Phased arrays – panacea or gimmick?

Are phased arrays the panacea to all ultrasonic NDT problems, or are they an expensive gimmick? There is no doubt that phased arrays are finding increasing use in ultrasonic NDT, but what needs to happen for this technology to become more widely accepted for use? Is it simply that the technology (both electronics and transducer) is not quite ‘there’ yet and so is rather expensive, or is it the lack of an associated infrastructure (standards, training etc), or both?

This paper seeks to dispel some of the myths about phased arrays by looking at what they can and cannot do. By being perhaps somewhat controversial, it hopes to stimulate some much-needed open discussion on the true capabilities and limitations of the technology, thereby providing some pointers for the future.