System and method for nondestructive evaluation of a test object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10191014-B2
Application number	US-201615244698-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2016
Priority date	Aug 23, 2016
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

A system for nondestructive evaluation of a test object includes a platform, an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) to create acoustic vibrations that travel along the test object; an infrared detector positioned to record thermal images of a plurality of test areas on the test object to detect flaws in the test object as the platform and the test object move relative to each other; and a control connected to actuate the EMAT and the infrared detector, synchronize the creation of vibrations with the recording of thermal images, receive a signal from the infrared detector indicative of the thermal image of the surface of the test object, and record locations of the flaws appearing on the thermal images of the test areas, all as the platform and the test object move relative to each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for nondestructive evaluation of a test object, the system comprising:
a platform;
an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) mounted on the platform and positioned to generate a magnetic field in the test object to create acoustic vibrations that travel along a surface of the test object;
an infrared detector mounted on the platform and positioned to record thermal images of a plurality of test areas on the surface of the test object to detect flaws in the surface of the test object within the plurality of test areas as at least one of the platform and the test object move relative to each other;
a velocity interferometer system for any reflector (VISAR) mounted on the platform and oriented to detect a presence of one of the vibrations in the test object caused by the EMAT in one of the plurality of test areas aligned with the infrared detector; and
a controller connected to the EMAT, the VISAR, and the infrared detector, wherein the controller actuates the EMAT to create the vibrations in the test object the VISCAR, and the infrared detector, wherein the connection synchronizes the creation of the vibrations by the EMAT with the recording of the thermal images of the plurality of test areas by the infrared detector, wherein the controller receives signals from the VISAR indicating the presence of the vibrations in the one of the plurality of test areas aligned with the infrared detector, and the infrared detector is triggered to record each of the thermal images of the one of the plurality of test areas aligned with the infrared detector in response to the VISCAR detecting the one of the vibrations in the one of the plurality of test areas, wherein the controller receives a signal from the infrared detector indicative of the thermal images of the surface of the test object, and the controller records locations of the flaws appearing on the thermal images of the plurality of test areas, wherein the controller receives and records as at least one of the platform and the test object move relative to each other.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the platform includes a motor for moving the platform in a predetermined direction relative to the test object; and the controller actuates the motor to move the platform relative to the test object such that the controller records a plurality of the thermal images from a plurality of contiguous images of the plurality of test areas on the test object as the platform moves relative to the test object.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the VISAR is actuated by the controller to detect an arrival of one of the vibrations generated by the EMAT in the one of the plurality of test areas aligned with the infrared detector; and the controller actuates the infrared detector to detect the thermal images of the test object upon arrival of the one of the vibrations.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a visual camera mounted on the platform and connected to the controller to be actuated to photograph the flaws detected by the infrared detector.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a global positioning satellite (GPS) sensor that enables the controller to determine and record a location of the flaws detected by the infrared detector.

6. The system of claim 1 , further including a data store connected to the controller for storing the images of the flaws detected by the infrared detector.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a marker that is actuated by the controller to apply a dye to a selected one of the plurality of test areas.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the infrared detector includes first and second infrared cameras; and wherein the first and second infrared cameras are actuated sequentially by the controller such that the second infrared camera records a thermal image of a second one of the plurality of test areas, while the first infrared camera is transmitting a previously recorded image of a first one of the plurality of test areas to the controller.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the controller actuates the first infrared camera and the second infrared camera such that the first one of the plurality of test areas is contiguous to the second one of the plurality of test areas.

10. A system for nondestructive evaluation of a surface of a rail, the system comprising:
a carriage shaped to be placed on and move relative to the rail;
an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) mounted on the carriage and positioned to generate a magnetic field in the rail to create acoustic vibrations that travel along a surface of the rail;
an infrared detector mounted on the carriage and positioned to record thermal images of a plurality of test areas on the surface of the rail as the carriage moves relative to the rail to detect flaws in the surface of the rail within the plurality of test areas;
a velocity interferometer system for any reflector (VISAR) mounted on the platform and oriented to detect a presence of one of the vibrations in the rail caused by the EMAT in one of the plurality of test areas aligned with the infrared detector; and
a controller connected to the EMAT, the VISAR, and the infrared detector, wherein the controller actuates the EMAT to create the vibrations in the rail and the controller actuates the VISAR and the infrared detector, wherein the connection synchronizes the creation of the vibrations by the EMAT with the recording of the thermal images of the plurality of test areas by the infrared detector, wherein the controller receives signals from the VISAR indicating the presence of the vibrations in the one of the plurality of test areas aligned with the infrared detector, and the infrared detector is triggered to record each of the thermal images of the one of the plurality of test areas aligned with the infrared detector in response to the VISCAR detecting the one of the vibrations in the one of the plurality of test areas, wherein the controller receives a signal from the infrared detector indicative of the thermal images of the surface of the rail, and the controller records locations of the flaws appearing on the thermal images of the plurality of test areas, wherein the controller receives and records as the carriage moves relative to the rail.

11. A method for nondestructive evaluation of a test object, the method comprising:
moving at least one of a platform and the test object relative to each other; and
during the moving,
creating acoustic vibrations along a surface of the test object by actuating an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) mounted on the platform to generate a magnetic field in the test object,
actuating an infrared detector mounted on the platform to record thermal images of a plurality of test areas on the surface of the test object,
synchronizing the actuating of the EMAT with the actuating of the infrared detector for the plurality of test areas to record the thermal images as the vibrations reach each of the plurality of test areas to illuminate flaws in the surface of the test object within each of the plurality of test areas, wherein the synchronizing the actuating of the EMAT with the actuating of the infrared detector includes detecting the vibrations in the test object caused by the EMAT by a velocity interferometer system for any reflector (VISAR) mounted on the platform,
triggering the infrared detector to record each of the thermal images of the one of the plurality of test areas aligned with the infrared detector in response to the VISCAR detecting a presence of one of the vibrations in the one of the plurality of test areas, and
recording at least one of the thermal images showing the illuminated flaws appearing on on

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Hull John R
• Georgeson Gary E
• Safai Morteza
• Fetzer Barry A
• Brady Steven K
• Thompson Jeffrey G

Classifications

• G01N2291/2623

  Rails; Railroads · CPC title

• G01N29/2412 Primary

  using the magnetostrictive properties of the material to be examined, e.g. electromagnetic acoustic transducers [EMAT]; (investigating the presence of flaws using eddy currents G01N27/90, magnetostrictive transducers B06B1/08, measuring magnetostrictive properties G01R33/18) · CPC title

• G01N29/0618

  synchronised with scanning, e.g. in real-time · CPC title

• G01N29/275

  by moving both the sensor and the material · CPC title

• G01N2291/2696

  Wheels, Gears, Bearings · CPC title