Method and apparatus for ultrasonic testing of pipe

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ULTRASONIC DEFECT TESTING OF A STEEL BODY COMPRISING SUBSTANTIALLY DIRECT-CONTACT TYPE MEANS FOR PRODUCING A FOCUSED BEAM OF SONIC ENERGY WAVES AT A LOCATION WITHIN SAID STEEL BODY INCLUDING A CURVILINEAR CONCAVED ELECTRO-SONIC TRANSDUCER ELEMENT FOR GENERATING AND PROJECTING SAID FOCUSED BEAM OF SONIC ENERGY WAVES FROM ITS CONCAVED SURFACE INTO SAID STEEL BODY THROUGH A SURFACE OF THE LATTER, A MOUNTING BLOCK OF METHYL METHACRYLATE POLYMER MATERIAL, SAID MOUNTING BLOCK INCLUDING A CONGRUOUSLY CURVILINEAR CONVEX TRANSDUCER ELEMENT MOUNTING SURFACE AND AN UNDERSIDE SURFACE HAVING CONFIGURATION CONFORMING TO THAT OF SAID SURFACE HAVING CONBODY, SAID ELECTRO-SONIC TRANSDUCER ELEMENT BEING MOUNTED IN FIXED POSITION HAVING ITS CONCAVED FACE SUBSTANTIALLY IN SURFACE CONTACT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CONVEX FACE OF SAID MOUNTING SURFACE OF THE MOUNTING BLOCK, THE AXIALLY EXTENDING SURFACE-GENERATING ELEMENTS OF SAID CURVILINEAR CONVEX MOUNTING SURFACE AND OF SAID TRANSDUCER ELEMENT BEING DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE OF SUBSTANTIALLY FIFTY-THREE (53) DEGREES WITH RESPECT TO SAID UNDERSIDE SURFACE OF THE MOUNTING BLOCK, AND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEANS OF SAID MOUNTING BLOCK ELECTRICALLY CONTACTING BOTH THE SAID CONCAVED FACE AND THE FACE OPPOSITE THERETO OF SAID TRANSDUCER ELEMENT FOR INTERCONNECTING SAID TRANSDUCER ELEMENT WITH A TRANSDUCER ACTIVATING SOURCE OF ELECTRIC ENERGY, THE HEIGHT AND CURVATURE OF SAID TRANSDUCER ELEMENT BEING SUCH THAT SAID FOCUSED BEAM AS PRODUCED AT SAID STEEL BODY LOCATION IS IN THE FORM OF A NARROW-WIDTH RECTANGULAR PATTERN HAVING ITS ALONG SIDE DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID SHEET BODY SURFACE AND SPANNING THE THICKNESS OF SAID STEEL BODY.