US3576126A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ultrasonic bond tester
Assignee: STAVELEY INSTRUMENTS Inc 421 NORTH QUAY STREET KENNEWICK WA 99336 A CORP OF WA
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Filing: 1969-06-02
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Granted: 1971-04-27
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Expires: 1989-06-02
Abstract
Abstract An ultrasonic bond tester wherein a transmitting ultrasonic transducer is pulsed to launch an ultrasonic wavetrain into a bonded workpiece. The wavetrain reflected by a void is shifted in phase 180* from the wavetrain reflected by a good bond. The phase shift is detected by passing the signal from a receiving transducer to positive and negative gates, passing only positive and negative portions of the received signal respectively. The negative signal sets a one-shot multivibrator, which in turn closes a gate. Positive signals pass through the gate only if they have been shifted in phase due to reflection from a void. An alarm is operated by signals passed by the gate.
Inventors
- 👤 Frederick G Weighart
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 05:37
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N29/00; G01N29/36; G01N29/38; G01N2291/00; G01N2291/02; G01N2291/023; G01N2291/0231; G01N2291/04; G01N2291/044; G01N2291/10; G01N2291/102
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
201 words
An ultrasonic tester for measuring the bond between a pair of mating materials having two portions of differing acoustical impedances bonded together at an interface, said tester including the combination of: transmitting and receiving means for being acoustically coupled to the material having the lower impedance for transmitting ultrasonic energy having a first level and a second level and having a predetermined initial level through said material and for receiving returns of the ultrasonic energy from the interface and for producing an electrical signal corresponding thereto; gating means coupled to the transmitting and receiving means and responsive to said electrical signal, said gating means being adapted to produce as separate signals a series of first level pulses corresponding to the first level electrical signal, and a series of second level pulses corresponding to the second level electrical signals; and output means operative in response to said received electrical signals coupled to the gating means for producing an output signal depending upon the time sequence of the first level and second level pulses when pulses of said second level occur first said output means being adapted to cooperate with said gating means for selecting one of said series of said separate signals.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
201 words
An ultrasonic tester for measuring the bond between a pair of mating materials having two portions of differing acoustical impedances bonded together at an interface, said tester including the combination of: transmitting and receiving means for being acoustically coupled to the material having the lower impedance for transmitting ultrasonic energy having a first level and a second level and having a predetermined initial level through said material and for receiving returns of the ultrasonic energy from the interface and for producing an electrical signal corresponding thereto; gating means coupled to the transmitting and receiving means and responsive to said electrical signal, said gating means being adapted to produce as separate signals a series of first level pulses corresponding to the first level electrical signal, and a series of second level pulses corresponding to the second level electrical signals; and output means operative in response to said received electrical signals coupled to the gating means for producing an output signal depending upon the time sequence of the first level and second level pulses when pulses of said second level occur first said output means being adapted to cooperate with said gating means for selecting one of said series of said separate signals.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
The ultrasonic tester as defined in claim 1 wherein the transmitted energy is a cyclic wave of alternately changing polarity, and wherein said output means is operative in response to the polarity of the initial half cycle of the transmitted energy.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The ultrasonic tester as defined in claim 2 wherein the transmitted energy is a bipolar signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
146 words
An ultrasonic tester for determining the bond between the interfaces of a pair of materials having different acoustic impedances, comprising: an ultrasonic transducer means being adapted to be coupled to the material having the low impedance for transmitting ultrasonic energy into said materials, and for receiving acoustical energy for energizing said transducer and for providing an alternating polarity electrical signal upon receipt of reflected acoustic energy, said transmitted energy being a cyclic wave of alternately changing polarity and having a predetermined, fixed initial polarity; separating means for separating portions of said alternating polarity signal, providing first and second polarity signals; and gate means being coupled to said separating means and being enabled in response to a signal of said first polarity for blocking signals of said second polarity, and for passing signals of said second polarity in the absence of a signal of said first polarity.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
146 words
