US 5,426,980 AGranted

Booted ultrasonic transducer

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorThurman D. Smith

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Abstract

A soft membrane booted transducer for performing ultrasonic inspections of parts and components that have rough sound beam entry surfaces. These rough surfaces may be in the form of as-welded unprepared overlays, cladded components, as-cast parts, or other unprepared surfaces that tend to prohibit, or prevent, sound entry from normal, smooth, hard-surfaced transducer contacting shoes made from Lucite or similar materials. The booted ultrasonic transducer has a soft membrane boot for coupling the transducer to an uneven or rough sound beam entry surface. The soft membrane is made of a flexible material capable of transmitting ultrasonic waves. When pressed into contact with the uneven or rough surface of the object being inspected, the membrane flexes to generally conform to the shape of the contacted surface. Flexing of the membrane eliminates or reduces air gaps between the transducer and the object surface, thereby increasing the ultrasonic coupling between the piezoelectric element and the object.

Claims6

Dependent claims

An ultrasonic transducer comprising:

a piezoelectric element;
a transducer housing in which said piezoelectric element is mounted, said transducer housing having a first threaded circular cylindrical surface at one end;
a support wedge for supporting said transducer housing so that said piezoelectric element is disposed at a predetermined angle of inclination relative to a reference plane, said wedge having a threaded circular cylindrical surface which engages said first threaded circular cylindrical surface of said transducer housing, whereby said wedge and said transducer housing are connected;
a liquid couplant housing having a channel with first and second open ends and being connected to said transducer housing at an end opposite to said support wedge so that ultrasound waves transmitted by said piezoelectric element propagate through said channel;
a flexible membrane which is transparent to the ultrasound waves transmitted by said piezoelectric element, said flexible membrane having a first portion which is attached to said liquid couplant housing and a second portion which, in combination with said liquid couplant housing and said piezoelectric element, forms a cavity;
and
a volume of liquid medium which fills said cavity, said liquid medium having the property that ultrasound waves transmitted by said piezoelectric element propagates therein, whereby said flexible membrane is ultrasonically coupled to said piezoelectric element by way of said liquid medium.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.