Patent ID: 8783110

Claim:
Apparatus for ultrasonic non-destructive testing of a solid object, the apparatus comprising: an elongate strip of ultrasound transmissive material, said elongate strip having a transverse cross-section with a width and a thickness giving an aspect ratio greater than unity, a proximal end and a distal end; an ultrasonic transducer coupled to said elongate strip and matched thereto such that excitation of said ultrasonic transducer induces non-dispersive ultrasonic shear wave signals to propagate in a propagation direction along said elongate strip to said proximal end, said signals being formed of components of different frequencies having wavelengths extending from λ short to λ long and being polarized in a direction perpendicular to said propagation direction; coupling means for coupling said proximal end to a surface of a solid object, wherein said non-dispersive signals are coupled into the solid object; and an ultrasound receiver configured to receive reflected signals from the solid object that are non-dispersive ultrasonic shear wave signals and are polarized in a direction perpendicular to a propagation direction of the reflected signals; wherein said thickness is less than 2.5 λ short and said width is greater than 5 λ long .