The wavelet response as a multiscale NDT method

We analyze interfaces by using reflected waves in the framework of the wavelet transform. First, we introduce the wavelet transform as an efficient method to detect and characterize a discontinuity in the acoustical impedance profile of a material. Synthetic examples are shown for both an isolated reflector and multiscale clusters of nearby defects. In the second part of the paper we present the wavelet response method as a natural extension of the wavelet transform when the velocity profile to be analyzed can only be remotely probed by propagating wavelets through the medium (instead of being directly convolved as in the wavelet transform). The wavelet response is constituted by the reflections of the incident wavelets on the discontinuities and we show that both transforms are equivalent when multiple scattering is neglected. We end this paper by experimentally applying the wavelet response in an acoustic tank to characterize planar reflectors with finite thicknesses.