ULTRASONIC TEST DEVICE AND TEST METHOD FOR SERVICE STRESS OF A MOVING MECHANICAL COMPONENT

Abstract

An ultrasonic test device and test method for service stress of a moving mechanical component, where the device comprises an ultrasonic probe, a coupling fluid, a pressure-maintaining cover and universal wheels. The cover is vertically arranged above an inspected position of an inspected component, an interior of the pressure-maintaining cover is filled with coupling fluid, a bottom of the cover is provided with a structure permeable to the coupling fluid to form a coupling fluid film between the inspected position and the bottom of the cover, and a top of the cover is equipped with the ultrasonic probe. A detection part at a lower part of the ultrasonic probe extends into the coupling fluid of the cover and is vertical to the bottom of the cover without contact. The distance between the ultrasonic probe and the inspected component is kept unchanged through the universal wheels.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic test device for service stress of a moving mechanical component comprising an ultrasonic probe, a coupling fluid, a pressure-maintaining cover and universal wheels, wherein: the pressure-maintaining cover is vertically arranged above an inspected position of an inspected component, an interior of the pressure-maintaining cover is filled with the coupling fluid, a bottom of the pressure-maintaining cover is provided with a structure permeable to the coupling fluid to form a coupling fluid film between the inspected position and the bottom of the pressure-maintaining cover, at least three universal wheels are arranged on an outer wall of the pressure-maintaining cover, and a top of the pressure-maintaining cover is equipped with the ultrasonic probe; and a detection portion at a lower part of the ultrasonic probe is configured to extend into the coupling fluid of the pressure-maintaining cover and is designed to be vertical to the bottom of the pressure-maintaining cover without contact.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the top of the pressure-maintaining cover is provided with a coupling fluid inlet.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the coupling fluid inlet is provided with a coupling fluid pressure detection device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the universal wheels have the same distance from the surface of the inspected component.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein a curvature of the bottom of the pressure-maintaining cover matches the curvature of the inspected position of the inspected component.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the coupling fluid is gas or liquid.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the coupling fluid.

8. An ultrasonic test method for service stress of a moving mechanical component comprising: placing the ultrasonic test device for service stress of a moving mechanical component according to claim 1 above the inspected position of the inspected component, and injecting a coupling fluid into the ultrasonic test device in a pressurized manner; moving or rotating the inspected component relative to the ultrasonic test device according to a testing requirement; and controlling the ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves and collect ultrasonic echo waves.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising a step of zero-stress calibration prior to the ultrasonic test, wherein the step of zero-stress calibration comprises: manufacturing a reference zero-stress test block that has the same material, surface roughness and curvature as the inspected position of the inspected component, and removing an internal stress of the reference zero-stress test block; placing the ultrasonic test device above the reference zero-stress test block, injecting the coupling fluid into the ultrasonic test device in a pressurized manner, and recording a pressure and temperature of the coupling fluid in the ultrasonic test device; and controlling the ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves at least once and collect ultrasonic echo waves, so as to finish the zero-stress calibration, wherein when the ultrasonic test is carried out on the inspected component, the pressure and the temperature of the coupling fluid in the ultrasonic test device are the same as those in the step of zero-stress calibration.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a test device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0040] FIG. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a test method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Explanation for Reference Signs

[0042] 10: ultrasonic probe, 20: pressure-maintaining cover, 21: universal wheels, 22: coupling fluid inlet, 23: coupling fluid, 30: coupling fluid film, 40: inspected component, 41: horizontal direction, and 42: circumferential direction

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0043] The present disclosure provides a test device and a test method for service stress of a moving mechanical component, which realize non-contact, nondestructive, accurate and stable ultrasonic testing for the service stress of the moving component.

[0044] For sake of clarity, some terms are explained as follows.

[0045] 1. Stress: interactional internal forces are generated among parts of an object when the object is deformed due to external factors (force, humidity, change of temperature field, and the likes), and the internal forces per unit area are referred to as the stress.

[0046] 2. Ultrasound: it is a sound wave with a frequency higher than 20 khz and a wave length shorter than that of general acoustic waves, has good directivity and strong refractive performance, is easy to obtain more concentrated acoustic energy, and is capable to penetrate an opaque substance, such characteristic of which has been widely used in ultrasonic flaw detection, thickness measurement, distance measurement, remote control, and ultrasonic imaging techniques.

