Evaluation and accuracy assessment of ANDSCAN - a non-destructive portable scanner, Part 1. ANDSCAN hardware and software.

In recent years, laboratory-based non-destructive testing (NDT) methods have advanced greatly, whilst many in-service techniques have remained tedious and operator-dependent with little or no permanent records except the hand-written notes of the operator. This can be attributed in part to the lack of a suitable portable scanner to perform the positioning functions of the laboratory scanning facility. ANDSCAN is a simple manual scanner providing positional information relating to any flat or curved surface, at any angle of inclination including vertical and upside-down. A comprehensive software package on a PC-compatible computer produces two-dimensional 16-colour scans of the signal from any NDT instrument with a real-time output, including ultrasonic, eddy-current and mechanical impedance flaw detectors. Post-processing facilities include flaw sizing, subtraction of scans to detect flaw growth, and rotating 3D images to assess the depth characteristics of defects.