Baylor University

Verifi Technologies, LLC

Douglas E Smith

David Abram Jack

Benjamin M Blandford

Nathaniel J Blackman

Jingdong Chen

Kayla P Garrett

The present disclosure provides a system with an ultrasonic transducer housing assembly that maintains an acoustic coupling path for spherically focused transducers while allowing the placement of the housing at angles relative to a vertical angle. This invention extends the use of spherically focused transducers into portable systems with significantly reduced system and operational costs for non-destructive testing. The transducer housing assembly features a lens housing with an opening that is sealed with a replaceable fluid-tight membrane defining an acoustic window with acoustic properties similar to those of fluid in the housing and therefore at least translucent to the transducer and causing minimal signal loss. The housing contains minimal fluid to be cleaned up in case of improper use or leakage. The transducer housing also includes an optional surface offset and an ability to adjust the focal point of the transducer relative to the component surface.

System and method for portable ultrasonic testing

The present disclosure provides a low-cost and accurate rheometer system and method capable of determining melt flow rheological properties of polymers, such as from Fused Filament Fabrication ('FFF') polymeric materials. The device can include a filament feeding system, liquefier for filament melting, force transducer for measuring filament feeding force, and a temperature control system for controlling polymer melt temperatures. An electronic control system can capture data and manage operations. The system can measure a filament velocity and filament force required to extrude the FFF filament for printing. The filament velocity and force data can be used to compute data sets of melt volumetric flow relative to pressure drop across a FFF nozzle. An inverse analysis process transforms the computed data sets through nonlinear curve fitting to determine rheological parameters, independent of the customary calculation of apparent viscosity from shear stress and strain rate, that can assist in controlling the filament deposition.

System and method for determining polymer filament rheological properties

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Woodway, TX, United States of America

Douglas E Smith