US3720098A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ultrasonic apparatus and method for nondestructively measuring the physical properties of a sample
Assignee: United States Atomic Energy Commission
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Filing: 1971-03-22
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Granted: 1973-03-13
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Expires: 1991-03-22
Abstract
Abstract The physical properties of a sample are measured by generating a collimated beam of pulsed ultrasound and transmitting the ultrasound at an incident angle relative the sample greater than the longitudinal-ultrasonic-wave critical angle and less than the longitudinally induced-shear-ultrasonic-wave critical angle for the sample to generate simultaneously within the sample longitudinal and mode-converted-shear ultrasonic waves. The propagation of the generated longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves through the sample is measured to provide a measure of the physical properties of the sample.
Inventors
- 👤 N Dixon
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 17:30
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N29/00; G01N29/04; G01N29/07; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S73/00; Y10S73/901
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
123 words
An apparatus for nondestructively testing a sample comprising means for generating an ultrasonic plane wave, means for transmitting said ultrasonic wave to impinge on the surface of said sample at an incident angle with respect thereto greater than the longitudinal-wave critical angle and less than the shear-wave critical angle therefor to simultaneously generate homogeneous longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves within said sample, said longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves traveling along said sample, each of said longitudinal and shear waves refracting ultrasound from said sample, and means for detecting said refracted ultrasound of each of said longitudinal and shear waves to measure the propagational velocity of each of said longitudinal and shear waves to provide a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
123 words
An apparatus for nondestructively testing a sample comprising means for generating an ultrasonic plane wave, means for transmitting said ultrasonic wave to impinge on the surface of said sample at an incident angle with respect thereto greater than the longitudinal-wave critical angle and less than the shear-wave critical angle therefor to simultaneously generate homogeneous longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves within said sample, said longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves traveling along said sample, each of said longitudinal and shear waves refracting ultrasound from said sample, and means for detecting said refracted ultrasound of each of said longitudinal and shear waves to measure the propagational velocity of each of said longitudinal and shear waves to provide a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
123 words
An apparatus for nondestructively testing a sample comprising means for generating an ultrasonic plane wave, means for transmitting said ultrasonic wave to impinge on the surface of said sample at an incident angle with respect thereto greater than the longitudinal-wave critical angle and less than the shear-wave critical angle therefor to simultaneously generate homogeneous longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves within said sample, said longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves traveling along said sample, each of said longitudinal and shear waves refracting ultrasound from said sample, and means for detecting said refracted ultrasound of each of said longitudinal and shear waves to measure the propagational velocity of each of said longitudinal and shear waves to provide a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
123 words
An apparatus for nondestructively testing a sample comprising means for generating an ultrasonic plane wave, means for transmitting said ultrasonic wave to impinge on the surface of said sample at an incident angle with respect thereto greater than the longitudinal-wave critical angle and less than the shear-wave critical angle therefor to simultaneously generate homogeneous longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves within said sample, said longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves traveling along said sample, each of said longitudinal and shear waves refracting ultrasound from said sample, and means for detecting said refracted ultrasound of each of said longitudinal and shear waves to measure the propagational velocity of each of said longitudinal and shear waves to provide a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
100 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said ultrasonic-wave generating and transmitting means comprise a pulse generator, transmitting-transducer means electrically connected to said pulse generator and mounted to generate and transmit pulsed ultrasonic plane waves incident on the surface of said sample at an angle with respect thereto greater than the longitudinal-wave critical angle of said sample and less than the shear-wave critical angle of said sample to simultaneously generate in said sample pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves, said pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves traveling along said sample parallel to the surface thereof refracting pulsed ultrasonic waves therefrom.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
191 words
An apparatus for nondestructively testing a sample comprising a pulse generator, transmitting transducer means electrically connected to said pulse generator and mounted to generate and transmit pulsed ultrasonic plane waves incident on the surface of said sample at an angle with respect thereto greater than the longitudinal-wave critical angle of said sample and less than the shEar-wave critical angle of said sample to simultaneously generate in said sample homogeneous pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves, said pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves travelling along said sample parallel to the surface thereof refracting pulsed ultrasonic waves therefrom, first receiving-transducer means mounted to receive said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves from said sample, second receiving-transducer means mounted to receive said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves from said sample, said first and second receiving-transducer means being spatially separated with respect to each other a predetermined distance in the direction of propagation of said pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves in said sample, and means for measuring the reception-time-detection of said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves from said sample by said first and second receiving-transducer means, which reception-time-detection is a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
191 words
