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AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorThurman Dale Smith
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A reference block for determining the characteristics of individual ultrasonic transducers contained within right circular cylinder type ultrasonic probes. Right circular cylinder type ultrasonic probes are designed for performing ultrasonic inspections of components that can only be examined from within a center line access hole. The reference block is made from the same material as that of the right circular cylinder type components which will be examined using the ultrasonic probe being characterized and is designed with curved contact surfaces that specifically duplicate the surfaces of those components. This reference block can be used to calibrate instruments prior to contact inspection using angle-beam search units. The reference block is also useful for checking the performance of both angle-beam and straight-beam search units and for evaluating instrument performance.
A device for calibrating an ultrasonic transducer of a probe, comprising a block of material having a planar front face, a planar rear face parallel to said front face, a circular cylindrical access hole having a centerline axis which is parallel to said front face, and an open window extending in parallel with said access hole and providing access to said access hole from said front face, and means for reflecting ultrasound waves transmitted from a focal point in said block back to said focal point.
A device for calibrating an ultrasonic transducer of a right circular cylinder type probe, comprising a block of material having a planar front face, a planar rear face parallel to said front face, a planar base perpendicular to said front and rear faces, a concave circular cylindrical section which has a radius of curvature slightly greater than a radius of the probe, said concave circular cylindrical section having a centerline axis which is parallel to said base and to said front face and having a focal point along said centerline axis, and a first slot of constant depth extending substantially perpendicular to said planar base, said first slot forming a first planar ultrasonic wave reflecting surface which extends parallel to said planar base to a first depth from said planar base, said first ultrasonic wave reflecting surface being disposed to reflect ultrasound waves transmitted from said focal point back to said focal point.
A device for calibrating an ultrasonic transducer of a right circular cylinder type probe, comprising a block of material having a planar front face, a planar rear face parallel to said front face, a planar base perpendicular to said front and rear faces, a concave circular cylindrical section which has a radius of curvature slightly greater than a radius of the probe, said concave circular cylindrical section having a centerline axis which is parallel to said base and to said front face and having a focal point along said centerline axis, and a first linear ultrasonic wave reflecting interface which extends parallel to said base at a first predetermined elevation above said planar base, said first linear ultrasonic wave reflecting interface being disposed to reflect ultrasound waves transmitted from said focal point back to said focal point, wherein said block has a second linear ultrasonic wave reflecting interface which extends parallel to said base at a second predetermined elevation above said planar base, said second linear ultrasonic wave reflecting interface being disposed to reflect ultrasound waves transmitted from said focal point back to said focal point, and said first predetermined elevation being different than said second predetermined elevation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.