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A method for inspecting a component includes exciting a number of transducers forming an array to produce an ultrasonic transmission beam (beam) focused into the component. The array and the component are separated by a standoff. A number of echo signals are generated using the transducers, and the

A method for inspecting a component includes exciting a number of transducers forming an array to produce an ultrasonic transmission beam (beam) focused into the component. The array and the component are separated by a standoff. A number of echo signals are generated using the transducers, and the echo signals are processed in a number of channels. The processing includes both dynamical focus and providing a dynamic aperture on receive, both of which compensate for refraction of the beam at the component/standoff interface. A single-turn inspection method includes: (a) positioning the array facing the component, (b) exciting the transducers, (c) generating a number of echo signals, (d) changing the relative angular orientation of the array and the component around an axis and repeating steps (b) and (c), and (e) processing the echo signals to form at least one processed echo signal.

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1. A method of inspecting a component comprising:(a) exciting a plurality of transducers forming an array to produce an ultrasonic transmission beam focused into the component along a selected ray path from the array, the array being separated from the component by a standoff with a material velocit

1. A method of inspecting a component comprising:(a) exciting a plurality of transducers forming an array to produce an ultrasonic transmission beam focused into the component along a selected ray path from the array, the array being separated from the component by a standoff with a material velocity(b) generating a plurality of echo signals using the transducers as receive elements; and(c) processing the echo signals in a plurality of channels, said processing comprising:(i) dynamically focusing the echo signals along the selected ray path on at least one focal point P in the component, wherein said dynamic focusing comprises:adjusting a delay profile to compensate for refraction of the ultrasonic transmission beam at an interface between the component and the standoff; andapplying the delay profile to the echo signals in the respective channels to generate a plurality of delayed echo signals;(ii) adjusting the number of active receive elements as a function of a range R s to provide a dynamic aperture on receive, wherein said adjustment of the number of receive elements comprises compensating for refraction of the ultrasonic transmission beam at the interface between the component and the standoff; and(iii) summing the delayed echo signals from all of the active receive elements to generate a focused echo signal. 2. The inspection method of claim 1, wherein said excitement of the transducers comprises applying a separate excitation signal pulse to each of the transducers, said inspection method further comprising:(d) steering the ultrasonic transmission beam along the selected ray path at an angle θ relative to a surface normal, said steering comprising:(i) adjusting a transmit delay profile to compensate for refraction of the ultrasonic transmission beam at the interface between the component and the standoff, the transmit delay profile comprising a plurality of transmit delays, with each transmit delay comprising a static steering term, and(ii) modulating the excitation signal pulses with the transmit delay profile; and(e) forming a steered focused echo signal by said application of the delay profile to the echo signals in the respective channels to generate the delayed echo signals, wherein said delay profile comprises a plurality of receive delays, with each receive delay comprising a static receive steering term, and wherein said adjustment of the delay profile adjusts each of the static receive steering terms to compensate for refraction at the interface. 3. The inspection method of claim 2, wherein said steering comprises steering the ultrasonic transmission beam along the selected ray path at angles θ and ψ. 4. The inspection method of claim 1, wherein:said excitement of the transducers comprises applying a separate signal pulse to each of the transducers at each of a plurality of successive excitation time intervals t i ,said generation of the echo signals is performed for each of the successive excitation time intervals t i ,said dynamic focusing comprises dynamically focusing the echo signals along the selected ray path on a plurality of focal points P i at various ranges R i during each successive i-th one of the excitation time intervals t k ,said adjustment of the number of active receive elements is performed for each of the successive excitation time intervals t i as a function of the range R i , andsaid summation of the delayed echo signals from all of the active receive elements is performed for each of the successive excitation time interval to generate a focused echo signal for the respective range R i . 5. A method of inspecting a component comprising:(a) applying a separate excitation pulse to each of a plurality of transducers forming an array to produce an ultrasonic transmission beam focused into the component along a selected ray path from the array, the array being separated from the component by a standoff with a material velocity v w ;(b) steering the ultrasonic trans mission beam along the selected ray path at an angle θ relative to a surface normal, said steering comprising:(i) adjusting a transmit delay profile to compensate for refraction of the ultrasonic transmission beam at the interface between the component and the standoff, the transmit delay profile comprising a plurality of transmit delays, each transmit delay comprising a static steering term, and(ii) modulating the excitation pulses with the transmit delay profile;(c) generating a plurality of echo signals using the transducers as receive elements; and(d) processing the echo signals in a plurality of channels using a delay profile, the delay profile comprising a plurality of receive delays, each receive delay comprising a static receive steering term, said processing comprising:(i) adjusting each of the static receive steering terms to compensate for refraction of the ultrasonic transmission beam at the interface between the component and the standoff;(ii) applying the delay profile to the echo signals in the respective channels to generate a plurality of delayed echo signals; and(iii) summing the delayed echo signals from the receive elements to generate a steered echo signal. 6. The inspection method of claim 4, wherein said processing step further comprises:(iv) adjusting the number of active receive elements as a function of a range R s to provide a dynamic aperture on receive, wherein said adjustment of the number of receive elements comprises compensating for refraction of the ultrasonic transmission beam at the interface between the component and the standoff,wherein said summing step comprises summing the delayed echo signals from all of the active receive elements to generate the steered echo signal. 7. The inspection method of claim 5, wherein said steering comprises steering the ultrasonic transmission beam along the selected ray path at angles θ and ψ. 8. The inspection method of claim 5, wherein said application step comprises applying a separate excitation pulse to each of the transducers to produce a sheer wave ultrasonic transmission beam focused into the component. 9. The inspection method of claim 5, wherein said application step comprises applying a separate excitation pulse to each of the transducers to produce a surface wave ultrasonic transmission beam focused along the surface of the component. 10. A method of inspecting a component along a curved surface of the component and across a standoff with a material velocity v w , said inspection method comprising:(a) adjusting a transmit delay profile to compensate for at least one surface geometry effect, the transmit delay profile comprising a plurality of transmit delays, each of the transmit delays comprising a static surface geometry term;(b) modulating a plurality of excitation signal pulses with the transmit delay profile;(c) applying the modulated excitation signal pulses to a plurality of transducers forming an array separated from the component by the standoff, to produce an ultrasonic transmission beam focused into the component along a selected ray path from the array;(d) generating a plurality of echo signals using the transducers as receive elements; and(e) processing the echo signals in a plurality of channels, said processing comprising:(i) applying a delay profile to the echo signals in the respective channels to generate a plurality of delayed echo signals that compensate for at least one surface geometry effect, the delay profile comprising a plurality of receive delays, each of the receive delays comprising a static surface geometry term; and(ii) summing the delayed echo signals from the receive elements to generate a surface geometry effect compensated echo signal. 11. A single-turn method of inspecting a component having an inspection surface, said single-turn inspection method comprising:(a) positioning an array of transducers facing the inspection surface of the component;(b) exciting the transducers to produce an ul trasonic transmission beam focused into the component along a selected ray path from the array;(c) generating a plurality of echo signals using the transducers as receive elements;(d) changing the relative angular orientation of the array and the component around an axis and repeating steps (b) and (c); and(e) processing the echo signals in a plurality of channels to form at least one processed echo signal,wherein the processed echo signals corresponding to a final image of the component are obtained with the relative orientation of the array and the component constrained to rotation around the axis. 12. The single-turn inspection method of claim 11, wherein the component has a curved inspection surface, and wherein said positioning step further comprises contouring the array to the curved inspection surface.