METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ULTRASOUND INSPECTION OF WELDS, PARTICULARLY WELDS OF BLADES ON THE DISK OF A BLADED DISK

• US 20150308984A1
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engine Company
• Original Assignee: Snecma (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Vassault, Marc Jacky, COULETTE, Richard Michael, Le Ber, Laurent, Ravault, Pascal Jean-Christian Claude
• Granted Patent: US 10,161,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0422 Shear waves, transverse waves, horizontally polarised waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/056 Angular incidence, angular propagation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/106 one or more transducer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/267 Welds
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2693 Rotor or turbine parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/043 in the interior, e.g. by shear waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/223 Supports, positioning or alignment in fixed situation mounting transducers per se G10K11/004
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/24 Probes transducers for acoustic waves B06B, G10K; for measuring G01H
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/26 Arrangements for orientation or scanning by relative movement of the head and the sensor mechanical steering of sound transducers or their beams G10K11/35
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/262 by electronic orientation or focusing, e.g. with phased arrays phased arrays per se G10K11/34
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/265 by moving the sensor relative to a stationary material
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4436 with a reference signal amplitude comparison G01N29/48
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/44 inspection

Abstract

Method and device for ultrasound testing of welds, particularly for welds of blades on the blisk of a bladed disk.

According to the invention, for testing element welds (6) on a body (4), forming a single-piece assembly (2) with these elements, the free end of a poly-articulated robot (12) is fitted with an ultrasound probe (24), fitted with an ultrasonic multi-element array transducer (14); the probe is inserted into the space (10) between two adjacent elements of the assembly; the probe is moved along three-dimensional trajectories along the profile of the element; sectorial electronic scanning is performed in at least two non-parallel testing planes; and ultrasound signals output by the transducer in order to test the welds are processed.

Claims

1. Method for testing element welds on a body, the body and the elements that are welded to it forming a single-piece assembly, comprising the following steps:

equip the free end of a poly-articulated robot with an ultrasound probe, fitted with an ultrasonic multi-element array transducer;

insert the ultrasound probe into the space between two adjacent elements of the single-piece assembly, facing the welded joint, corresponding to one of the two elements for which the weld is to be tested;

move the ultrasound probe along three-dimensional trajectories along the profile of the element for which the weld is to be tested;

perform a sectorial electronic scanning in at least two non-parallel testing planes, preferably approximately orthogonal; and

process the ultrasound signals output by the transducer in order to test the welds.

2. Method according to claim 1, in which the test is a test by transverse ultrasound waves.

3. Method according to claim 2, in which testing is made by working firstly in full-skip and secondly in half-skip.

4. Method according to claim 3, comprising the step consisting of testing the welded joint of each element by performing a first pass to test the welded joint in half-skip and a second pass to test the welded joint in full-skip.

5. Method according to claim 4, comprising the step consisting of using the poly-articulated robot to follow the profile along each element, at a first constant distance from the corresponding joint plane and at a second constant distance from it different from the first distance.

6. Method according to claim 1, in which the ultrasound probe is a bevelled probe, adapted to the space between the adjacent elements of the single piece assembly.

7. Method according to claim 1, comprising the steps consisting of:

using a data acquisition software,

entering characteristics of the transducer, characteristics of the single-piece assembly and a test configuration in the acquisition software,

calculate delay laws for the transducer,

make a calibration on a reference part,

adjust intervals of numeric values of test parameters,

define a test sequence, and

acquire signals output by the transducer and analyse them to test the welds.

8. Method according to claim 1, in which the elements are composed of the blades, and the body consists of the disk part, of an assembly forming a turbomachine blisk, the test thus being a test of the welds of the blades on the disk part of the blisk.

9. Method according to claim 1, in which the elements of the ultrasonic multi-element array transducer are elements in a checkerboard layout.

10. Device for testing welds of elements on a body, the body and the elements welded to it forming a single-piece assembly, comprising:

a poly-articulated robot, capable of making three-dimensional trajectories,

an ultrasound probe, fitted with an ultrasonic multi-element array transducer, the probe being fitted on the poly-articulated robot to make an ultrasound test in the space between two adjacent elements of the single-piece assembly, and

an electronic signal processing device for processing signals output by the ultrasonic multi-element array transducer in order to test the welds.