[0047] 3. Zero-stress calibration: the service stress in the object is related to the waveform parameters of ultrasonic echo waves refracted from the interior of the object, the material of the object, and the coupling fluid between the ultrasonic probe and the object. A test block is subjected to a predetermined stress, the correlation of the waveform parameters of the ultrasonic echo waves with the material of the object and correlation of the waveform parameters with the coupling fluid are corrected into constant coefficients according to the test result, and the waveform parameters of the ultrasonic echo waves are simplified into a single relation with service stress. Such method is called the zero-stress calibration.

[0048] The device and method according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a test device for service stress of a mechanical component in a dynamic state, which includes an ultrasonic probe 10, a coupling fluid 23, a pressure-maintaining cover 20 and universal wheels 21.

[0050] The pressure-maintaining cover 20 is vertically arranged above the inspected position of an inspected component 40. The coupling fluid 23 is filled in the pressure-maintaining cover 20. The coupling fluid 23 may be liquid or gas. In the present embodiment, liquid is used. A permeable structure at the bottom of the pressure-maintaining cover 20 is provided for forming a coupling fluid film 30 between the bottom of the pressure-maintaining cover 20 and the inspected position. At least three universal wheels 21 are arranged on the outer wall of the pressure-maintaining cover 20. In the present embodiment, four universal wheels 21 are used. The ultrasonic probe 10 is arranged at the top of the pressure-maintaining cover 20.

[0051] The detection portion at the lower part of the ultrasonic probe 10 is extended into the coupling fluid 23 of the pressure-maintaining cover 20 and is arranged vertically and in a non-contact way with the bottom of the pressure-maintaining cover 20. The top of the ultrasonic probe 10 is connected with an external control device through a connecting wire.

[0052] It can be seen from the above that due to the permeable structure at the bottom of the pressure-maintaining cover 20, the coupling fluid 23 is allowed to permeate between the pressure-maintaining cover 20 and the inspected component 40 to form a layer of coupling fluid film 30. The coupling fluid film 30 covers the inspected position of the inspected component 40. When the inspected component 40 moves, the coupling fluid film 30 protects the inspected component 40 from contact collision and friction with the pressure-maintaining cover 20, so that the nondestructive detection of the moving component is realized.

[0053] Wherein, the curvature of the bottom of the pressure-maintaining cover 20 may match the curvature of the inspected position of the inspected component 40, so that even and reliable contact between the bottom of the pressure-maintaining cover 20 and the inspected position of the inspected component 40 through the coupling fluid film 30 is ensured no matter the inspected position of the inspected component 40 moves horizontally along the horizontal direction 41 or rotates in the circumferential direction 42 around the axial direction in the present embodiment, which improves the accuracy of the test.

[0054] Wherein, the pressure-maintaining cover 20 may be provided with a coupling fluid inlet 22 for injecting the coupling fluid 23 in a pressurizing condition, so that the inflow flow rate of the coupling fluid 23 at the coupling fluid inlet 22 is larger than the outflow flow rate of the coupling fluid film 30, and the density of the coupling fluid 23 in the pressure-maintaining cover 20 is increased. In this way, the attenuation of the coupling fluid 23 is reduced, the signal-to-noise ratio of ultrasonic signal transmission is improved, clearer received and transmitted ultrasonic signals are obtained, and the detection sensitivity is improved.

[0055] Wherein, the coupling fluid inlet 22 of pressure-maintaining cover 20 may be provided with a coupling fluid pressure detection device that detects injection pressure of the coupling fluid 23. By controlling the injection pressure of the coupling fluid 23, the density of the coupling fluid 23 in the pressure-maintaining cover 20 can be maintained during the test, thereby improving the accuracy of the test.

[0056] Wherein, the four universal wheels 21 in the present embodiment may have the same distance from the surface of the inspected component. When the inspected component 40 moves in the horizontal direction 41 and in the circumferential direction 42, the universal wheels 21 can rotate horizontally by 360 degrees, so that the coupling fluid film 30 formed between the pressure-maintaining cover 20 and the inspected component 40 is allowed to keep the same thickness. When the inspected component 40 moves, the universal wheels 21 maintain the thickness of the coupling fluid film 30 to be constant, so that the distance between the ultrasonic probe 10 and the inspected component is kept constant, and the loss of ultrasonic wave propagation is thus constant, thereby realizing a stable test of the moving component 40.

[0057] It can be seen from the above that under the control of the external control device, the ultrasonic probe 10 emits the inspected component 40 ultrasonic waves, which propagate to the inspected position of the inspected component 40 through the coupling fluid 23, enter the inspected component 40, and are critically refracted out from the interior of the inspected component 40 to form ultrasonic echo waves that are received and sent to the external control equipment by the ultrasonic probe 10. The internal stress of the inspected component 40 affects the waveform parameters of the ultrasonic echo waves.

