General Electric Company

Ge Sensing & Inspection Technologies, Gmbh

Other

Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC

Ge Global Sourcing LLC

Ge Inspection Technologies, Gmbh

Baker Hughes Holdings LLC

Baker Hughes Energy Services LLC

Bundesrepublik Deutschland Vertreten Durch Das Bundesministerium Fur Wirtschaft Und Technologie

Stephan Falter

Dieter Lingenberg

Stephan Schmitz

Roman Heinrich Koch

Reinhard Prause

Alexander Felix Fiseni

Christof Breidenbach

Alexander Fiseni

Sven Runte

Daniel Koers

Sebastian Standop

Matthias Erhard Schwabe

Thomas Weise

James Norman Barshinger

Matthew Harvey Krohn

Mark Howard Feydo

Walter Franz De Odorico

Andreas Franzen

Dirk Lange

Benjamin Hoemske

Gerhard Finger

Prashanth Kumar Chinta

Daniel Werner

Rainer Vierhaus

Marek Parusel

Klaus-Peter Busch

Damian Meinert

Werner Lammerich

Christof Breidenback

Guenter Fuchs

René Pfortje

Lars Rohpeter

Wolfgang Dick

Luca Scaccabarozzi

Helmut Breidenbach

Thomas Heckel

Cord Heinrich Asche

Kurt Guenter Fuchs

Frank Henrix

Jorg Ininger

Roman Koch

Jörg Ininger

Matthias Schwabe

Uwe Völz

A phased array ultrasonic transducer includes a bonding wire structure, a damping material, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, and a printed circuit board. The bonding wire structure includes a plurality of bonding wire elements. The damping material surrounds the bonding wire structure and is interposed with the plurality of bonding wire elements. The plurality of ultrasonic transducers is arranged in a matrix beneath a membrane, each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers being coupled to a corresponding bonding wire element of the plurality of bonding wire elements. The printed circuit board includes a plurality of circuits. Each of the plurality of circuits is coupled to a corresponding bonding wire element of the plurality of bonding wire elements.

Phased array ultrasonic transducer and method of manufacture

A wear sole, an ultrasonic inspection apparatus having a wear sole, and methods for using the same are provided. In one embodiment, the ultrasonic inspection apparatus can include a body, a wear sole, and a fluid channel. The body can define a first chamber configured to receive a first volume of ultrasonic couplant and a distal end of an ultrasonic probe. The wear sole can define a second chamber configured to receive a second volume of ultrasonic couplant and the wear sole can be removably coupled to a distal end of the body. The wear sole can also have a membrane extending thereacross for separating the first chamber from the second chamber. The fluid channel can extend through the body and the wear sole can be configured to deliver the second volume of ultrasonic couplant to the second chamber.

Coupling for ultrasonic inspection of pipes

Systems and methods for monitoring the condition of ultrasonic transducers and ultrasonic probes used in non-destructive testing are provided. In one aspect, a degree of deterioration and end of life of an ultrasonic transducer can be estimated based upon measured environmental and/or operating parameters of the ultrasonic transducer. In another aspect, testing parameters acquired by a single ultrasonic probe or different ultrasonic probes can be measured and analyzed to identify deterioration of an ultrasonic probe.

Condition monitoring of ultrasonic transducers and probes

A method for non-destructive inspection of a weld seam. An array of ultrasonic transducers is positioned such that the array of transducers extends over at least part of the width of the weld seam. Each transducer element in the array of transducer elements is excited so that each transducer emits an ultrasonic signal. A plurality of reflected ultrasonic signals are received at the array of transducer elements and the reflected ultrasonic signals are converted to electrical signals. The electrical signals are analyzed to identify a defect, or a plurality of defects.

Method for inspecting a weld seam

A method for the nondestructive testing of a test object by ultrasound is provided, the method including generating a pulsed ultrasonic field in the test object by means of an array of individually drivable ultrasonic transmitting transducers acoustically coupled to the test object. The ultrasonic transmitting transducers are each driven with a specific analog transient excitation signal, wherein each analog transient excitation signal is generated based on an ultrasonic transmitting transducer-specific stored digital transient excitation function. The method further includes receiving resulting echo signals from the test object by means of an array of individually drivable ultrasonic receiving transducers, with each ultrasonic receiving transducer providing an analog time-resolved echo signal, temporarily storing the time-resolved, transducer-specific, digitized echo signals in the form of an echo signal set, and applying a plurality of different reception processing rules to the echo signal set.

Method for the non-destructive testing of a test object by means of ultrasound and device therefor

An ultrasonic holography imaging system and method are provided. The ultrasonic holography imaging system includes an ultrasonic transducer array coupled to an analog processing section. The analog processing section is coupled to a digital processing section. The digital processing section generates digital signals to be converted by the analog processing section into analog signals that are transmitted to individual transceiver elements within the ultrasonic transducer array to cause separate ones of the individual transceiver elements to emit ultrasonic waveforms that are differentiated from each other by one or more parameters, including amplitude, frequency, and phase or modulation thereof.

