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US 5,097,710 AGranted
Ultrasonic flash gauge
OwnerAlexander Palynchukinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ultrasonic flash gauge is disclosed that provides a profile of a weld area in order to determine inside flash conditions in a pipe. The flash gauge is capable of operating at high temperature conditions adjacent to a electric resistance welder, thereby permitting real time control of the inside flash trimming operation. A focused ultrasonic transducer is employed in order to obtain the resolution required for detecting the profile of the flash. The flash gauge is constructed to uniformly maintain a water column between the transducer and the pipe surface to prevent boiling or air bubble entrapment which would interfere with the operation of the transducer.
Claims29
An apparatus for detecting inside flash, said apparatus comprising:
- a. a probe unit having a focused ultrasonic transducer, for generating a signal indicative of the thickness of a weld point on a material to be tested, said transducer being spaced from said weld point by a water column, and said probe unit including a primary water inlet tube that provides a path for water to flow to a primary water outlet port, said primary water outlet port providing a path for water to flow past the face of said ultrasonic transducer and out an exit path to thereby prevent entrapment of air bubbles or boiling of the water column during operation of said focused ultrasonic transducer;
- b. a positioning unit for maintaining the horizontal and vertical position of said probe unit relative to said weld area;
- c. control circuitry for controlling the operation of said probe unit and for displaying the signal generated by said probe unit, wherein said control circuitry comprises a control unit and a probe control circuit, said probe control circuit including a high voltage converter for converting a low voltage input signal to a high voltage output signal, a high voltage pulsar that receives said high voltage output signal and generates a signal pulse, when a control signal is received from said control unit, that is supplied to said ultrasonic transducer, and an amplifier circuit for receiving reflected signals from said ultrasonic transducer and generating an amplified signal that is returned to said control unit.
An apparatus for detecting inside flash, said apparatus comprising:
- a. a probe unit having a focused ultrasonic transducer, for generating a signal indicative of the thickness of a weld point on a material to be tested, said transducer being spaced from said weld point by a water column, and said probe unit further comprising a primary water inlet tube that provides a path for water to flow to a primary water outlet port, said primary water outlet port providing a path for water to flow past the face of said ultrasonic transducer and out an exit path to thereby prevent entrapment of air bubbles or boiling of the water column during operation of the focused ultrasonic transducer;
- b. a positioning unit for maintaining the horizontal and vertical position of said probe unit relative to said weld area, said positioning unit comprising a support structure, a control arm coupled to said support structure, and an actuator for raising and lowering said control arm, said actuator providing a downward force on said probe unit;
- c. control circuitry for controlling the operation of said probe unit and for displaying the signal generated by said probe unit;
- wherein said control arm comprises a linear actuator coupled to said probe unit and a linear transducer for generating a signal indicative of the translational movement of said linear actuator, said linear actuator moving said probe unit in an oscillatory manner over said weld point.
1 more element
An apparatus for detecting inside flash, said apparatus comprising:
- a. transducer means for transmitting an ultrasonic sensing signal and receiving reflected signals;
- b. positioning means for positioning said transducer means relative to a weld line on a test material and moving said transducer means in an oscillatory manner in a direction transverse to said weld line;
- c. means for uniformly maintaining a water column between said transducer means and said test material in order to prevent entrapment of air bubbles or boiling of said water column during the operation of said transducer means, said means including water path means for providing a rapid flow of water across said transducer means;
- d. circuit means for controlling the operation of said transducer means and for receiving the reflected signals from said transducer means, said circuit means generating a signal indicative of the thickness of said test material;
- and
- e. display means for receiving and displaying said signal indicative of the thickness of said test material.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.