Large-diameter ring gear ultrasonic water immersion detection equipment and method of use thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of large-diameter ring gear ultrasonic water immersion detection equipment, including water tank, the inner of water tank is provided with for carrying workpiece and driving workpiece rotation and rotation swing's rotating frame, gantry is provided with liftable ultrasonic probe assembly, water tank is also provided with bubble removal device, rotating frame drives workpiece to be inclined in water tank, using bubble removal device to be along the one-way exhaust path of the tooth top side of workpiece tooth valley bottom, eliminate the bubble attached in workpiece tooth valley bottom, rotating frame is back to normal to horizontal state after completing bubble elimination operation, gantry drives liftable ultrasonic probe assembly reciprocating linear displacement along the guide rail, and ultrasonic flaw detection is carried out to workpiece outer circle.Workpiece is inclined by rotating frame, and tooth valley becomes inclined groove as exhaust groove, so that gas is oriented to tooth top side and escapes along tooth surface, actively desorbed and collected with bubble removal device, meet the flow line batch detection beat, eliminate its interference to ultrasonic flaw detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ultrasonic flaw detection technology, and in particular to an ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] Ultrasonic testing is a non-destructive testing technique that utilizes the property of ultrasonic waves to propagate within materials and reflect upon encountering defects. It detects internal cracks, pores, and other defects without damaging the workpiece and is widely used in industrial quality inspection. It relies on high-frequency ultrasonic waves (frequency exceeding 20,000 Hz) penetrating the workpiece. When the sound waves encounter internal defects, they are reflected. The probe receives the reflected signal and converts it into a visual waveform. The depth, size, and nature of the defect can be determined by the position and height of the waveform. The pulse-echo method is currently the most widely used testing method. Ultrasonic immersion testing is the mainstream solution for high-precision non-destructive testing of ring-shaped workpieces. Using water as the coupling medium, it can stably achieve full-circumferential defect scanning, adapting to the inspection needs of precision ring-shaped components such as aerospace bearing rings and engine disc rings. During testing, the ring-shaped workpiece and probe are fully or partially immersed in water. Ultrasonic waves propagate stably as longitudinal waves in water. Upon entering the workpiece, they encounter defects such as cracks, inclusions, and voids, generating reflected signals. By analyzing these signals, the location, quantification, and qualitative judgment of the defect can be completed. Compared to contact testing, it offers more uniform coupling and a smaller detection blind zone. Among them, large-diameter ring-shaped workpieces such as gears may develop irregular small pits on the tooth valley surface during the manufacturing process due to tool wear and other reasons. Soft spots during heat treatment are also prone to surface spalling pits. Secondly, cutting vibrations during gear hobbing and uneven quenching cooling can also cause shallow micro-cracks at the root of the tooth valley, which are the most dangerous initial defects for large-diameter gears. These two types of defects directly cause air bubbles to adhere to the defect location during water immersion testing, disrupting the uniformity of water layer coupling, blocking ultrasonic waves from entering the workpiece, causing bottom wave attenuation, signal distortion, and even false defect echoes, significantly reducing detection accuracy. Current processing methods often involve spraying the workpiece with water, slowly immersing it in deionized water, and allowing it to stand for a long time to allow the air bubbles to rise automatically. This is inefficient, requiring at least 24 hours of standing time, which cannot meet the requirements of batch testing on a production line. Furthermore, while removing large air bubbles, it cannot completely remove the tiny air bubbles hidden in the tooth valley pits of the gear. These small air bubbles become ultrasonic wave scatterers, interfering with the detection. To address the aforementioned issues, it is necessary to further improve existing ultrasonic water immersion testing equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears and its usage method to address the above problems.

[0004] An ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears includes a water tank. Inside the water tank is a rotating frame for supporting the workpiece and driving its rotation and oscillation. A guide rail for movably mounting a gantry frame is provided on the long side of the water tank. A liftable ultrasonic probe assembly is mounted on the gantry frame. An air bubble removal device is also provided inside the water tank. After the rotating frame tilts the workpiece within the water tank, the side of the workpiece facing the air bubble removal device is positioned higher than the bottom of the tooth valley. The air bubble removal device uses a one-way exhaust path from the bottom of the tooth valley to the tooth tip to eliminate air bubbles adhering to the bottom of the tooth valley. After completing the air bubble removal operation, the rotating frame returns the workpiece to a horizontal position. The gantry frame drives the liftable ultrasonic probe assembly to reciprocate linearly along the guide rail to perform ultrasonic flaw detection on the outer ring of the workpiece.

