used as
transmitters, while only elements not used for transmission in previous transmissions, or only elements
used in previous transmissions including the current one, are used as receivers for each transmitted pulse
Note 1 to entry: Hal f-matrix capture makes use o f the reciprocity o f signals to limit the amount o f collected data.
Note 2 to entry: For an array with n elements hal f-matrix capture leads to n (n + 1)/2 A-scan signals.
3.3.1.30
sparse-matrix capture
SMC
data acquisition process where some o f the elements (3.2.1.2 ) in an array (3.2.1.1) are successively used
as transmitters, while some elements are used as receivers but di fferent for each transmitted pulse
3.3.1.31
wide-beam transmitting
technique consisting o f transmitting simultaneously with all elements (3.2.1.2) of the array (3.2.1.1)
without electronic focusing, and then receiving signals from the individual elements

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3.3.1.32
multiple reconstruction using the received signals
technique used to mimic multiple ultrasonic beams by combining each elementary signal (3.3.2.1)
several times to get several reconstructions or summations
3.3.1.33
paintbrush technique
technique which combines wide-beam transmitting (3.3.1.31) and multiple reconstruction using the
received signals (3.3.1.32)
3.3.1.34
reverse phasing technique
time-reversal mirror
TRM
technique used to control an ultrasonic beam by transmitting twice: firstly with a wide beam to get the
time-o f-flight values o f echoes reflected by the front inter face; and secondly with a delay law (3.2.2.12)
calculated from these time-o f-flight values o f the first shot (3.3.1.8 )
3.3.1.35
total focusing technique
TFM
synthetic focusing which consists o f a reconstruction, inside an ROI (3.3.2.4), to focus at many points
which form a grid (3.3.2.5), by processing part or all A-scan in formation o f the applicable transmitter-
receiver combinations, taking into account the imaging path (3.3.1.38 )
Note 1 to entry: TFM is typically per formed on full-matrix capture (FMC) (3.3.1.28) data.
Note 2 to entry: Typically not all transmitter-receiver combinations contribute to each point o f the grid (3.3.2.5 ).
Note 3 to entry: This technique is o ften indicated as TFM (total focusing method), however in ISO the term
‘method’ in NDT is reserved for applying a physical principle (see ISO 9712).
3.3.1.36
i n ve r s e w a ve fi e l d e x t r a p o l a t i o n t e c h n i q u e

IWEX
data acquisition and data processing according to the principle o f inverse wave field extrapolation
which takes into account the weighted amplitude and the delay time o f the signal in order to create a 2D
or 3D spatial image o f the test object
Note 1 to entry: IWEX is typically per formed on full-matrix capture (FMC) (3.3.1.28) data.
3.3.1.37
plane wave imaging
PWI
technique consisting o f sequential transmission o f plane waves in several directions in the inspection
medium, recording o f the reflected or di ffracted waves for each transmission with all the elements
(3.2.1.2) of the array(s) (3.2.1.1), and post-processing o f the received signals with a delay-and-sum
algorithm to focus on every point within a region of interest (ROI) (3.3.2.4)
Note 1 to entry: For q transmitted plane waves and n receivers a matrix o f q × n A-scan signals is created.
3.3.1.38
imaging path
path that ultrasonic waves travel from transmitter to image point and from image point to receiver
which is taken into account by the imaging algorithm including re fraction(s), reflection(s) and/or mode
conversion(s), i f applicable

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ISO 23243:2020(E)

