Equally important is system performance, in which various instrument characteristics and settings, as well as material properties and coupling conditions, play major roles. Most often the transducer is chosen either to enhance the sensitivity or the resolution of the system. Contact Transducers are rugged enough to withstand direct contact testing of metals and versatile enough to be used on materials such as composites and plastics. Features such as wear plates and ergonomic sleeves make contact transducers highly durable and easy to grip, and a variety of case styles provide enough variety to cover a wide range of applications. Dual Element Transducers contain two elements contain two independently operating elements, transmitter and receiver, in a single housing.
Receivers require a finite amount of time to recover from saturation.
The two elements are angled towards each other to create a crossed-beam sound path in the test material. Immersion Transducers are designed to transmit ultrasound in situations where the test part is partially or wholly immersed in fresh water. Immersion transducers are typically used inside a water tank in scanning applications or as part of a squirter or bubbler system. A focused immersion transducer can improve sensitivity and axial resolution by concentrating the sound energy in a small area. Angle Beam Transducers - and wedges typically are used to introduce a refracted shear wave into the test material.