DEVICE AND METHOD FOR THE NON-DESTRUCTIVE CONTROL OF METAL PROFILES

• US 20160195499A1
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Published: 07/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vallourec Tubes France SAS (Vallourec SA)
• Original Assignee: Vallourec Tubes France SAS (Vallourec SA)
• Inventors: MICHEL, Raphael, NOEL, Alexandre, VAHE, Michel
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0234 Metals, e.g. steel
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0289 Internal structure, e.g. defects, grain size, texture
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/106 one or more transducer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2634 cylindrical from outside
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/04 Analysing solids using acoustic emission techniques G01N29/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2437 Piezoelectric probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/262 by electronic orientation or focusing, e.g. with phased arrays phased arrays per se G10K11/34

Abstract

A device, and corresponding test method, for testing metallurgical products including an ultrasonic sensor including a plurality of elementary transducers which can be operated independently of each other and are distributed in accordance with a two-dimensional pattern is described. A first electronic component is configured to excite each of the elementary transducers in accordance with at least one temporal law corresponding to a burst of ultrasonic waves in a line of sight. A second electronic component is configured to process at least a portion of the signals captured by each of the elementary transducers. Each temporal law is arranged such that the corresponding burst produces a beam of ultrasonic waves which is generally divergent about the line of sight on moving away from the ultrasonic sensor.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A device for testing metallurgical products, comprising:

an ultrasonic sensor comprising a plurality of elementary transducers which can be operated independently of each other and which are distributed in accordance with a two-dimensional pattern;

a first electronic component configured to excite each of the elementary transducers in accordance with at least one temporal law corresponding to a burst of ultrasonic waves in a line of sight;

a second electronic component configured to process at least a portion of the signals captured by each of the elementary transducers;

wherein each temporal law is arranged such that a corresponding burst produces a beam of ultrasonic waves which is generally divergent about the line of sight with increasing distance from the ultrasonic sensor.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein each temporal law comprises at least one temporal sub-law for excitation of at least one respective sub-set of the elementary transducers.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein each sub-set of elementary transducers corresponds to a respective portion of the pattern.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein the portions of the pattern correspond as a whole to a partition of the pattern.

26. The device according to claim 23, wherein each sub-law is arranged such that excitation of the elementary transducers of the corresponding sub-set produces a respective primary beam of ultrasonic waves, and the generally divergent beam of ultrasonic waves results from respective primary beams of ultrasonic waves from sub-sets of elementary transducers.

27. The device according to claim 22, wherein each temporal law is arranged such that excitation of the corresponding elementary transducers produces one or more primary beams, and the generally divergent beam of ultrasonic waves results from the primary beam or beams of ultrasonic waves.

28. The device according to claim 27, wherein each primary beam extends in a respective direction which diverges from the line of sight on moving away from the ultrasonic sensor.

29. The device according to claim 27, wherein each primary beam is substantially free of focusing.

30. The device according to claim 27, wherein each primary beam is defocussed in the line of sight.

31. The device according to claim 27, wherein each temporal law is arranged such that excitation of the corresponding elementary transducers produces a single defocussed primary beam of ultrasonic waves in the line of sight.

32. The device according to claim 27, wherein the primary beams meet a target surface corresponding to the line of sight at respective penetration zones of the surface which are mutually adjacent.

33. The device according to claim 22, wherein the primary beams extend in respective directions which are inclined at substantially a same angle on either side of the line of sight.

34. The device according to claim 22, wherein each line of sight corresponds to a respective preferential direction of the pattern.

35. The device according to claim 34, wherein each preferential direction corresponds to an axis of symmetry of the pattern.

36. The device according to claim 22, wherein the pattern corresponds to a square or rectangular shaped array.

37. The device according to claim 22, wherein the plurality of elementary transducers are distributed over an active surface of the ultrasonic sensor and each line of sight is inclined with respect to a direction normal to the active surface at a central position of the pattern.

38. The device according to claim 22, wherein the plurality of elementary transducers are distributed over an active surface of the ultrasonic sensor and the line of sight is normal to the active surface, at least at a central position of the pattern.

39. The device according to claim 25, wherein the partition of the pattern corresponds to axes of symmetry of the pattern which correspond to the line of sight.

40. The device according to claim 22, wherein at least some of the temporal laws comprise identical sub-laws for simultaneous excitation of the elementary transducers disposed mutually symmetrically with respect to a preferential direction of the pattern.

41. The device according to claim 22, wherein the lines of sight are inclined with respect to each other in a substantially identical manner.

42. A method for testing metallurgical products, comprising:

a) providing an ultrasonic sensor including a plurality of elementary transducers which can be operated independently of each other and which are distributed in accordance with a two-dimensional pattern;

b) exciting each of the elementary transducers to produce a burst of ultrasonic waves corresponding to a beam which is generally divergent about a line of sight on moving away from the ultrasonic sensor;

d) processing at least a portion of the signals captured by each of the elementary transducers in response to the ultrasonic burst.