[0005] Preferably, the tilt angle α of the workpiece when it is defoamed on the rotating frame in conjunction with the bubble removal device is 5 to 15 degrees.

[0006] Preferably, the rotating frame includes a side frame, a first support roller, a second support roller, a drive assembly, a central platform, and an electric rod. The side frame is square-shaped. The two second support rollers and the two first support rollers extend outward in a radial pattern on the same horizontal plane, with the central axis of the circular central platform as the center. The inner ends of the two first support rollers and the two second support rollers are movably connected to the central platform through sealed bearings. The outer ends of the two first support rollers are movably connected to the side frame through sealed bearings. The middle parts of the two second support rollers movably pass through the side frame through sealed bearings. The outer ends of the two second support rollers pass through the side wall of the water tank through sealed bearings. The inner ends of the two second support rollers are movably connected to the central platform through sealed bearings. The electric rod is installed on the side wall of the water tank. The output end of the electric rod is hinged to the side frame, driving the side frame to rotate around the central axis of the second support rollers. The workpiece is placed on the cross-shaped structure formed by the first support rollers and the second support rollers. The drive assembly is installed on the side wall of the water tank and is used to drive the workpiece to rotate on the first support rollers and the second support rollers.

[0007] Preferably, the platform includes a base, a lead screw, a rotary motor, several support arms, a guide rail, a slide block, support wheels, and a bracket. The bracket is mounted on the base and is square with open sides. The two ends of the lead screw are movably connected to the base and the bracket via bearings. The rotary motor is mounted on the top of the bracket and connected to the end of the lead screw via a coupling. A sliding sleeve is helically fitted on the lead screw. One end of each of the support arms is hinged to the sliding sleeve, and the other end is hinged to the slide block, which is slidably engaged with the guide rail. The support wheels are movably mounted on the side of the slide block away from the lead screw and roll against the inner ring of the workpiece.

[0008] Preferably, the drive assembly includes a servo motor and a drive roller. The drive roller moves through the side of the water tank via a sealed bearing. One end of the drive roller is in frictional contact with the lower surface of the workpiece, and the other end is connected to the output end of the servo motor.

[0009] Preferably, the bubble removal device includes a vibrator and a flow guide, which are mounted on a frame. There is a gap between the vibrator and the flow guide to accommodate the outer ring of the workpiece. The frame is connected to the output end of a horizontally arranged second electric push rod. The second electric push rod drives the vibrator and the flow guide to move closer to or away from the outer ring of the workpiece through the frame. The flow guide is connected to a regulating valve and a vacuum pump in sequence through a hose to adsorb bubbles that have detached from the workpiece.

[0010] Preferably, the flow guide shroud has several flat openings facing the tooth valleys of the workpiece, the flat openings are parallel to the tooth valleys of the workpiece, and the flat openings are connected to the flow guide shroud.

[0011] Preferably, the vibrator is wrapped with a flexible plastic ball head.

[0012] Preferably, the side of the water tank is provided with a working chamber for spraying and wetting the workpiece.

[0013] A method for using an ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears includes the following steps. S1. After spraying the workpiece with water, it is hoisted into a water tank containing deionized water and placed on a rotating frame. The rotating frame is used to position the workpiece. S2, using a rotating frame to drive the workpiece to rotate n times at an inclined angle a, a bubble removal device is used to apply controlled vibration to the high side of the outer ring of the workpiece, and collect the bubbles that float on the inner wall of the tooth valley on the high side of the outer ring of the workpiece. S3. After the workpiece is straightened from an inclined state to a horizontal state using a rotating frame and the water in the tank is in a static and stable state, ultrasonic flaw detection is performed on the outer ring of the workpiece using an ultrasonic probe assembly.

