A method and device for ultrasound testing of welds is provided. For testing element welds on a body forming a single-piece assembly with these elements, the free end of a poly-articulated robot is fitted with an ultrasound probe which is fitted with an ultrasonic multi-element array transducer; the probe is inserted into the space between two adjacent elements of the assembly; the probe is moved along three-dimensional trajectories along the profile of the element; sectorial electronic scanning is performed in at least two non-parallel testing planes; and ultrasound signals output by the transducer in order to test the welds are processed. The method and device may be applied to welds of blades on the blisk of a bladed disk.

A method and a device for the near-surface, non-destructive inspection by means of ultrasound of a rotationally symmetric workpiece having a diameter that changes from section to section are provided. The method and device are based on the insonification of an ultrasonic test pulse into the workpiece at a defined insonification angle and the subsequent recording of an ultrasonic echo signal from the workpiece. Echo signals that trace back to a near-surface region ROI of the workpiece are identified and evaluated. Then, a graphic representation of the surface of the workpiece is generated.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for TFM post-processing of a FMC or HMC matrix acquired with an ultrasonic array probe. Post-processing is performed by calculating TFM beam forming amplitudes using round-trip delays to a focal point lying at depth d on a line at angle within the test object. Based on the beam forming amplitudes over a range of values of d within the imaging volume, a calculated A-scan is derived, which is equivalent to the response A-scan produced in conventional phased array imaging, but has the advantage of being focused at all points along the line. By post-calculation of calculated A-scans over a range of angles within the imaging volume, an imaging method is derived which is readily adapted to existing codes based on conventional A-scan imaging.

A spherical body inspection apparatus including a support arrangement realized to support a spherical body during an inspection procedure; a probe arrangement comprising a plurality of UT probes arranged about the spherical body such that the UT probes target a common test point at the surface of the spherical body; and a displacer for effecting at least one relative rotational displacement between the spherical body and the probe arrangement. Also described is a method of inspecting a spherical body.

Ultrasonic transducers and methods for detecting oblique flaws in cylindrically-shaped objects using pulse-echo testing are provided. By mounting one or more transducers on a rotary tester for testing manufactured objects such as tubes and bars, offsetting each transducer horizontally from its position if it were to emit a beam that is perpendicular to the object's outer surface, and actuating the transducer so as to emit an angled beam, oblique surface flaws and internal flaws may be reliably detected without reducing inspection speed, significantly adding to transducer cross-talk, or requiring significant additional hardware or processing.

Acoustic inspection systems and methods are described herein useful to determining microstructural characteristics, such as microtexture regions (MTRs), of a material sample. In some embodiments, a method of determining a material characteristic of a material sample includes transmitting acoustic waves from transducer having a concave face that includes one or more piezoelectric elements through a coupling medium and to a surface of a material sample to produce surface acoustic waves along a portion of a surface of the material sample. The one or more piezoelectric elements of the concave face may operate as at least one of an acoustic transmitter or an acoustic receiver. The method also includes receiving the surface acoustic waves reflected from the surface of the material sample at the concave face. The method then includes determining at least one material characteristic of the material sample based on a property of the surface acoustic waves.

A method measuring elastic properties using ultrasound of a part made of a material having a curved surface, includes: emission of bundles of ultrasound waves in a direction of a point of impact on the part's surface to generate waves within the part; knowing a thickness d of the part at the point of impact in a first direction D.sub.1 and a thickness d2 in a second direction forming an angle determined with respect to the first direction, taking a first measurement t1 of time taken by the longitudinal waves transmitted to travel d1 from the point of impact, and taking a second measurement t2 of the time taken by the transverse waves to travel d2 from the point of impact; and determining the Young's modulus and/or Poisson's ratio of the material based on the longitudinal velocity VL=d1/t1 and transverse velocity VT=d2/t.

A method may involve positioning a fixture over a portion of a tube portion of a gasket, where the gasket includes a first lip portion joined to a second lip portion by a weld of the gasket and the first lip portion joined to the second lip portion defines the tube portion, where the fixture comprises a housing and an injection port; positioning an ultrasonic probe in the housing; filling, by the injection port, coupling fluid between the ultrasonic probe and the tube portion of the gasket; and scanning at least a portion of the weld with the ultrasonic probe, where scanning the at least a portion of the weld may involve transmitting, by the ultrasonic probe, a plurality of ultrasonic waves through the coupling fluid into the tube portion, and translating the fixture in a longitudinal direction along the tube portion of the gasket.

Provided is a method of manufacturing an outer joint member of a constant velocity universal joint, which is constructed by forming a cup section having track grooves, and a shaft section, and by welding a cup member and a shaft member, the method including: forming the cup member and the shaft member of medium carbon steel; preparing a cup member having a cylindrical portion and a bottom portion integrally formed by forging, and a joining end surface in a machining step; preparing a shaft member having a joining end surface formed in a machining step; bringing the joining end surface of the cup member and the joining end surface of the shaft member into abutment against each other; welding the cup member and the shaft member by radiating a beam; and performing, after the welding, an ultrasonic flaw detection-inspection step.

A method may involve positioning a fixture over a portion of a tube portion of a gasket, where the gasket includes a first lip portion joined to a second lip portion by a weld of the gasket and the first lip portion joined to the second lip portion defines the tube portion, where the fixture comprises a housing and an injection port; positioning an ultrasonic probe in the housing; filling, by the injection port, coupling fluid between the ultrasonic probe and the tube portion of the gasket; and scanning at least a portion of the weld with the ultrasonic probe, where scanning the at least a portion of the weld may involve transmitting, by the ultrasonic probe, a plurality of ultrasonic waves through the coupling fluid into the tube portion, and translating the fixture in a longitudinal direction along the tube portion of the gasket.