[0058] Since the present embodiment uses liquid as the coupling fluid 23, the ultrasonic probe 10 has good long-term waterproof performance, and the connecting wire of the ultrasonic probe 10 also has good waterproof treatment simultaneously. By this way, the normal and stable work of the probe 10 in liquid is allowed for a long time.

[0059] Wherein, the ultrasonic probe 10 of the present embodiment may be further equipped with a temperature sensor. The temperature of the coupling fluid 23 may affect the propagation speed of the ultrasonic waves, the time delay waveform parameter of the ultrasonic echo waves, and the accuracy of test of the service stress of the inspected component 40. Therefore, it is desired to maintain the stable temperature of the coupling fluid 23 to achieve an accurate test environment.

[0060] The service stress of the inspected component can be calculated based on the waveform parameters of the ultrasonic echo waves. The whole calculation process is completed by the external control equipment, which does not belong to the device of the present embodiment. The calculation process is therefore omitted herein.

[0061] By coupling the ultrasonic probe 10 with the inspected component 40 through the coupling fluid 23, and by injecting the coupling fluid 23 into the pressure-maintaining cover 20 through the coupling fluid inlet 22 in a pressurized manner to increase the density of the coupling fluid 23 in the pressure-maintaining cover 20, the test device according to the present embodiment can improve the testing sensitivity. On this basis, by keeping the thickness of the coupling fluid film 30 constant through the universal wheels 21 to keep distance between the inspected component 40 and the ultrasonic probe 10 constant, the test device according to the present embodiment can realize a stable, accurate and nondestructive ultrasonic testing of the service stress of the moving component.

[0062] The ultrasonic test method for service stress of a moving mechanical component provided in this embodiment is described below in detail with reference to FIG. 2 and the device shown in FIG. 1. The test method includes steps S110 to S160.

[0063] In the step S110, a reference zero-stress test block is manufactured based on the inspected component 40. The reference zero-stress test block has the same material, surface roughness and curvature as the inspected position of the inspected component 40. The internal stress of the reference zero-stress test block is removed by means of annealing.

[0064] In the step S120, the reference zero-stress test block is placed below the pressure-maintaining cover 20, the inspected position of the reference zero-stress test block is covered by the pressure-maintaining cover 20, and the coupling fluid 23 is injected in a pressurizing manner through the coupling fluid inlet 22 of the pressure-maintaining cover 20.

[0065] In the step S130, the ultrasonic waves are emitted by the ultrasonic probe 10, and a graph of the ultrasonic echo waves is shown on a display screen of the external control equipment. If the graph of the ultrasonic echo waves is not clear, the pressure of the coupling fluid inlet 22 of the pressure-maintaining cover 20 is adjusted until a clear graph of the ultrasonic echo waves can be observed. In this case, waveform parameters of the ultrasonic echo waves and test environmental parameters are recorded by the external control equipment. The test environmental parameters at least include the pressure of the coupling fluid of the coupling fluid inlet 22 and the temperature of the coupling fluid 23.

[0066] In the step S140, under a test environment where the environmental parameters are the same as the environmental parameters recorded in the step S130, the zero-stress test block is subjected to a stress to complete a zero-stress calibration. The zero-stress calibration requires different stresses to be applied to the reference zero-stress test block to carry out different rounds of tests. Each round of tests includes multiple repeated tests, and the waveform parameters of the ultrasonic echo waves are recorded by the external control equipment during each test.

[0067] In the step S150, the reference zero-stress test block is replaced with the moving inspected component 40 so as to carry out a test, of which the environment parameters are the same as the environment parameters recorded in the step S130.

[0068] In the step S160, the inspected component 40 is set to be static, move horizontally, or rotate around the horizontal axis according to the testing requirement, the ultrasonic waves are emitted by the ultrasonic probe 10 under the control of the external control equipment, and the waveform parameters of the ultrasonic echo waves are recorded by the external control equipment.

[0069] Wherein, the zero-stress calibration simplifies the parameters of the ultrasonic echo waves to be only related to the service stress of the inspected component, and simplifies the correlations of the parameters of the ultrasonic echo waves with material and height of the coupling fluid 23, with the thickness of the coupling fluid film 30, and with the material of the inspected component 40, to be constant coefficients, so that the service stress inside the inspected component 40 can be calculated.

[0070] The function of the zero-stress calibration is completed by the external control equipment, which does not belong to the device of the embodiment and is omitted herein.

[0071] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and the scope of protection of the present disclosure should not be limited by this. It should be pointed out that a person skilled in the art may make many other improvements and changes without departing from the spirit and principle of the present disclosure, and the improvements and changes also should be regarded as falling within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.