Nondestructive testing using air-coupled acoustic excitation
US5146289A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 21, 1990 |
| Grant date | Sep 8, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 21, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2291/0231
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An object is tested for defects by interferometry, by comparing images of the object taken under stressed and unstressed conditions. The stress is applied by perturbing the object with acoustic waves, produced by a speaker directed towards the object, without any mechanical coupling to the object. The acoustic energy can be of a single frequency, or it can be distributed over a set of random frequencies (i.e. white noise), or it can be in the form of a signal which is "swept" through a range of frequencies. In the latter case, the results can be stored in a video buffer which records the maximum signal obtained, for each pixel, while the signal is swept through the frequency range. Different defects in the object may resonate at varying frequencies within the given range. By exciting the object at each frequency within the range, and superimposing the maximum signals obtained for each pixel, the resulting image is likely to show all the locations on the object which may be defective. The preferred form of interferometry is electronic shearography, which is particularly suitable for recording interference patterns in a video buffer. The present invention is especially useful in dete…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.