초록 ▼

In the ultrasonic inspection of test pieces, particularly tubular materials, a device for coupling a transducer to the surface of the test material, by a liquid medium, incorporates desirable features of both “contact”and “immersion”transducers. Disclosed is a coupler the housing of which has a cavi

In the ultrasonic inspection of test pieces, particularly tubular materials, a device for coupling a transducer to the surface of the test material, by a liquid medium, incorporates desirable features of both “contact”and “immersion”transducers. Disclosed is a coupler the housing of which has a cavity having a water supply inlet and an air exhaust vent. Water flow into the cavity if so controlled as to initially purge air from the cavity to fill it with water, after which the water flow is at a carefully controlled rate effective to keep the cavity filled while supplying fresh water only to the extent necessary to make up for water leaking out through a narrow gap defined between the test piece and the face plate of the disclosed coupler. The water within the cavity provides a liquid couplant between the test piece and a transducer carried by a holder mounted in the cavity for precision adjustment. The transducer is in itself adjustable in respect to the holder in each position to which the holder is adjusted. In this way, precision focussing of an ultrasonic beam is attained. Precise control of the incidence and refraction angles of the propagated ultrasonic waves is thereby achieved accompanied by a desirable concentration of the ultrasonic energy in a specific target region of the test piece.

대표청구항 ▼

In an inspection device, especially for tubular test pieces, an ultrasonic transducer coupler comprising: (a) a housing having a cavity for a water couplant, said cavity having an inlet adapted for introducing a liquid couplant, the housing having a bottom and said inlet communicating with the cavit

In an inspection device, especially for tubular test pieces, an ultrasonic transducer coupler comprising: (a) a housing having a cavity for a water couplant, said cavity having an inlet adapted for introducing a liquid couplant, the housing having a bottom and said inlet communicating with the cavity through the bottom of the housing, the inlet opening into the cavity adjacent a side wall of the cavity in a direction to introduce the liquid couplant in a swirling motion at the bottom of the cavity along a path tangential to said wall thereof, the cavity having a high point formed with an air vent, whereby to fill the cavity with said couplant while simultaneously exhausting air through the outlet; (b) a transducer holder mounted in the housing within the cavity; (c) a transucer carried by the holder and having a lens through which an ultrasonic beam is directed through the cavity from the transducer; (d) means carried by the housing for effecting precision adjustments of the transducer holder; (e) a face plate having a face contoured to complement the contour of the test piece being inspected with a narrow gap being left therebetween, said face plate having an opening in communication with the cavity, the opening being coincident with the path along which the beam from the transducer is propagated for passage of the beam through the opening against a test piece that is being inspected, the inlet for the liquid couplant opening into the cavity substantially normally to the path along which the transducer beam is propagated whereby the couplant will be introduced in a path swirling about the path of the beam; and (f) means for shutting off the air outlet to the further exhaustion of air therethrough when the cavity is completely filled, whereby upon filling of the cavity with the couplant the outflow of air will be terminated, with further flow of the couplant into the cavity being at a rate sufficient to replace, on a continuing basis, couplant exiting the cavity via the face plate opening and said gap.