The invention relates, in a first aspect, to a method for inspecting an object, in particular a pipeline, for flaws, comprising: emitting a first signal toward the object in a first direction by means of a first ultrasonic transducer; and receiving a first response signal coming from the object from a second direction by means of a second ultrasonic transducer, wherein the first direction and the second direction are different from each other.

A device for examining the interior of a pipe using multi-element ultrasound technology, finding application in the detection of defects in the wall of a tubular pipe or the verification of the characteristics of the wall of a tubular pipe is disclosed. The device is designed to be placed inside a fluid transport pipe and to move under the action of the transported fluid, to detect defects in, or check characteristics of, the wall of the pipe. The device has a circumference and comprises a plurality of ultrasonic sensors distributed over its circumference and each formed by a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of reception antennas. The device also includes an electronic controller configured to control each sensor and to receive and record the information measured by the sensors.

A shear wave inspection tool has a housing with a rotatable top removably fixable over a fastener hole in a structure. An aperture is positioned through the rotatable top and operable to couple an ultrasonic transducer such that when rotatable top is rotated, the ultrasonic transducer transmits a shear wave into the structure around the fastener hole inspecting the fastener hole for an anomaly. A shear wave inspection system includes the inspection tool, an ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic data instrument operable to acquire data from the ultrasonic transducer, the nature of the received data indicates the presence of an anomaly in the fastener hole. A method for detecting anomalies in a fastener hole includes removably fixing the inspection tool over a fastener hole and rotating the rotatable top such that the ultrasonic transducer transmits a shear wave in a controlled sweep around the fastener hole.

A method of detecting sub-surface voids in a sample comprises positioning a probe adjacent to a first point on the sample, emitting an ultrasonic wave from the probe towards the sample, moving the probe towards the sample, measuring a shear force amplitude of a reflection of the ultrasonic wave at the probe as the probe moves towards the sample, creating an approach curve by plotting the measured shear force amplitude of the reflection of the ultrasonic wave as a function of a distance between the probe and the sample, and determining whether a sub-surface void exists at the first point on the sample based on a slope of the approach curve.

Systems and methods for testing shear bond strength of cement with a composite sample under downhole conditions form a bonding surface of the sample oriented at an angle between 50 and 70 degrees from a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the sample. The composite sample is formed by bonding the cement to the sample with the cement in contact with the bonding surface of the sample.

A device for estimating a mechanical property of a sample is disclosed herein. The device may include a chamber configured to hold the sample; a transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of waveforms, including at least one forcing waveform; and a transducer assembly operatively connected to the transmitter and configured to transform the transmit waveforms into ultrasound waveforms. The transducer assembly can also transmit and receive ultrasound waveforms into and out of the chamber, as well as transform at least two received ultrasound waveforms into received electrical waveforms. The device also includes a data processor that can receive the received electrical waveforms; estimate a difference in the received electrical waveforms that results at least partially from movement of the sample; and estimate a mechanical property of the sample by comparing at least one feature of the estimated difference to at least one predicted feature, wherein the at least one predicted feature is based on a model of an effect of the chamber wall. Finally, the device can also include a controller configured to control the timing of the ultrasound transmitter and data processor.

A defect detection device 10 includes: an excitation source 11 capable of being placed at any position on a surface of an inspection target object S, the excitation source 11 being configured to excite an elastic wave within the inspection target object S, the elastic wave being predominant in one vibration mode and propagating in a predetermined direction; an illumination unit (pulsed laser light source 13, illumination light lens 14) configured to perform stroboscopic illumination on an illumination area of the surface of the inspection target object by using a laser light source; a displacement measurement unit (speckle shearing interferometer 15) configured to collectively measure a displacement of each point in a front-back direction within the illumination area in at least three different phases of the elastic wave, by speckle interferometry or speckle shearing interferometry; and a reflected wave/scattered wave detector 16 configured to detect either one or both of a reflected wave and a scattered wave of the elastic wave, based on the displacement measured by the displacement measurement unit.

An ultrasonic transverse wave is transmitted or ultrasonic longitudinal wave and transverse wave are transmitted in a perpendicular direction to a bonding interface between materials by transmission such as a probe. A reflection signal of the transmitted transverse wave reflected by the bonding interface and/or a transmission signal of the transmitted transverse wave transmitted through the bonding interface and the longitudinal wave, a reflection signal of the transmitted longitudinal wave reflected by the bonding interface and/or a transmission signal of the transmitted longitudinal wave transmitted through the bonding interface are received by reception such as the probe. A physical quantity of the reflection signal or the transmission signal of the transverse wave, out of the received signals, and the longitudinal wave, a joined state of the bonding interface is evaluated by analysis evaluation, utilizing a predetermined physical quantity of the reflection signal or the transmission signal of the longitudinal wave.

Various embodiments include methods for creating an analysis data set for an evaluation of an ultrasonic test of an object comprising: providing a first and second measurement data set, each based on an ultrasonic measurement of a region of the object and a SAFT analysis thereof; associating a first equivalent defect size with a volume element of the first measurement data set associated with at least a portion of the region; associating a second equivalent defect size with a volume element of the second measurement data set associated with at least the portion of the region; creating the analysis data set having at least one volume element which is associated with at least the portion of the region; and associating a third equivalent defect size with the volume element of the analysis data set, wherein the third is formed from the maximum of the first and second sizes.

Methods and systems for subsurface imaging of nanostructures buried inside a plate shaped substrate are provided. An ultrasonic generator at a side face of the substrate is used to couple ultrasound waves (W) into an interior of the substrate. The interior has or forms a waveguide for propagating the ultrasound waves (W) in a direction (X) along a length of the substrate transverse to the side face. The nanostructures are imaged using an AFM tip to measure an effect (E) at the top surface caused by direct or indirect interaction of the ultrasound waves (W) with the buried nanostructures.