Electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) inspection of tubes for surface defects

• US 6,164,137 A
• Filed: 02/03/1999
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BWXT Investment Company
• Original Assignee: McDermott Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: MacLauchlan, Daniel T., Hancock, Jimmy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, ROSE MARY
• Application Number:
  US09/243,592
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 73/643, 73/620, 73/622, 73/597, 73/598, 376/252, 376/249
• US Class Current: 73/643
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/015 Attenuation, scattering
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0423 Surface waves, e.g. Rayleigh waves, Love waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/048 Transmission, i.e. analysed material between transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/103 one emitter, two or more receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2634 cylindrical from outside
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/07 by measuring propagation velocity or propagation time of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2412 using the magnetostrictive properties of the material to be examined, e.g. electromagnetic acoustic transducers [EMAT]; investigating the presence of flaws using eddy currents G01N27/90, magnetostrictive transducers B06B1/08, measuring magnetostrictive properties G01R33/18

Abstract

An EMAT testing device for nondestructively testing tubes for surface defects and displaying the results has a EMAT transmitter arranged collinear with a pair of EMAT receivers. The EMAT receivers each receive a pair of oppositely propagating circumferential acoustic surface waves from the transmitter at different times and the relative amplitudes of the received waves are compared to located defects adjacent the receivers in the tube.

Claims

1. An EMAT testing device for nondestructively detecting defects in the surface of a tube using acoustic surface waves, the device comprising:

transmitter means for generating and transmitting a pair of acoustic surface wave signals in opposite directions around a circumference of the tube;

first receiving means for receiving each of the pair of acoustic surface waves signals at first and second times and converting the received acoustic surface waves signals to a pair of electronic signals having amplitudes proportionate to the acoustic surface wave signal amplitudes received at the first and second times;

second receiving means for receiving each of the pair of acoustic surface wave signals at third and fourth times and converting the received acoustic surface wave signals to a second pair of electronic signals having amplitudes proportionate to the acoustic surface wave signal amplitudes received at the third and fourth times, and

computing means for comparing the amplitudes of the first pair of electronic signals to the amplitudes of the second pair of electronic signals and for determining the presence of defects in the surface of the tube from the comparison of the amplitudes of the two pair of electronic signals, whereby when no defects are present in the tube, the amplitudes of the two pairs of electronic signals are substantially the same, and when a defect is present adjacent one of the first receiving means and second receiving means, the corresponding amplitude of the electronic signal from the receiving means adjacent the defect is lower than the amplitude of the corresponding electronic signal from the other receiving means.

2. The EMAT testing device according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the amplitudes of the two pairs of electronic signals.

3. The EMAT testing device according to claim 2, further comprising a sensor housing containing the transmitter means, the first receiving means and the second receiving means.

4. The EMAT testing device according to claim 3, wherein the transmitter means, first receiving means and second receiving means are arranged collinear in the housing.

5. The EMAT testing device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor housing containing the transmitter means, the first receiving means and the second receiving means.

6. The EMAT testing device according to claim 5, wherein the transmitter means, first receiving means and second receiving means are arranged collinear in the housing.

7. The EMAT testing device according to claim 6, wherein the first receiving means and second receiving means are both located to the same side of the transmitting means.

8. The EMAT testing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter means comprises an EMAT transmitter, the first receiving means comprises a first EMAT receiver, and the second receiving means comprises a second EMAT receiver.

9. The EMAT testing device according to claim 8, further comprising display means for displaying the amplitudes of the two pairs of electronic signals.

10. The EMAT testing device according to claim 8, further comprising a sensor housing containing each of the EMAT transmitter, the first EMAT receiver and the second EMAT receiver.