Ultrasonic holography imaging system and method

The invention relates to a method for testing of a train wheel by ultrasound. The method is based on a pulsed ultrasonic field in the train wheel to be tested by an array of individually controllable ultrasonic transmitting transducers acoustically coupled to the train wheel each controlled with a specific analog transient excitation signal. Each analog transient excitation signal generated based on an ultrasonic transmitting transducer-specific stored digital transient excitation function. The resulting echo signals from the train wheel to be tested are recorded by an array of individually controllable ultrasonic receiving transducers. Each ultrasonic receiving transducer can provide an analog, time-resolved echo signal. The received echo signals can be digitized in a transducer-specific way and stored in a set. A plurality of different reception processing rules can then be applied to the latter. Furthermore, the invention relates to a device for carrying out the method.

Method for detecting flaw in train wheel with single ultrasonic pulse and testing device therefor

A method and system for inspecting a rail profile include using ultrasonic phased arrays. Determined anomalies, such as material flaws like volumetric defects and cracks, in a fluid-immersed rail profile are detected by employing one or more phased array probes located proximate the rail profile. Electronic delays and beam steering and focusing can be employed to tailor the inspection to the rail geometry.

Method and system for inspecting a rail profile using phased array technology

An inspection system for performing an inspection of an end region of a part is provided. The inspection system includes a robotic assembly positioned along a side of the part. The inspection system includes an ultrasonic probe coupled to the robotic assembly and positioned in proximity to the end region of the part. The ultrasonic probe is moved by the robotic assembly along a path to inspect the end region of the part. During the inspection, the ultrasonic probe transmits a signal towards the end region of the part and receives a reflected signal from the end region of the part. The inspection system provides, as a single system, for inspection of both a body of the part and the end region of the part.

Ultrasonic bar and tube end testing with linear axis robot

An ultrasonic matrix phased array inspection system can include a plurality of curved matrix phased array probes surrounding a test chamber through which a longitudinal test object passes. Fluid injectors can provide a rotating fluid jacket around the longitudinal test object to ultrasonically couple the plurality of curved matrix phased array probes to the longitudinal test object. The plurality of curved matrix phased array probes can remain in a fixed position during inspection and can inspect the longitudinal test object by transmitting ultrasonic sound waves at various angles to identify flaws of any orientation.

Ultrasonic inspection system

Systems and methods are disclosed herein in which multi-level square wave excitation signals are used instead of or in addition to fully-analog excitation signals to drive an array of transceiver elements to create a sound field. Use of multi-level square wave excitation signals produces acceptable transceiver output with reduced complexity, cost, and/or power consumption as compared with use of fully-analog excitation signals. In addition, use of such signals facilitates system implementation using application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and is not as restricted in voltage level and speed. At the same time, the benefits and applications of fully-analog excitation signals (e.g., acoustic holography, beam superposition, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvements, suppression of parasitic modes, increased material penetration, potential for coded pulsing algorithms and suppression of side lobes in ultrasonic field) can still be achieved with multi-level square wave excitation signals.

Acoustical holography with multi-level square wave excitation signals

An inspection arrangement and an associated method for inspecting an elongate object. The arrangement includes a housing providing an interior space. The housing has an entrance and exit that are aligned. The arrangement includes a plurality of ultrasonic sensor arrays disposed to direct ultrasonic sensory pluses. Each sensor array has a plurality of ultrasonic sensors with each ultrasonic sensor positioned to direct a respective ultrasonic sensory pulse in a respective direction. The arrangement includes a fluid delivery device that delivers a coupling fluid into the interior space. The coupling fluid transmits the ultrasonic sensory pluses to the elongate object. The arrangement includes a plurality of redirecting elements associated with the plurality of ultrasonic sensor arrays. Each redirecting element is positioned such that ultrasonic sensory pluses from the respective ultrasonic sensor array proceed through the respective redirecting element and are redirected along a different direction.

Linear scanner with rotating coupling fluid

A method for ultrasonic testing of an object, the method comprising ultrasonic scanning of a plurality of scan regions of the object; converting ultrasonic echoes of the ultrasonic scanning into a plurality of electrical signals; gating the electrical signals to provide gated signals; and wherein different gating times are used for the electrical signals.

Method and apparatus for ultrasonic testing

The invention relates to a method for processing signals which are generated by the reflection of ultrasonic waves by defects in the surface of objects during the non-destructive testing of objects such as pipes, bars, sheet metal, or uniform and complex carbon-fiber components. Said method comprises the following steps: emission of a complete wavefront onto at least one test section of the object, using a plurality of independent emission elements; receiving a wave reflected by the structure of the object by means of a plurality of receiver elements that are independent of one another; digitalization of the signals received by the receiver elements in digitizing steps; continuous modification of delay values and/or the number of receiver elements for each digitalization step (on-the-fly).

Method for the non-destructive testing of objects using ultrasound

Growing community of inventors

Simmerath, Germany

Stephan Falter