Patent · US Expired

Ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation of thin specimens

US5305239A · kind A · utility

213Cited by
10References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 4, 1989
Grant dateApr 19, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 4, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2291/0289
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In the field of non-destructive evaluation of materials, conventional ultrasonic measurement techniques are limited to materials having a thickness which is relatively large compared to the wavelength of the ultrasonic signal used. The present technique enables the accurate ultrasonic non-destructive measurement of materials which are relatively small compared to the wavelength of the ultrasonic signal used. Ultrasonic signals received from a thin material are processed in the frequency-domain either directly or by use of a Fast Fourier Transform. Specifically, the frequency response of the ultrasonic transducers used in the measurement is removed from the frequency response of the signal received when measuring the material. This yields a frequency response which is indicative of the material alone. Then, the measured frequency response of the material is evaluated to determine unknown parameters of the material. For instance, the phase of the measured signal is determined over a predetermined frequency range (usually the bandwidth of the transducers), and the phase is used to determine the speed of ultrasonic waves travelling in the material for frequencies within the predetermin…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.