[0014] The advantages of this invention are as follows: This solution no longer relies on passively waiting for bubbles to rise naturally. Instead, it actively intervenes by tilting the workpiece with a rotating frame, transforming the tooth valley into an inclined groove as an exhaust channel. This allows gas to be directionally displaced along the tooth surface and escaped to the tooth tip. Combined with a bubble removal device, active desorption and collection are achieved. The debubbling time for the entire tooth valley can be reduced from hours to minutes, meeting the batch inspection cycle of the production line. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to lift and transfer the workpiece to another station for resting, thus eliminating the risk of reintroducing trapped gas during transport and avoiding the prolonged waiting time caused by "transportation + secondary resting." The opening side of the tooth valley is higher than the bottom of the valley, forming a one-way exhaust path from the bottom of the valley to the tooth tip. Microbubbles are "driven" out of the tooth valley pit along this path, rather than remaining in place. After being directionally displaced and collected, the microbubbles no longer remain in the tooth valley / tooth root area, eliminating their interference with ultrasonic testing and ensuring the accuracy of ultrasonic detection. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a front view structural schematic diagram of a large-diameter ring gear ultrasonic water immersion testing device according to one embodiment; Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram of a large-diameter ring gear ultrasonic water immersion testing device. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the middle platform structure; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the bubble removal device. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be practiced in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0017] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0018] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Example

[0019] like Figures 1-4As shown, an ultrasonic water immersion testing device for a large-diameter ring gear includes a water tank 1. Inside the water tank 1 is a rotating frame 2 for supporting a workpiece 100 and driving its rotation and swing. A guide rail 11 for movably mounting a gantry frame 5 is provided on the long side of the water tank 1. A liftable ultrasonic probe assembly 3 is mounted on the gantry frame 5. An air bubble removal device 4 is also provided inside the water tank 1. After the rotating frame 2 tilts the workpiece 100 inside the water tank 1, the side of the workpiece 100 facing the air bubble removal device 4 is positioned higher than the bottom of the air bubble. The air bubble removal device 4 uses a one-way exhaust path from the bottom of the air bubble to the top of the tooth to eliminate air bubbles attached to the bottom of the air bubble. After completing the air bubble removal operation, the rotating frame 2 returns the workpiece 100 to a horizontal position. The gantry frame 5 drives the liftable ultrasonic probe assembly 3 to reciprocate linearly along the guide rail 11 to perform ultrasonic flaw detection on the outer ring of the workpiece 100. Specifically, in this embodiment, before testing, deionized water is pre-filled into water tank 1, sufficient to submerge the workpiece 100. In this technical solution, the workpiece 100 to be tested is a large-diameter gear with a toothed outer ring. The tooth valleys of the toothed ring are periodic air-trapping pockets, and the pits and other defects within the tooth valleys easily allow tiny air bubbles to adhere to them. Pre-wetting alone is insufficient to eliminate these bubbles, and if they are not eliminated, they can easily affect the accuracy of subsequent ultrasonic testing. In this design, after immersing the workpiece 100 in the deionized water of water tank 1, it is placed on a rotating frame 2 using a hoisting method. The rotating frame 2 is configured to have two controlled degrees of freedom. The first is to tilt the workpiece, allowing it to be tilted at a small angle. This is used during the defoaming stage to adjust the workpiece 100 to an inclined posture where the opening side of the tooth valley is higher than the bottom of the tooth valley, forming the unidirectional exhaust path described below, which facilitates subsequent defoaming operations. Secondly, the rotating frame 2 can rotate around the axis of the workpiece 100 itself, which is used to drive the workpiece 100 to perform a circumferential scan relative to the ultrasonic probe assembly 3 during the ultrasonic testing stage. First, when the rotating frame 2 tilts the workpiece 100, the side of the workpiece 100 facing the bubble removal device 4 forms a geometric relationship where "the opening side of the tooth valley is higher than the bottom of the tooth valley". At this time, the tooth valley of the workpiece changes from a vertical slot to an inclined slot, and the gas / bubbles can be driven unidirectionally from the bottom of the tooth valley to the top of the tooth. The bubble removal device 4 is activated at this tilted position of the workpiece 100 to eliminate the bubbles attached to the bottom of the tooth valley of the workpiece. By rotating the tilted workpiece 100, the bubbles attached to all the tooth valleys on the outer ring of the workpiece 100 can be eliminated without moving the bubble removal device 4. After the bubbles on the workpiece 100 are removed, the rotating frame 2 returns the workpiece to a horizontal state. At this time, the workpiece rotates horizontally, and the ultrasonic probe assembly 3, driven by the gantry frame 5, approaches the workpiece 100 and maintains a preset water distance from the outer ring of the workpiece 100, and the ultrasonic flaw detection operation can begin.This design solves the problem of repeated air trapping caused by the separation of the defoaming station and the detection station during water immersion testing of large gear ring workpieces by switching the posture of the workpiece 100 located underwater, rather than by transferring the workpiece. Furthermore, this design utilizes the tilting frame 2 to tilt the workpiece, making the opening side of the tooth valley higher than the bottom of the tooth valley. Combined with the bubble removal device 4 on the fixed side, this forms a unidirectional exhaust path from the bottom of the tooth valley to the top of the tooth. This is an original solution targeting the unique geometric air trapping mechanism of gears—the "periodic air trapping in the tooth valley"—of gear workpieces. The three stations—tilting for defoaming, returning to horizontal, and rotating the gantry 5, probe assembly 3, and workpiece 100—are controllably switched by hardware (the swing / rotation drive of the tilting frame 2, the displacement of the gantry 5, and the on / off state of the bubble removal device 4), providing process assurance for the static water conditions during the testing period. Meanwhile, compared to traditional underwater static degassing of workpieces, this technical solution is a novel active degassing technology. The degassing time for the entire tooth valley of the workpiece can be shortened from more than 24 hours to a few minutes to tens of minutes (depending on the tooth ring size, number of teeth, and water conditions), meeting the cycle time requirements of batch testing on the production line. Degassing and testing are carried out in the same water tank, eliminating the need to lift the workpiece out and transfer it to another station for static placement. This eliminates the risk of reintroducing trapped air during transportation and avoids the waiting time being lengthened by "transportation + secondary static placement".

