General Electric Company

Asch-klaassen Sonics, Inc.

Richard Eugene Klaassen

James Norman Barshinger

Patrick Joseph Howard

Herbert A Asch

Thomas James Batzinger

Robert S Gilmore

Edward James Nieters

Wei Li

Douglas Edward Ingram

Michael John Danyluk

Michael Everett Keller

Bruno Hans Haider

Michael Francis Xavier Gigliotti

Bruce Willard Hultgren

John Broddus Deaton, Jr

Francis Howard Little

William Thomas Hatfield

Ui Won Suh

Vamshi Krishna Reddy Kommareddy

Sivaramanivas Ramaswamy

Wayne Lee Lawrence

Carl Lawrence Chalek

Nihat Kurkcu

David Charles Copley

Walter Joseph Bantz

Mark Partika

Robert John McElligott

David Paul Lappas

Dan Castner

Mandayam Tondanur Shyamsunder

David Charles Franklin

An acoustic inspection device and an associated method for inspecting a component are provided. The acoustic inspection device is portable and includes an acoustic transmitter and receiver that may be placed on opposite sides of an inspection region on the surface of the component. The acoustic transmitter has an array of acoustic transducers for generating an acoustic wave that travels along a surface of the component and the acoustic receiver has an array of acoustic transducers for receiving that acoustic wave. A controller determines at least one surface characteristic of the component from the measured acoustic wave, such as its crystalline structure or grain size.

Acoustic inspection device and method of operation

A composite fan casing for a turbine engine includes a core including a plurality of core layers of reinforcing fiber bonded together with a resin. The core includes a first surface and an opposing second surface. The fan casing also includes a shock dispersion panel coupled to the first surface, wherein the shock dispersion panel is configured to disperse a shock wave caused by an impact on the second surface to prevent separation of the plurality of core layers.

Impact force dispersal assembly for turbine engines and methods of fabricating the same

Apparatuses, components, methods, and techniques for ultrasound imaging of patient anatomy are provided. An example system for ultrasound imaging of patient anatomy includes an ultrasound probe and a probe interface device. An example ultrasound probe includes a handle, an elongate member coupled to the handle and a two-dimensional array of ultrasound transducers coupled to the elongate member. The ultrasound transducers emit ultrasound when activated. An example probe interface device is communicatively coupled to the ultrasound probe. The example probe interface device is configured to activate at least one of the ultrasound transducers and to receive data corresponding to ultrasonic waves captured by a plurality of the ultrasound transducers.

Ultrasound imaging of anatomy

A method and system for microstructural evaluation and degradation evaluation of an object are provided. The method comprises insonifying at least one subvolume of the object with ultrasonic energy at a fundamental frequency and acquiring receive energy from the object at the fundamental frequency and at least one harmonic frequency thereof. A nonlinearity parameter is determined using the receive energy. The nonlinearity parameter is then used to determine a grain size for the subvolume of the object and a variation of the grain size within the object. The nonlinearity parameter is also used to determine fatigue damage or a residual stress.

Ultrasonic inspection system and method

Methods and apparatus for fabricating a component is provided. The method includes receiving an ultrasound image of the component, selecting a subimage that includes a first surface of the component and an inspection area of the component, combining a filtered subimage with the selected subimage, and outputting the combined image to at least one of a display and an analyzer.

Methods and system for ultrasound inspection

An ultrasound inspection system is provided. The ultrasound inspection system includes a pulse echo transducer and a processor that is operationally coupled to the transducer. The system facilitates reducing noise in an echo received from a near surface inspection area of a component. To facilitate reducing noise the processor is programmed to extract an A-scan data set from a B-scan image of the component. The processor is also programmed to locate a half-max point of a front surface echo in the A-scan data set. The processor is also programmed to locate the front surface of the component using a first zero crossing in a derivative of the A-scan data set.

The present disclosure provides for the application of a two-dimensional ultrasonic phased array (), formed of a plurality of transducers () arranged in a rectilinear pattern, for material and volumetric component testing. The two-dimensional array enables electronic adjustment of the focal properties and size of the aperture in both the azimuthal and elevational directions such that uniform and/or specified sound field characteristics can be obtained at any or all locations in the component being tested.

Two dimensional phased arrays for volumetric ultrasonic inspection and methods of use

A method of inspecting a component includes immersing the component in a coupling medium with material velocity cand immersing an ultrasonic (UT) probe having at least one transducer in the coupling medium. The UT probe has a convex lens with acoustic velocity cand an acoustic impedance less than about 2.5&#xd7;10Rayls. The method further includes exciting the transducer to produce an UT pulse directed into the component and generating echo signals using the transducer as a receive element. An US inspection system includes UT probe, a pulser/receiver configured to supply signal excitation pulses to the transducer element at a pulse repetition frequency (prf) of at least about 1000 Hz and a scanner configured to scan the component with the UT probe at a scanning rate equal to the prf times a scanning increment.