3.3.2 Signals, presentations and indications

3.3.2.1
elementary A-scan presentation
elementary signal
A-scan presentation o f the ultrasonic signal received by one element (3.2.1.2) for one shot (3.3.1.8 )
3.3.2.2
summed A-scan presentation
A-scan presentation o f the sum o f elementary signals (3.3.2.1) received by a virtual probe (3.2.1.23) for
one shot (3.3.1.8)
3.3.2.3
sum of signals
summed A-scan
result o f the operation o f summing the elementary signals (3.3.2.1) a fter applying a delay law (3.2.2.12)
3.3.2.4
region of interest
ROI
two- or three-dimensional region, related to the test volume, for which the image is computed
Note 1 to entry: The ROI can have an arbitrary shape and may extend beyond the test volume.
3.3.2.5
grid
collection of points in the ROI (3.3.2.4) for which the image is calculated and stored, defined by the
position and relative distance between the points in a specified direction
Note 1 to entry: The grid may extend beyond the test volume.
Note 2 to entry: The grid is not necessarily rectangular and not necessarily uni form.
Note 3 to entry: The grid can be two or three dimensional.
Note 4 to entry: The format o f the grid is not necessarily the format used to display the results.
3.3.2.6
L-scan presentation
2-D display in the deflection plane (3.2.1.29 )of the results of electronic linear scanning (3.3.1.22) which
consists of the summed A-scans (3.3.2.3 ) of the beams of the di fferent active apertures (3.2.1.21) and the
colour scale representing the amplitude o f the signals
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 13.

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 ISO 23243:2020(E)

Key
1 array (3.2.1.1)
2 active apertures, indicated by black elements (3.2.1.2 ) (not all active apertures are shown)
3 moving active aperture
4 summed A-scan for given shot (3.3.1.8 )
5 L-scan presentation

Figure 13 — L-scan presentation

3.3.2.7
S-scan presentation
2-D display in the deflection plane (3.2.1.29 )
of the results of electronic sectorial scanning (3.3.1.23)
which consists of the summed A-scans (3.3.2.3 ) of the beams in the steering range (3.2.1.31), and the
colour scale representing the amplitude o f the signals
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 14.

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ISO 23243:2020(E)

Key
1 array (3.2.1.1)
2 active apertures (3.2.1.21 ), indicated by black elements (3.2.1.2)
3 steering range
4 summed A-scan for given shot (3.3.1.8 )
5 S-scan presentation

Figure 14 — S-scan presentation

3.3.2.8
phased array image
one- or two-dimensional display, constructed from the collected in formation o f phased array operation
[SOURCE: ISO 13588:2019, 3.1]
3.3.2.9
TFM image
image o f the result o f TFM (3.3.1.35 ) processing
3.3.2.10
spatial indication
pattern or disturbance shown in the 2-D or 3-D image by the test instrument which can need further
evaluation
3.3.2.11
TFM indication
pattern or disturbance in the TFM image (3.3.2.9) which can need further evaluation

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 ISO 23243:2020(E)

3.3.3 Evaluation of indications

3.3.3.1
angular-corrected gain
ACG
s e t o f ga i n va lue s appl ie d on e ach summed A-scan (3.3.2.3 ) du ri ng angu lar electronic scanning (3.3.1.20)
i n order to ge t the s a me ampl itude level for e cho e s refle c te d b y a s p e c i fic ta rge t, i ndep endent o f the

b e am angle

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ISO 23243:2020(E)

Bibliography

[1] ISO 5577, Non-destructive testing — Ultrasonic testing — Vocabulary

[2] ISO 9712 , Non-destructive testing — Qualification and certification o f NDT personnel
[3] ISO 13588:2019, Non-destructive testing of welds — Ultrasonic testing — Use of automated phased
array technology

[4] ISO 18563 -3:2015, Non-destructive testing — Characterization and verification o f ultrasonic
phased array equipment — Part 3: Combined systems

[5] ISO 20601, Non-destructive testing of welds — Ultrasonic testing — Use of automated phased array
technology for thin-walled steel components

[6] ISO 23864 1) , Non-destructive testing of welds — Ultrasonic testing — Use of automated total
focusing technique (TFM) and related technologies

[7 ] ISO 23 865 2) , Non-destructive testing — Ultrasonic testing — General use of full matrix capture/
total focusing technique (FMC/TFM) and related technologies

1) Under preparation.

2) Under preparation.

20 © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

ISO 2 3 2 43 : 2 02 0(E)

I C S   0 1 . 0 4 0 . 1 9 ; 1 9 . 1 0 0

Price group A

© ISO 2020 – All rights reserved