An ultrasonic tester for determining the bond between the interfaces of a pair of materials having different acoustic impedances, comprising: an ultrasonic transducer means being adapted to be coupled to the material having the low impedance for transmitting ultrasonic energy into said materials, and for receiving acoustical energy for energizing said transducer and for providing an alternating polarity electrical signal upon receipt of reflected acoustic energy, said transmitted energy being a cyclic wave of alternately changing polarity and having a predetermined, fixed initial polarity; separating means for separating portions of said alternating polarity signal, providing first and second polarity signals; and gate means being coupled to said separating means and being enabled in response to a signal of said first polarity for blocking signals of said second polarity, and for passing signals of said second polarity in the absence of a signal of said first polarity.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
80 words
The combination as defined in claim 4 wherein said gate means includes: a trigger circuit being coupled to said separating means and being adapted to provide an output signal in response to said first polarity signals; and a gate circuit being coupled to said trigger circuit and said separating means and being adapted to close in response to the output signal in response to the output of said trigger circuit and inhibit said second polarity signals from said separating means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
183 words
A nondestructive tester for measuring the bond in a workpiece having two portions of differing acoustical impedances bonded together along an interface, said tester including the combination of: transmitting means capable of being acoustically coupled to a lower impedance portion for transmitting ultrasonic energy into said workpiece, said energy being a two-level signal of alternately changing levels and having a predetermined, fixed initial level; receiving means for receiving the reflected energy and producing a signal corresponding thereto; means coupled to the receiving means for providing an output signal in response to the level of said corresponding signal with respect to the predetermined fixed initial level of said transmitted ultrasonic energy, said output means including means for dividing said signals into two trains of pulses of different levels, with pulses in each of said trains corresponding to the levels and times of said received signal; and means coupled to said output means for indicating which of the two trains of pulses of different levels occurs first with relation to the predetermined fixed initial level being responsive when pulses of said second level occur first.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
183 words
A nondestructive tester for measuring the bond in a workpiece having two portions of differing acoustical impedances bonded together along an interface, said tester including the combination of: transmitting means capable of being acoustically coupled to a lower impedance portion for transmitting ultrasonic energy into said workpiece, said energy being a two-level signal of alternately changing levels and having a predetermined, fixed initial level; receiving means for receiving the reflected energy and producing a signal corresponding thereto; means coupled to the receiving means for providing an output signal in response to the level of said corresponding signal with respect to the predetermined fixed initial level of said transmitted ultrasonic energy, said output means including means for dividing said signals into two trains of pulses of different levels, with pulses in each of said trains corresponding to the levels and times of said received signal; and means coupled to said output means for indicating which of the two trains of pulses of different levels occurs first with relation to the predetermined fixed initial level being responsive when pulses of said second level occur first.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
The nondestructive tester as defined in claim 6 and wherein the transmitted energy is a cyclic wave of alternately changing polarity, and wherein said output means is operative in response to the polarity of the initial half cycle of the transmitted signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
83 words
The tester as defined in claim 6 wherein said indicating means includes gating means having a first state for passing the pulses of a first level and a second state for inhibiting the pulses of a first level, said gating means being responsive to the pulses of a second level in the second train to change from one of the states to the other of the states when the pulses in the first train occur before the corresponding pulses in the second train.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
42 words
The combination as defined in claim 8 wherein said means for indicating which of the two trains of pulses of different levels occurs first includes means coupled to said gating means for providing an output signal responsive to the signals passed thereby.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
194 words
