Back to results
US 4,269,068 AGranted
Ultrasonic couplant compositions and method for employing same
AssigneeRockwell International Corporation
InventorOrlando G. Molina
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeRockwell International Corporation
InventorOrlando G. Molina
Estimating the term…
Biodegradable water washable composition in the form of a gel for use in non-destructive ultrasonic inspection of surface and subsurface flaws and discontinuities in bodies, and which is stable and heat resistant, such composition consisting essentially of a (1) a surfactant comprised of certain straight chain, primary, aliphatic oxyalkylated alcohols, particularly biodegradable surfactants comprised of the nonionic condensation products of linear aliphatic alcohols having from 10 to 18 carbon atoms, with ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, preferably in the form of a mixture thereof, such as the material marketed as Plurafac A-24, or in the form of certain ethoxylated secondary alcohols, particularly the biodegradable nonionic surfactants comprised of ethoxylates of a mixture of secondary alcohols having linear alkyl chains of from 11 to 15 carbon atoms, and (2) silica, particularly fumed silica, such silica employed e.g. in a proportion of about 15% by weight of the composition. The composition or gel is applied to a surface of a body such as a metal aircraft structural part, and a probe or transducer of an ultrasonic testing device is contacted or pressed against the gel, and the transducer is caused to move or slide in various directions on the gel to transmit ultrasonic energy through the gel and the object, to inspect the object and locate any surface or subsurface flaws or discontinuities.
A heat resistant biodegradable composition for ultrasonic inspection of surface and subsurface flaws and discontinuities in an object, in the form of a gel consisting essentially of (1) a biodegradable nonionic liquid surfactant as the sole liquid vehicle, said surfactant selected from the group consisting of (a) straight chain, primary, aliphatic oxyalkylated alcohols, wherein said alcohols can contain from 8 to 20 carbon atoms and the oxyalkyl groups are a mixture of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide groups, and (b) ethoxylates of linear secondary aliphatic alcohols, with the hydroxyl groups randomly distributed, the linear aliphatic portion of said alcohols being a mixture of alkyl chains containing in the range from 10 to 17 carbon atoms, and containing an average of from 3 to 12 moles of ethylene oxide, and (2) an amount of silica sufficient to convert said surfactant liquid into a gel.
A method for detecting surface and subsurface flaws and discontinuities in an object, which comprises applying to a surface of said object a water washable biodegradable heat resistant ultrasonic couplant composition in the form of a gel which consists essentially of (1) a biodegradable nonionic liquid surfactant as the sole liquid vehicle, said surfactant selected from the group consisting of (a) straight chain, primary, aliphatic oxyalkylated alcohols, wherein said alcohols can contain from 8 to 20 carbon atoms and the oxyalkyl groups are a mixture of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide groups, and (b) ethoxylates of linear secondary aliphatic alcohols, with the hydroxyl groups randomly distributed, the linear aliphatic portion of said alcohols being a mixture of alkyl chains containing in the range from 10 to 17 carbon atoms, and containing an average of from 3 to 12 moles of ethylene oxide, and (2) an amount of silica sufficient to convert said liquid surfactant into a gel, contacting a transducer of an ultrasonic testing device with said gel on said surface of said object, and transmitting ultrasonic energy through said gel and into said object to inspect said object and locate any surface or subsurface flaws, cracks or discontinuities in said object, and removing said ultrasonic couplant composition from said surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.