Parametric evaluation of NDE pulsed ultrasonic responses including relevant realistic inductive and non-linear piezoelectric & electronic phenomena

Global responses (efficiency, spatial resolution and dynamic range) of piezoelectric equipment for ultrasonic NDE also depend on the related high-voltage driving-receiving electronics. But, usually, this is only considered by using simplified approaches. In fact, reactive, non-ideal and non-linear aspects of the front-end electronics, in practical NDE commercial units, notably modify the evaluation results. Here, accurate modelling, that includes realistic inductive and also non-linear aspects of piezoelectric & electronic stages, is applied to predict ultrasonic responses in practical units. A fan of electrical behaviours in NDE pulsers are found, using parametric analyses of some effects due to the damping impedances and the energy-discharge capacitors, under distinct inductive tuning situations. This is based on a global pulse-echo modelling with: a quadratic approach for the mechanical losses in the piezoceramics, and non-ideal frequency-dependent effects of reactive nature in the spike generators. Non linear influences on ultrasonic responses, from piezoelectric losses and realistic driving, are accurately taken into account, showing that these details should be included for a real modelling of future NDE ultrasonic designs.