[0020] Specifically, the tilt angle α of the workpiece 100 when performing defoaming operation on the rotating frame 2 in conjunction with the bubble removal device 4 is 5~15 degrees. In this design, the workpiece is a large-diameter gear. If the tilt angle of the tooth valley is too small, the height difference between the bottom of the tooth valley and the tooth tip is insufficient, and the gravitational force (along the tooth surface) on the gas is weak, making it difficult to overcome the contact line pinning force between the bubbles and the tooth surface, as well as the surface tension of the liquid. At this time, the trapped gas in the tooth valley tends to "remain in place" rather than "be driven upwards along the tooth surface," resulting in poor defoaming effect. When α>15°, although the driving force increases, an excessively large tilt angle will cause the tooth valley opening direction to be too horizontal or even downwards, causing some bubbles to be "thrown" into the depths of the tooth valley or adjacent tooth valleys during the driving process, disrupting the stability of the unidirectional exhaust path. Simultaneously, an excessively large tilt angle will cause a significant change in the relative position between the tooth tip and the guide shield, which is not conducive to maintaining the uniformity of the non-contact gap. When the tilt angle a∈[5°,15°], the component of gravity along the tooth surface is sufficient to overcome the pinning force, so that the bubbles are stably and continuously displaced along the bottom of the tooth valley to the tooth tip, forming a reliable unidirectional exhaust path, without producing reverse flow or bubble retention.

