Ultrasound method and device for inspecting the bulk of a weld for the presence of defects
AssigneeAreva GmbH
InventorGilles PERRIN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ultrasound method and device for inspecting the bulk of a weld for the presence of defects are provided. The method includes a step of studying the weld metallurgically; a step of dividing the weld into a plurality of theoretical blocks and of jointly determining an elastic Hooke tensor for each theoretical block; a step of simulating by calculation the propagation of at least one incident ultrasound wave through the weld; a step of simulating at least one reference diffracted ultrasound wave; a step of emitting at least one incident ultrasound wave into the weld; a step of measuring each diffracted ultrasound wave; and a step of comparing each reference diffracted ultrasound wave with each measured diffracted ultrasound wave.
Claims13
1-12. (canceled)
An ultrasound method for inspecting the bulk of a weld for the presence of defects, comprising:
- studying the weld metallurgically,
- experimentally dividing, based on the metallurgical study, the weld into a plurality of theoretical blocks, and jointly determining a uniform elastic Hooke tensor for each of the theoretical blocks, the theoretical blocks being chosen so that the elastic Hooke tensor of each of the blocks is substantially homogenous and anisotropic in the respective block;
- simulating, by calculating a propagation of at least one incident ultrasound wave in the weld using the theoretical blocks and the determined elastic Hooke tensors, each of the incident ultrasound waves forming, after having crossed through the weld, a diffracted ultrasound wave;
- determining at least one reference diffracted ultrasound wave as a function of the simulated propagation;
- transmitting at least one of the at least one incident ultrasound waves in the weld;
- measuring each of the diffracted ultrasound waves at least at one predetermined point;
- and
- comparing each of the at least one reference diffracted ultrasound wave with each of the at least one measured diffracted ultrasound wave, to deduce therefrom whether the weld has a defect.
An ultrasound device for inspecting the bulk of a weld for the presence of defects, the weld including a plurality of theoretical blocks, the device comprising:
- a transmitter configured to transmit at least one incident ultrasound wave in the weld, each of the at least one incident ultrasound wave forming, after having passed through the weld, a diffracted ultrasound wave;
- a measurer configured to measure the at least one diffracted ultrasound wave at least at one predetermined point;
- an information processor connected to the transmitter, the information processor being configured to determine at least one reference diffracted ultrasound wave, to compare each of the at least one reference diffracted ultrasound wave with each of the at least one measured diffracted ultrasound wave, and to deduce therefrom whether the weld has a defect, the processor configured to experimentally determine the theoretical blocks of the weld experimentally, as well as elastic Hooke tensors associated with the theoretical blocks, to be simulated by calculating a propagation of the at least one incident ultrasound wave by using the experimentally determined elastic Hooke tensors and to deduce each of the at least one reference diffracted ultrasound wave therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.