Alignment control apparatus for a turntable used in an ultrasonic testing system
AssigneeJ. B. Engineering and Sales Company, Inc.
InventorArthur L. Dutton, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An alignment control is described whereby the orientation of a turntable can be adjusted from outside of a tank in which an ultrasonic test system operates. The alignment control employs a diaphragm which is mounted over an opening in the bottom of the tank and is formed of a material capable of being flexed while supporting liquid inside the tank. The diaphragm is firmly gripped by a pair of clamp plates respectively located inside and outside of the tank. The clamp plates effectively support the turntable through a drive shaft and bearing with a pivot control connected between the outer clamp plate and an external segment of the tank. External alignment of the turntable as well as external rotational drive are advantageously provided.
Claims10
An apparatus for adjusting the orientation of a rotational turntable relative to a wall of a tank inside of which the turntable is located to support and move a workpiece relative to an ultrasonic testing system movably mounted to the tank for movement in a scanning plane to ultrasonically probe the workpiece when a liquid is in the tank, comprising
- a diaphragm mounted in a plane to said tank wall over an adjustment opening thereof, said diaphragm having an access opening and being effectively mounted in liquid sealing relationship with the tank wall, said diaphragm further being formed of a material selected to permit limited flexure of the mounted diaphragm relative to its mounting plane;
- support means mounted to the diaphragm to firmly clamp the diaphragm around its access opening, said support means having sufficient rigidity to support the platform and workpiece, said support means further being provided with a drive shaft opening in alignment with the access opening in the diaphragm;
- a drive shaft mounted to the turntable and extending through the openings in the support means and the diaphragm in operative and effective liquid sealing relationship with the support means;
- bearing means operatively coupled between the support means and the drive shaft to permit rotation of the latter about an axis of rotation while enabling the support means to support the turntable and workpiece;
- and
- pivot control means operatively connected between the support means and an external segment of said tank to adjust the orientation of the support means whereby said turntable orientation may be adjusted relative to the scanning plane of the ultrasonic testing system from outside of said tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.