[0021] like Figures 1-3As shown, the rotating frame 2 includes a side frame 21, a first support roller 22, a second support roller 23, a drive assembly 24, a central platform 25, and an electric rod 26. The side frame 21 is square-shaped. The two second support rollers 23 and the two first support rollers 22 extend outward in a radial pattern on the same horizontal plane, centered on the central axis of the circular central platform 25. The inner ends of the two first support rollers 22 and the two second support rollers 23 are movably connected to the central platform 25 through sealed bearings, and the outer ends of the two first support rollers 22 are movably connected to the side frame 21 through sealed bearings. The middle part of the second support roller 23 passes through the side frame 21 through a sealed bearing. The outer ends of the two second support rollers 23 pass through the side wall of the water tank 1 through sealed bearings and are connected to the output end of the drive assembly 24. The electric rod 26 is installed on the side wall of the water tank 1. The output end of the electric rod 26 is hinged to the side frame 21, which drives the side frame 21 to swing around the central axis of the second support roller 23. The workpiece 100 is set on the cross structure formed by the first support roller 22 and the second support roller 23 and rotates under the drive of the second support roller 23. Specifically, in this embodiment, after the workpiece is hoisted into the water tank 1, the workpiece 100 sits on a cross-shaped support structure consisting of two second support rollers 23 and two first support rollers 22. The axis is positioned by a central platform 25, which is used to internally support and position the workpiece 100. During internal support, it rolls in contact with the inner ring of the workpiece 100 without affecting the normal rotation of the workpiece. Using the central platform 25 can prevent the workpiece 100 from shifting or deviating during tilting and rotation, thus preventing collisions with the ultrasonic probe assembly 3 and the bubble removal device 4. The drive assembly 24 (such as a servo motor and reducer) drives the two second support rollers 23 to rotate synchronously in opposite directions. The second support rollers 23 drive the outer circle (tooth tip circle or end face tooling) of the workpiece 100 through frictional contact, causing the workpiece 100 to rotate around its own axis. The first support rollers 22 follow suit and play a load-bearing role. The cross-shaped radial four-roller support structure is suitable for heavy-duty large toothed rings, increases the contact area, and makes it less prone to slippage during rotation. The second support roller 23 drives the workpiece to rotate, which is convenient for the ultrasonic probe assembly 3 and the bubble removal device 4 to perform flaw detection and defoaming operations. The roller bodies of the driven roller and the driving roller are coated with PU in the water section. The shaft seal uses a waterproof sealed bearing + lip seal / mechanical seal double layer, and the service life is controllable. During defoaming, the workpiece needs to be tilted. In this design, this is achieved using an electric rod 26 attached to the inner wall of the water tank 1. When the electric rod 26 extends, it pushes the side frame 21 to swing around the central axis of the second support roller 23. The side frame 21 drives the first support roller 22, the central platform 25, and the workpiece 100 to tilt together, forming an inclination angle α. At this time, the tooth valley opening side of the tilted side of the workpiece 100 is higher than the bottom of the tooth valley, and a one-way exhaust path is established. In the tilted state, the workpiece 100 is driven to rotate by the second support roller 23, and the bubble removal device 4 can perform 360° defoaming on the outer ring of the workpiece. When the electric rod 26 retracts, the side frame 21 swings back to the horizontal position (the axis of the central platform 25 returns to vertical), and the workpiece 100 returns to the upright position and enters ultrasonic testing.

