Sumitomo Metal Industries, Inc.

Sumitomo Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Shigeaki Matsumoto

Hisao Yamaguchi

Toshio Shiraiwa

Masatoshi Tomabechi

Kimio Nakajima

Disclosed herein is a fully automatic ultrasonic flaw detection apparatus convenient for flaw detection in a weld zone such as found in an welded iron structure. The apparatus includes a scanner for moving a ultrasonic transmitting and receiving probe in directions parallel to and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the object to be inspected or the testpiece, and an information processing unit for controlling the action of the scanner and processing received reflected ultrasonic wave flaw detection data. The probe is alternately moved parallel to and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the testpiece according to a predetermined scanning routine to perform rough flaw detection and the results of this rough flaw detection are produced as output. When the presence of flaw is detected during this rough flaw detection routine, the probe is returned to a position necessary to perform precision flaw detection of that flaw.

Fully automatic ultrasonic flaw detection apparatus

Method and apparatus for automatic ultrasonic flaw detection of pipe welding zones wherein the width of the weld zone is divided into a plurality of subdivisions. The ultrasonic energy received from each of the subdivisions is displayed by employing multichannel gate circuitry providing respective outputs in units of 10% of the height of the echoes in each subdivision on a cathode ray tube in synchronization with signals representative of the longitudinal and lateral position of the probes along the pipe with respect to a reference point. The height of the defective echoes in each gate are printed together with the positions of the probe. The positions of the defects are diagrammed by a computer, thereby enabling high-speed data processing of the flaw detection information, a decrease in the time for the precise flaw detection comparable to conventional manual flaw detection method and apparatus and easy determination of the flaw detection results.

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Amagasaki, Japan

Shigeaki Matsumoto