An ultrasonic inspection device includes: a longitudinal ultrasonic sensor configured to emit and receive a longitudinal ultrasonic wave; and an ultrasonic transducer unit made of metal and having the shape of a polyhedron. The ultrasonic transducer unit includes: an output surface configured to be disposed facing an object to be inspected; an input surface on which the longitudinal ultrasonic sensor is disposed; and a conversion surface configured to, when the longitudinal ultrasonic wave input through the input surface is reflected by the conversion surface, convert the longitudinal ultrasonic wave into a transverse ultrasonic wave such that the transverse ultrasonic wave propagates toward the output surface, the conversion surface being tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to an in-plane direction of the output surface. Thermal conductivity of the ultrasonic transducer unit is lower than thermal conductivity of the object to be inspected.

A refrigerator including a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion unit that constitute a refrigeration cycle, an evaporator that evaporates a refrigerant that has passed through the expansion unit, a heater that provides heat for defrosting the evaporator, and a frost sensor that is provided at one side of the evaporator to sense the amount of frost on the evaporator, the frost sensor including a sound-source transmitter that generates a sound-source of a first volume to the evaporator, and a sound-source receiver that receives a sound-source of a second volume formed after the sound-source transmitted by the sound-source transmitter reflects from or passes through the evaporator, and a controller that controls the heater to generate heat, when the difference between the first volume and the second volume reaches a predetermined volume.

The invention relates to a method of monitoring the interior of a pipeline (1) positioned in contact with a soil (S) below a water mass (E), comprising implementation of the following steps by data processing means (11): (a) for at least one position along said pipeline (1), obtaining acoustic data descriptive of at least one cross-section of said pipeline (1) at said position, acquired by a mobile acoustic acquisition device (20) in said water mass (E), (b) estimating by quantitative migration from said acoustic data an estimated relative impedance perturbation profile in at least said cross-section of said pipeline (1).

In an example, a method of determining bonding efficacy of a composite laminate is described. The method includes disposing a metallic substance on a bonding agent, coupling the bonding agent having the metallic substance between a first and second layer of composite material to form a composite assembly, heating and curing the composite assembly to produce the composite laminate, receiving a post-curing interference signal that indicates a post-curing degree of constructive interference resulting from transmission of ultrasonic waves into the composite laminate, comparing the post-curing interference signal to a pre-curing interference signal that indicates a baseline degree of constructive interference resulting from transmission of ultrasonic waves into the composite assembly, and determining the bond efficacy of the composite laminate based on the comparison, where a reduction in constructive interference between the pre-curing interference signal and the post-curing interference signal is indicative of the bond efficacy.

Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) tags having high and low resonant frequencies are used to detect the cured or uncured state of wellbore cement. The MEMS tags may be added to wellbore cement, and pumped downhole. An interrogation tool emits a signal at one or both of the resonant frequencies which, in turn, interacts with the MEMS tags to produce a response signal. Since uncured cement has a high attenuation, only the lower resonant frequency response signal is sensed by an interrogation device, thus indicating the cement remains uncured. When the cement cures, its conductivity drops and the attenuation of the higher resonant frequency response signal drops also, thus allowing that signal to be detected by the interrogation device and indicating the cement has cured.

A method of improving the measurement accuracy of a digital ice rate sensor by providing an enhanced surface finish on a magnetostrictive oscillator detector probe by measuring the surface roughness of the detector probe, comparing the measured value to a critical value, and authorizing the probe for use in the digital ice rate sensor if surface roughness is within the critical value. Surface roughness may be measured optically or with a surface profilometer. Remedial steps taken if surface roughness is not within the critical value include reworking the probe surface finish and investigating the manufacturing process.

A method for determining an ultraviolet (UV) cure level of a material is disclosed. For example, the method includes receiving an object with the material that is cured via a UV light source, controlling a heat source to heat the material, measuring a parameter of the material in response to the heat, determining the UV cure level of the material based on the parameter that is measured and a predefined response of the material at a temperature associated with the heat, and generating a signal to display the UV cure level in response to the determining.

An ultrasound device for checking the quality of a composite material structure during the production cycle. Preferably, the device is incorporated into a production tooling performing the LRI process in which the composite material structure is placed between two molds during the production cycle. A layer of piezoelectric material is deposited on the face of one of the molds, opposite the face which is in contact with the structure. One face of an electrically insulating flexible material film is placed against the outer face of the piezoelectric material layer. The face of the film further includes conductive pads in contact with the piezoelectric material layer. Each pad is energized by electric voltage applied by a conductive strip. Each pad forms an independent ultrasonic transducer with the region of the piezoelectric material layer opposite of its placement.

A sample testing cartridge is usable to perform a variety of tests on a visco-elastic sample, such hemostasis testing on a whole blood or blood component sample. The cartridge includes a sample processing portion that is in fluid communication with a sample retention structure. A suspension, such as a beam, arm, cantilever or similar structure supports or suspends the sample retention portion relative to the sample processing portion in a unitary structure. In this manner, the sample retention portion may be placed into dynamic excitation responsive to excitation of the cartridge and correspondingly dynamic, resonant excitation of the sample contained within the sample retention portion, while the sample processing portion remains fixed. Observation of the excited sample yields data indicative of hemostasis. The data may correspond to hemostasis parameters such as time to initial clot formation, rate of clot formation, maximum clot strength and degree of clot lysis.

An ultrasonic sensing device includes a support body and an ultrasonic sensor. The support body includes an accommodating space, and a positioning space at a center of the accommodating space. The ultrasonic sensor includes a body portion in the positioning space, at least one sensing channel portion extending from the body portion and in the accommodating space, at least one piezoelectric unit at one end surface of the sensing channel portion, and a second channel passing through the body portion. An inner diameter of the positioning space is greater than an inner diameter of the accommodating space, and an outer diameter of the sensing channel portion is smaller than the inner diameter of the accommodating space. Thus, a gap is formed between the sensing channel portion and the accommodating space, and the piezoelectric unit is located outside the accommodating space to come into contact with an exterior.