[0022] like Figure 3As shown, the central platform 25 includes a base 251, a lead screw 252, a rotary motor 253, several support arms 254, a guide rail 255, a slide block 256, a support wheel 257, and a bracket 258. The bracket 258 is mounted on the base 251 and is square with open sides. The two ends of the lead screw 252 are movably connected to the base 251 and the bracket 258 respectively through bearings. The rotary motor 253 is mounted on the top of the bracket 258 and connected to the end of the lead screw 252 through a coupling. A sliding sleeve is spirally sleeved on the lead screw 252. One end of each of the support arms 254 is hinged to the sliding sleeve, and the other end is hinged to the slide block 256 which is slidably engaged on the guide rail 255. The support wheel 257 is movably mounted on the side of the slide block 256 away from the lead screw 252 and rolls against the inner ring of the workpiece 100. Specifically, one end of the guide rail 255 is connected to the side frame 21, and the other end is connected to the base 251, thus using the side frame 21 as a load-bearing body. The guide rail 255 is staggered from the first support roller and the second support roller, forming a star shape. In the initial state, the rotary motor 253 is not powered, the lead screw 252 is stationary, the sliding sleeve is located at a certain initial position of the lead screw 252, the support arm 254 is in a retracted state, and the slide block 256 is close to the axis of the lead screw 252 along the guide rail 255. The support wheel 257 is in an inward position and does not contact the inner ring of the workpiece 100. The workpiece 100 (large-diameter ring gear) is hoisted or pushed onto the second support roller 23 and the first support roller 22 of the rotating frame 2. At this time, the inner ring of the workpiece 100 is roughly aligned with the center of the platform 25. The rotary motor 253 is started and drives the lead screw 252 to rotate through the coupling. The sliding sleeve (nut) on the lead screw 252 moves axially along the lead screw 252 (lead screw rotation → nut linear movement). The axial movement of the sliding sleeve is converted into the radial movement of the slide block 256 through the hinged support arm 254 (the support arm 254 is equivalent to a crank-slider mechanism: the sliding sleeve moves axially → the support arm angle changes → pushing the slide block 256 to slide radially along the guide rail 255). The slide block 256 drives the support wheel 257 to extend radially outward until the support wheel 257 contacts the inner ring surface of the workpiece 100 and applies a certain preload. Multiple support arms 254 move synchronously, so that the inner ring of the workpiece 100 is evenly supported from the inside by the support wheel 257, realizing automatic centering. During the defoaming or inspection phase of workpiece 100, the support wheel 257 maintains rolling contact with the inner ring of workpiece 100 (the support wheel 257 can rotate freely), without hindering the rotation of workpiece 100, while providing radial support force to prevent radial runout or axial movement of workpiece 100 during rotation. After inspection, the rotary motor 253 reverses, the lead screw 252 rotates in the opposite direction, the sliding sleeve retracts, the support arm 254 retracts, and the slide block 256 drives the support wheel 257 to retract radially inward, disengaging from the inner ring of workpiece 100, allowing workpiece 100 to be lifted out or moved out.This structure applies radial support force from the inner ring through the support wheel 257, forming a dual constraint of "outer ring drive + inner ring centering," effectively suppressing the radial runout and axial movement of the workpiece 100 during rotation. This provides a more stable geometric reference for ultrasonic testing. Understandably, the support wheel 257 and the inner ring of the workpiece 100 roll against each other, and the preload is controlled within the range that only provides centering constraint. During swinging and rotation, the support wheel 257 rolls relative to the inner ring of the workpiece 100 without generating significant additional resistance. The inner diameter of the wind turbine gear ring varies depending on the model; the platform in this design can accommodate workpieces of different diameters. Meanwhile, the support wheel 257 in this design is made of polyurethane or nylon with a hardness of Shore A 85–95 to avoid scratching the inner ring surface of the workpiece 100; the rotary motor 253 is a servo motor or stepper motor and is equipped with an absolute encoder to achieve precise control and repeatable positioning of the radial position of the support wheel 257; the lead screw 252 is a trapezoidal lead screw or ball screw and is equipped with a brake to maintain a self-locking position after tightening to prevent loosening due to vibration or external force.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, the drive assembly 24 includes a servo motor 241 and a drive roller 242. The drive roller 242 movably passes through the side of the water tank 1 via a sealed bearing. One end of the drive roller 242 is in frictional contact with the lower surface of the workpiece 100, and the other end is connected to the output end of the servo motor 241. Specifically, after receiving a control command, the servo motor 241 outputs torque, which is transmitted to the drive roller 242 through a coupling or direct connection. The drive roller 242 rotates around its own axis, and its inner section is in frictional contact with the lower surface of the workpiece 100. Relying on friction, it drives the workpiece 100 to rotate around its own axis, thereby facilitating subsequent defoaming and ultrasonic flaw detection operations.