An ultrasonic tester for measuring the bond between a pair of mating materials having two portions of differing acoustical impedances bonded together at an interface, said tester including the combination of: transducer means, adapted to be acoustically coupled to the material having the lower impedance, for transmitting ultrasonic energy through said material, said energy having a cyclic wave of alternately changing polarity and having a predetermined, fixed initial polarity, and for receiving reflections of the ultrasonic energy from the interface of the material and producing an electrical signal corresponding thereto; gating means coupled to the transducer means and responsive to the electrical signal for producing a series of positive pulses corresponding to the positive portions of the electrical signal, and for producing a series of negative pulses corresponding to the negative portions of the electrical signal; and output means coupled to the gating means for producing an output signal dependent upon the time sequence of the positive and negative pulses, said output means including a gate responsive to a pulse of a second polarity, said gate being effective to pass a pulse of a first polarity when pulses of said second polarity occur first.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
194 words
An ultrasonic tester for measuring the bond between a pair of mating materials having two portions of differing acoustical impedances bonded together at an interface, said tester including the combination of: transducer means, adapted to be acoustically coupled to the material having the lower impedance, for transmitting ultrasonic energy through said material, said energy having a cyclic wave of alternately changing polarity and having a predetermined, fixed initial polarity, and for receiving reflections of the ultrasonic energy from the interface of the material and producing an electrical signal corresponding thereto; gating means coupled to the transducer means and responsive to the electrical signal for producing a series of positive pulses corresponding to the positive portions of the electrical signal, and for producing a series of negative pulses corresponding to the negative portions of the electrical signal; and output means coupled to the gating means for producing an output signal dependent upon the time sequence of the positive and negative pulses, said output means including a gate responsive to a pulse of a second polarity, said gate being effective to pass a pulse of a first polarity when pulses of said second polarity occur first.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
181 words
A nondestructive tester for measuring the bond in a workpiece having two portions of differing acoustical impedances bonded together along the interface, said tester including: transmitting means capable of being acoustically coupled to the lower impedance portion for transmitting ultrasonic energy into said workpiece, said energy being a cyclic wave of alternating changing polarity and having a fixed initial polarity; receiving means for receiving the reflected energy and producing a signal corresponding thereto; means coupled to said receiving means for providing an output signal in response to the polarity of said corresponding signal with respect to the polarity of the initial half cycle of the transmitted ultrasonic energy, said output means including means for dividing said signal into two trains of pulses of different polarities, with pulses in each of said trains corresponding to the polarities and times of said received signal; and means coupled to said output means for indicating which of the two trains of pulses of different polarities occur first with relation to the predetermined fixed initial polarity being responsive when pulses of said second polarity occur first.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
181 words
A nondestructive tester for measuring the bond in a workpiece having two portions of differing acoustical impedances bonded together along the interface, said tester including: transmitting means capable of being acoustically coupled to the lower impedance portion for transmitting ultrasonic energy into said workpiece, said energy being a cyclic wave of alternating changing polarity and having a fixed initial polarity; receiving means for receiving the reflected energy and producing a signal corresponding thereto; means coupled to said receiving means for providing an output signal in response to the polarity of said corresponding signal with respect to the polarity of the initial half cycle of the transmitted ultrasonic energy, said output means including means for dividing said signal into two trains of pulses of different polarities, with pulses in each of said trains corresponding to the polarities and times of said received signal; and means coupled to said output means for indicating which of the two trains of pulses of different polarities occur first with relation to the predetermined fixed initial polarity being responsive when pulses of said second polarity occur first.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
81 words
A tester as defined in claim 11 wherein said indicating means includes gating means having a first state for passing the pulses of a first polarity and a second state for inhibiting the pulses of a first polarity, said gating means being responsive to the pulses of a second polarity in the second train to change from one of the states to the other state when the pulses in the first train occur before the corresponding pulses in the second train.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
41 words
The combination as defined in claim 12 wherein said means for indicating which of the two trains of pulses of different polarities occur first includes means coupled to said gating means for providing a signal responsive to the signals passed thereby.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3090224A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-04-26 | 1974-10-26 | 1975-04-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-04-26 | 1978-10-26 | 1979-04-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-04-26 | 1982-10-26 | 1983-04-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |