In conventional ultrasonic testing (UT), a single-element transducer emits an ultrasonic wave that penetrates the material. If the material is flawless, you will see a penetration echo at the beginning of the A-scan and an echo from the back of the material later in the A-scan. If the wave encounters a crack or other imperfection, the reflection echo will appear earlier in the A-scan. Based on the timing and amplitude of this pulse in the A-scan, the operator can interpret the nature of the defect. This is time-consuming and requires considerable experience in operation and evaluation of the results.
With a MAUT (Matrix Array Ultrasonic Testing) transducer, you have transducer elements in both the X and Y directions. Consequently, the elements now cover an area rather than just a point (UT) or a slice (PAUT). This makes it a matrix array. Each of these elements is used for the pulse echo, and each element therefore results in an A-scan. This adds another dimension compared to PAUT and makes the result even easier to interpret. You now have volumetric or 3D data and can view your results in a planar view (known as a C-scan) or a 3D representation in addition to the B-scans and A-scans. This gives you much more flexibility in presenting NDT results and makes MAUT results much easier to interpret than UT and PAUT. This reduces the operator skill requirements and speeds up the inspection.