Ultrasonic probe and inspection method and system

An ultrasonic transducer system has at least one ultrasonic transducer. Each ultrasonic transducer includes a housing having a wall that is made at least in part of an organic structural material that is substantially impervious to water; and an ultrasonic sensor element located at least in part within the housing and positioned to transceive ultrasonic signals. The wall is preferably cylindrical in shape and made of polyvinylchloride plastic. An electrically grounded shield is within the housing and adjacent to an interior wall surface. The ultrasonic sensor element may be a piezoelectric copolymer film ultrasonic sensor element.

Ultrasonic transducer system having an organic-structural-material housing

A method for inspecting a component includes exciting a number of transducers forming an array to produce an ultrasonic transmission beam (beam) focused into the component. The array and the component are separated by a standoff. A number of echo signals are generated using the transducers, and the echo signals are processed in a number of channels. The processing includes both dynamical focus and providing a dynamic aperture on receive, both of which compensate for refraction of the beam at the component/standoff interface. A single-turn inspection method includes: (a) positioning the array facing the component, (b) exciting the transducers, (c) generating a number of echo signals, (d) changing the relative angular orientation of the array and the component around an axis and repeating steps (b) and (c), and (e) processing the echo signals to form at least one processed echo signal.

Phased array ultrasonic inspection method for industrial applications

Dental formations, including teeth, gums and supporting bone structure within the oral cavity, can be mapped by ultrasonic scanning technique, thus allowing examination and diagnosis of conditions within the intraosseous environment, including hard and soft tissue. The mapping technique can provide highly resolved details of formations, such as teeth and bridges, and their resident defect, including caries and cracks. The mapped data allow for a more precise and accurate diagnosis for the dental patient, and it provides the dentist with a detailed archive for diagnosis.

Method of mapping internal 3-D structure of dental formations

A method for setting up a transparent confinement media nozzle for flowing the confinement media during laser shock peening of a work piece includes the following steps: Step A) flowing a confinement media and setting a flow rate of the confinement media through a confinement media flow nozzle; Step B) positioning the nozzle to flow the confinement media through the nozzle and onto the correlation surface; and Step C) measuring a confinement media layer thickness on the correlation surface using an ultrasonic transducer attached to a side of the test piece opposite that of the correlation surface. The ultrasonic transducer is attached to a side of the test piece opposite that of the correlation surface. One embodiment of the invention employs the work piece as the test piece and the correlation surface is a first laser shock peening surface on a first side of the work piece. Further embodiments includes Step D) comparing the measured and recorded confinement media layer thickness from Step C) against a predetermined value or range of values for confinement media layer thickness and Step E) determining whether to reset the confinement media flow rate and/or nozzle position or proceeding with the laser shock peening of the work piece with the confinement media flow rate and nozzle position set in

Method for setting up and controlling confinement media flow in laser shock peening

An ultrasonic inspection element and method are provided for improved ultrasonic inspection of curved entry surface parts. The transducer element may be spherically focused, or have a flat surface. The transducer/mirror element combination is used to inspect through a concave or convex surface. A mirror element shapes the sound beam relative to the shape of the curved surface of the part being inspected. Curvature of the mirror is adjusted with a screw, rod, voltage modulator, or other suitable adjustment mechanism. An alternative mechanism includes multiple &ldquo;quick disconnect&rdquo; interchangeable curved mirror elements.

Adjustable acoustic mirror

An ultrasonic inspection element and method of fabrication are provided for ultrasonic inspection of curved surface parts. Various points on a transducer are located. These points include the location where a ray starts, to the desired focal point in the material being inspected. The path of the ray is through a water medium and a water-metal boundary. These points are fitted onto a cylindrical surface. The ray is back propagated until it is focused at the desired focal point.

Aspherical curved element transducer to inspect a part with curved entry surface

This disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for mapping the structure and topography of dental formations such as peridontium and teeth, both intact and prepared, for diagnosis and dental prosthetics and bridgework by using an ultrasonic scanning technique. This method can provide highly resolved details of orally situated dental formations thus enabling diagnosis and the preparation of precision moldings and fabrications that will provide greater comfort and longer wear to the dental patient.

Growing community of inventors

West Chester, OH, United States of America

Richard Eugene Klaassen