Acoustic testing system with highly conductive transducer/rod-end interface
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorsRichard W. Haskins, James A. Evans, Ken Switzer
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Abstract
The invention is an apparatus and method for making a highly conductive transducer/rod-end interface structure to improve the accuracy of acoustic testing of the rod. In various embodiments, the invention includes creating an object from a metal cast affixed the rod end surface to compensate for planar variations and surface irregularities in the surface of the rod. It has been shown that the presence of planar deviation and surface irregularities materially interferes with acoustic testing.
Claims20
A method for making a highly conductive transducer/rod-end interface structure comprised of the steps of:
- selecting a metal with a melting point that can be achieved in situ;
- creating a metal cast of a non-uniform rod end surface;
- casting a metal conductive cap wherein said metal conductive cap includes a contoured inner surface and a substantially smooth outer surface;
- and
- wherein said contoured inner surface corresponds to surface irregularities of said non-uniform rod end surface.
The method of claim 4, wherein surface roughness is reduced until each instance of surface variation on said non-uniform rod end surface has a maximum height of 0.01 inches.
A rod-end interface apparatus comprised of:
- a conductive cap affixed to a rod end surface to form a rod end interface;
- wherein said conductive cap includes a contoured inner surface and a substantially smooth outer surface;
- and
- and the inner surface of said conductive cap conforms to surface deviations of said rod end surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.