Low frequency pulse ultrasonic system and method for non-intrusive evaluation of multi-layered industrial structures
AssigneeHatch Ltd.
InventorAfshin SADRI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for measuring thicknesses of one or more thin layers in a multi-layered industrial structure. One of the layers may comprise a coarse-grained material. The multi-layered structure may be less than 600 mm thick. The method comprises emitting ultrasonic pulses into the multi-layered industrial structure and detecting thickness frequencies of the layers of the structure and comparing against known thickness frequencies. The ultrasonic pulses being a frequency sweep pulse or a broadband frequency sweep pulse uniquely programmed for the multi-layered structure.
Claims29
A method of evaluating a multi-layered industrial structure, the method comprising,
- identifying a single theoretical thickness frequency for a layer within the multi-layered structure;
- emitting an ultrasonic frequency sweep pulse or an ultrasonic broadband pulse into the multi-layered industrial structure, the pulse having known frequencies based on the single theoretical thickness frequency;
- detecting, using an acousto ultrasonic broadband receiver, an actual thickness frequency of the layer within the multi-layered structure as returned by the multi-layered structure in response to the frequency sweep pulse;
- and,
- comparing the actual thickness frequency with the theoretical thickness frequency to identify a change in the layer of the multi-layered industrial structure.
An ultrasonic system for evaluating a layer of a multi-layered industrial structure, the system comprising,
- an ultrasonic pulser positioned on an outermost layer of the multi-layered industrial structure, wherein the outermost layer is furthest away from an innermost layer, the pulser for emitting an ultrasonic frequency sweep pulse or an ultrasonic broadband pulse into the multi-layered industrial structure, the pulse having known frequencies based on a single theoretical thickness frequency of the layer,
- an acousto ultrasonic broadband receiver for receiving an actual thickness frequency from the multi-layered industrial structure in response to the frequency sweep pulse or broadband pulse, and
- an analyzer for comparing the actual thickness frequencies with the theoretical thickness frequency of the layer of the multi-layered industrial structure to identify a change in the layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.