Apparatus, system, and method for ultrasonic inspection of a variable radius joint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021181160-A1
Application number	US-201916716135-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2019
Priority date	Dec 16, 2019
Publication date	Jun 17, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for ultrasonic inspection that comprises a base and a contact shoe that is located within the base and movably coupled to the base. The apparatus additionally comprises a sensor carriage located within the contact shoe and movably coupled to the contact shoe such that the sensor carriage is translationally movable relative to the contact shoe. The apparatus further comprises a linkage pivotably coupled to the base at a base pivot point, pivotably coupled to the contact shoe at a shoe pivot point, and pivotably coupled to the sensor carriage at a carriage pivot point. Translational movement of the contact shoe relative to the base causes the linkage to pivot about the base pivot point, the shoe pivot point, and the carriage pivot point and move the sensor carriage relative to the base and the contact shoe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for ultrasonic inspection, the apparatus comprising:
a base comprising a first part contact surface; a contact shoe located within the base and movably coupled to the base such that the contact shoe is translationally movable relative to the base; a sensor carriage located within the contact shoe and movably coupled to the contact shoe such that the sensor carriage is translationally movable relative to the contact shoe; and a linkage pivotably coupled to the base at a base pivot point, pivotably coupled to the contact shoe at a shoe pivot point, and pivotably coupled to the sensor carriage at a carriage pivot point, wherein translational movement of the contact shoe relative to the base causes the linkage to pivot about the base pivot point, the shoe pivot point, and the carriage pivot point and move the sensor carriage relative to the base and the contact shoe.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shoe pivot point is disposed between the base pivot point and the carriage pivot point to be at a first distance from the base pivot point and second distance from the carriage pivot point such that the translational movement of the contact shoe relative to the base is less than the movement of the sensor carriage relative to the base.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an ultrasonic unit mounted to the sensor carriage such that the ultrasonic unit is non-movable relative to the sensor carriage.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein movement of the sensor carriage relative to the base adjusts a focal point of the ultrasonic unit relative to the base.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first part contact surface of the base comprises a first portion and a second portion, which is angled relative to the first portion, the contact shoe further comprising a second part contact surface, non-movably fixed to the contact shoe, wherein the second part contact surface is a curved surface.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first part contact surface and the second part contact surface are configured to be slidable along a surface being inspected and the contact shoe is configured to move translationally relative to the base in response to the contact shoe being displaced while sliding.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the linkage comprises a plurality of links, each of the plurality of links oriented parallel to the other links when the contact shoe and the sensor carriage are in a first position relative to the base and at least one of the plurality of links angled relative to another of the plurality of links when the contact shoe and the sensor carriage are in a second position relative to the base.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a biasing element in biasing engagement with the sensor carriage to bias the sensor carriage toward the first position relative to the base.

9 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein two of the plurality of links are coupled to the base at corresponding base pivot points proximal a base central axis of the base and along one side of the base and another two of the plurality of links are coupled to the base at corresponding base pivot points proximal the base central axis along an opposite side of the base.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a fluid port formed in the contact shoe and configured to facilitate fluid contact at an ultrasonic unit of the sensor carriage.

11 . A system for ultrasonic inspection, the system comprising:
an apparatus comprising:
a base comprising a first part contact surface;
a contact shoe located within the base and movably coupled to the base such that the contact shoe is translationally movable relative to the base;
a sensor carriage located within the contact shoe and movably coupled to the contact shoe such that the sensor carriage is translationally movable relative to the contact shoe, the sensor carriage comprising an ultrasonic unit; and
a linkage pivotably coupled to the base at a base pivot point, pivotably coupled to the contact shoe at a shoe pivot point, and pivotably coupled to the sensor carriage at a carriage pivot point, wherein translational movement of the contact shoe relative to the base causes the linkage to pivot about the base pivot point, the shoe pivot point, and the carriage pivot point and move the sensor carriage relative to the base and the contact shoe;
a tool to receive the apparatus and position the apparatus to provide an ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic unit and detect a reflected ultrasonic signal at the ultrasonic unit; and a processing unit configured to process the reflected ultrasonic signal received by the ultrasonic unit to determine a presence of an abnormality corresponding to the positioning of the apparatus.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the tool is configured to position the apparatus using a sliding motion.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the sliding motion is in a sliding direction and the contact shoe and the sensor carriage are translationally movable in a displacement direction which is non-parallel to the sliding direction.

14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the tool supplies an ultrasonic fluid to a fluid port of the apparatus.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the tool comprises a robot.

16 . A method of ultrasonic testing, the method comprising:
positioning an apparatus on a part at a joint of the part to contact a first part contact surface of a base of the apparatus with the part and to contact a second part contact surface of a contact shoe of the apparatus at a first radius of the joint; emitting an ultrasonic signal from the apparatus to a focal point proximate the joint of the part; sliding the apparatus along the joint of the part with the first part contact surface in contact with the part; moving the contact shoe of the apparatus relative to a base of the apparatus in response to the second part contact surface of the contact shoe contacting a second radius of the joint; and actuating a linkage in response to movement of the contact shoe to move a sensor carriage of the apparatus to adjust a position of the focal point of the ultrasonic signal based on the second radius, the second radius being different from the first radius.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the contact shoe moves a shoe translation distance and the sensor carriage moves a carriage translation distance that is greater than the shoe translation distance.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the shoe translation distance corresponds to the carriage translation distance based on a shoe pivot point and a carriage pivot point along at least one link of the linkage.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein actuating the linkage further comprises pivoting the linkage about a base pivot point of the base in response to the movement of the contact shoe.

20 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising continuously testing the joint through a transition from the first radius to the second radius.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Shehab Kareem

Classifications

• G01N29/225 Primary

  Supports, positioning or alignment in moving situation · CPC title

• G01N29/265 Primary

  by moving the sensor relative to a stationary material · CPC title

• G01N29/043

  in the interior, e.g. by shear waves · CPC title

• G01N2291/044

  Internal reflections (echoes), e.g. on walls or defects · CPC title

• G01N29/28

  providing acoustic coupling {, e.g. water (impedance matching G10K11/02)} · CPC title