An apparatus for nondestructively testing a sample comprising a pulse generator, transmitting transducer means electrically connected to said pulse generator and mounted to generate and transmit pulsed ultrasonic plane waves incident on the surface of said sample at an angle with respect thereto greater than the longitudinal-wave critical angle of said sample and less than the shEar-wave critical angle of said sample to simultaneously generate in said sample homogeneous pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves, said pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves travelling along said sample parallel to the surface thereof refracting pulsed ultrasonic waves therefrom, first receiving-transducer means mounted to receive said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves from said sample, second receiving-transducer means mounted to receive said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves from said sample, said first and second receiving-transducer means being spatially separated with respect to each other a predetermined distance in the direction of propagation of said pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves in said sample, and means for measuring the reception-time-detection of said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves from said sample by said first and second receiving-transducer means, which reception-time-detection is a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
104 words
The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said means for measuring said reception-time-detection of said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves from said sample comprises means responsive to each of said transmitted pulsed ultrasonic plane waves for measuring the time differential of the first refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves detected by each of said first and second receiving-transducer means, and means responsive to each of said transmitted pulsed ultrasonic plane waves for measuring the time differential of the second refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves detected by each of said first and second receiving-transducer means, which time differential measurements are a function of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
240 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said ultrasonic-wave generating and transmitting means and said refracted ultrasound detecting means comprise a pulse generator, a transmitting transducer electrically connected to said generator and mounted relative the surface of said sample to transmit pulsed ultrasound at an incident angle thereto greater than the longitudinal-wave critical angle of said sample and less than the shear-wave critical angle of said sample to generate simultaneously in said sample pulsed homogeneous longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves, said pulsed longitudinal ultrasonic waves traveling along said sample refracting pulsed ultrasonic waves therefrom, said pulsed shear ultrasonic waves traveling along said sample at a slower velocity than said pulsed longitudinal waves and refracting pulsed ultrasonic waves from said sample having a smaller amplitude than said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves from said pulsed longitudinal waves, a first receiving transducer mounted to detect said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves, a second receiving transducer mounted to detect said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves and spatially separated from said first receiving transducer a predetermined distance in the direction of propagation of said pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves in said sample, and means connected to said first and second transducers for measuring the time-detection differential between refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves generated by said longitudinal ultrasonic waves and the time-detection differential between refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves generated by said shear ultrasonic waves, which measured time-detection differentials are a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
118 words
The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said time-detection differential measuring means for said refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves comprises means connected to said first and second receiver transducers for measuring responsive to each of said transmitted pulsed ultrasonic plane waves the time differential of the first refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves detected by said first and second transducers, and amplitude-discriminating means connected to said first and second receiver transducers for measuring responsive to each of said transmitted pulsed ultrasoNic plane waves the time differential of the refracted pulsed ultrasonic waves generated by said pulsed shear ultrasonic waves and detected by said first and second transducers, which measured time differentials are a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
92 words
A method for nondestructively measuring the physical properties of a sample comprising generating a collimated beam of ultrasound, transmitting said generated ultrasonic beam at an incident angle relative to said sample greater than the longitudinal-wave critical angle and less than the shear-wave critical angle therefor to generate simultaneously within said sample homogeneous longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves, and measuring the propagational velocity of each of said simultaneously generated longitudinal and shear waves traveling through said sample parallel to the surface thereof to provide a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
92 words
A method for nondestructively measuring the physical properties of a sample comprising generating a collimated beam of ultrasound, transmitting said generated ultrasonic beam at an incident angle relative to said sample greater than the longitudinal-wave critical angle and less than the shear-wave critical angle therefor to generate simultaneously within said sample homogeneous longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves, and measuring the propagational velocity of each of said simultaneously generated longitudinal and shear waves traveling through said sample parallel to the surface thereof to provide a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 7 wherein said ultrasonic beam generation is effected in a pulsed mode to provide simultaneous generation of pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves in said sample.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method according to claim 8 wherein said ultrasound propagation measuring step comprises measuring the transit time of each of said pulsed longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves through a like distance of said sample, which transit times are a measure of the physical properties of said sample.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method according to claim 9 wherein said sample material is graphatized carbon vapor-deposition felt and said collimated beam of ultrasound is transmitted to impinge on the surface of said sample at an angle of 42.5*.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3127950A
Cited
US3512400A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-03-12 | 1976-09-11 | 1977-03-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-03-12 | 1980-09-11 | 1981-03-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-03-12 | 1984-09-11 | 1985-03-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |