Sol-gel tube crack detection apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A crack detection method comprising:
- transmitting from a source to a body a signal;
receiving by a sensor the signal reflected by the body;
measuring an output voltage from the sensor that is proportional to a signal characteristic change between the transmitted and received signals;
wherein the signal characteristic change results from one or more mechanisms selected from the group consisting of, microscopic motion of the body, media transition and fluid movement.
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Abstract
A crack detection method capable of detecting cracks on a scale of about 5 μm or greater, useful for detecting cracks in sol-gel tubes. A signal is transmitted from a source to a body in which cracking may occur. The signal is reflected back to a sensor. An output voltage from the sensor is measured which is proportional to a signal characteristic change between the transmitted and received signals. Signal characteristics such as frequency, phase, and amplitude may be monitored. The signal characteristic change may result from one or more mechanisms selected from the group consisting of microscopic motion of the body, media transition and fluid movement.
Further disclosed is a crack detector comprising a signal source and a sensor wherein cracks are detected according to the method described above.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A crack detection method comprising:
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transmitting from a source to a body a signal;
receiving by a sensor the signal reflected by the body;
measuring an output voltage from the sensor that is proportional to a signal characteristic change between the transmitted and received signals;
wherein the signal characteristic change results from one or more mechanisms selected from the group consisting of, microscopic motion of the body, media transition and fluid movement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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13. A crack detector to detect cracks in a body, the detector comprising:
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a signal source;
a sensor positioned to receive a signal from the source reflected by the body; and
wherein a crack is detected by transmitting from the source to the body a signal;
receiving by the sensor the signal reflected by the body;
measuring an output voltage from the sensor that is proportional to the signal characteristic change between the transmitted and received signals; and
wherein the signal characteristic change results from one or more mechanisms selected from the group consisting of, microscopic motion of the body, media transition and fluid movement.
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Specification