Device for testing of oblong objects by means of ultrasonic waves

• US 5,165,280 A
• Filed: 10/30/1990
• Issued: 11/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NUKEM GmbH (Cameco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NUKEM GmbH (Cameco Corporation)
• Inventors: Strauss, Michael, Sternberg, Walter, Schmeisser, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, ROSE MARY
• Application Number:
  US07/605,360
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 73/622, 73/624, 73/625, 73/627, 73/628, 73/641, 73/626
• US Class Current: 73/622
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/044 Internal reflections (echoes), e.g. on walls or defects
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/11 by measuring attenuation of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2487 Directing probes, e.g. angle probes directing arrangements G01N29/221

Abstract

The object of the invention is a device for ultrasonic inspection of cylindrical objects. A transmitting ultrasonic transducer generates ultrasonic waves that are acoustically irradiated into the respective object via a coupling medium. At least three ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a row next to one another along a line. The outer ultrasonic transducers are receiving ultrasonic transducers. The other ultrasonic transducers are transmitting or transmitting/receiving ultrasonic transducers. The line is inclined against the longitudinal axis of the object by an angle which is between 0°and 45°.

Claims

1. A device for ultrasonic inspection of cylindrical objects comprising at least one ultrasonic transducer comprising means for transmitting ultrasonic waves and receiving ultrasonic waves reflected by flaws in said cylindrical object to generate output signals, a coupling medium, means for mounting a cylindrical object to receive said ultrasonic waves via said coupling medium, and means for evaluating said output signals and thereby detecting faults in said cylindrical object, said ultrasonic transducer comprising at least three transducer elements arranged in a row next to one another along a receiving line or in steps along a line with their sound transmitting or sound receiving surfaces parallel to one another and to a receiving line, the outer transducer elements being receiving-only transducer elements and a transducer element or transducer elements surrounded by said receiving-only transducer element being transmitters or transmitter-receivers, said receiving line being inclined from the longitudinal axis of said object by an angle in the range between 5°

and 20°

.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said angle is about one-third of the angle between said faults and the longitudinal axis of said object.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which a transducer element surrounded by said receiving-only transducer elements is a transmitter-only transducer if the angle between said faults and said longitudinal axis is smaller than three times the angle between said receiving line and said longitudinal axis minus 5°

or if the angle between said faults and said longitudinal axis is larger than three times the angle between said receiving line and said longitudinal axis plus 5°

.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said evaluating means comprise amplifiers connected to said transducer elements, said amplifiers having adjustable amplification factors.

5. A device according to claim 4 in which said evaluating means includes amplifiers connected to said outer transducer elements and amplifiers connected to said transmitter-only or transmitter-receiver transducer elements, and the amplifiers connected to said outer transducer elements have amplification factors in the range up to ten times the amplification factors of amplifiers connected to said transmitter-only or transmitter-receiver transducer elements.

6. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said evaluating means includes means for inspecting the received ultrasonic signals for fault-criterion.

7. A device as set forth in claim 1 having more than three ultrasonic transducer elements, with groups of three consecutive transducer elements constituting measuring units, and including means to operate said measuring units consecutively.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7 in which an ultrasonic transducer element is used as a transmitting transducer of one unit and a receiving transducer of a previous unit.

9. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the distances between successive transducer elements are equal.

10. A device as set forth in claim 1 including plural transducers in which the acoustic irradiation angles of the transducers differ from one another.