[0024] like Figure 4As shown, the bubble removal device 4 includes a vibrator 41 and a flow guide 42. The vibrator 41 and the flow guide 42 are mounted on a frame 43. There is a gap space between the vibrator 41 and the flow guide 42 to accommodate the outer ring of the workpiece 100. The frame 43 is connected to the output end of a horizontally arranged second electric push rod 44. The second electric push rod 44 drives the vibrator 41 and the flow guide 42 to move closer to or away from the outer ring of the workpiece 100 through the frame 43. The flow guide 42 is connected to a regulating valve and a vacuum pump in sequence through a hose to adsorb bubbles detached from the workpiece 100. Specifically, in this embodiment, the frame 43 is an integral rigid frame. Its L-shaped geometry creates a gap space between the vibrator 41 and the flow guide 42 mounted on it, which is used to accommodate the outer ring of the workpiece 100. That is, during defoaming operations, the mold frame 43, driven by the second electric actuator 44, approaches the higher side of the inclined workpiece 100. In the working position, the outer ring (tooth tip circle) of the workpiece 100 is located between the vibrator 41 and the guide shroud 42. The vibrator 41 contacts the non-working surface of the workpiece 100 from one side (e.g., the end face side or the spoke side), and the guide shroud 42 aligns with the tooth valley or tooth tip outer circle from the other side (e.g., the tooth tip side). It should be noted that the mold frame 43 is fixedly connected to the output end of the horizontally positioned second electric actuator 44. The telescopic movement of the second electric actuator 44 causes the mold frame 43 to move horizontally, thereby causing the vibrator 41 and the guide shroud 42 to move closer to or further away from the outer ring of the workpiece 100. When defoaming is required, the workpiece 100 is first rotated and tilted to the exhaust position. The second electric actuator 44 extends, and the frame 43 advances to the exhaust position. At this time, the vibrator 41 presses against the lower end of the toothed groove of the workpiece 100, and the guide shroud 42 is partially submerged in deionized water and connected to the negative pressure suction system. When defoaming needs to be stopped, the second electric actuator 44 retracts, and the frame 43 retracts to the standby position, completely disengaging the outer ring of the workpiece 100 from the bubble removal device 4. After the bubbles detach from the workpiece, they float to the surface and are captured by the guide shroud 42. It should be noted that the internal cavity of the guide shroud 42 is connected to the regulating valve and vacuum pump in sequence via a flexible hose. The hose is a flexible conduit to accommodate the displacement changes during the movement of the frame 43. Simultaneously, the low-frequency vibration generated by the vibrator 41 during operation is transmitted to the guide shroud 42 through the frame 43, but the hose effectively blocks the transmission of this vibration to the regulating valve and vacuum pump, preventing resonance or loosening of the piping system. The regulating valve controls the suction flow rate and negative pressure, while the vacuum pump provides a continuous negative pressure source. During operation, the vacuum pump creates negative pressure within the guide shroud 42 via a flexible hose, adsorbing and removing air bubbles and humid gases floating near the guide shroud 42 (i.e., the tip side of the workpiece 100 teeth). Simultaneously, overflow holes are provided on the portion of the guide shroud 42 submerged in deionized water, allowing for the free flow of deionized water.

[0025] like Figure 4As shown, the flow guide shroud 42 is provided with several flat openings 421 facing the tooth valleys of the workpiece 100. The flat openings 421 are parallel to the tooth valleys of the workpiece 100 and are connected to the flow guide shroud 42. Specifically, the flat openings 421 are arranged in an arc-shaped interval along the outer circumference of the workpiece 100, so that each flat opening 421 matches the corresponding tooth valley of the workpiece. The flat openings 421 are all long and narrow slits, extending along the axial direction of the workpiece 100. Each flat opening 421 is circumferentially aligned with one tooth valley of the workpiece 100. All flat openings 421 are connected to the internal cavity of the flow guide shroud 42, which is then connected to an external negative pressure suction system via a flexible hose. Because the flat openings 421 are aligned with and parallel to the tooth valleys, the end of the trajectory of the bubbles detached from and rising from the tooth valleys passes directly below the flat openings 421 before reaching the liquid surface. This makes the negative pressure suction more targeted, reduces energy waste in ineffective suction areas (such as above the tooth tip), and improves the defoaming efficiency per unit suction volume. The gap δ between the flat opening 421 and the tooth valley (the closest distance from the lower edge of the flat opening 421 to the bottom of the tooth valley or the tooth surface) is controlled within the range of 1–5 mm to ensure non-contact and not obstruct the exhaust path of the tooth valley. The width (circumferential dimension) of the flat opening 421 is preferably smaller than the width of the tooth valley opening to avoid covering adjacent tooth tips and interfering with the flow field in non-detection areas.

[0026] like Figure 4 As shown, the vibrator 41 is wrapped with a flexible plastic ball head, which is made of water-resistant polyurethane to reduce the rate of water absorption and aging, and to extend its service life, but it still needs to be replaced periodically. The workpiece 100 has a gear structure, and its tooth valleys are precision milled or ground, resulting in high hardness but sensitive surface quality. Hard contact between the vibrator 41 and the tooth valleys of the workpiece 100 will cause stress integration and easily leave scratches. The flexible plastic ball head wrapping disperses the contact stress and does not damage the workpiece surface. Secondly, during the defoaming operation, the workpiece 100 is always in a tilted rotational state. Before and after tilting, the normal direction of the contact surface between the vibrator's push point and the workpiece changes. By wrapping the vibrator 41 with a flexible plastic ball head, it is always in point contact with self-centering, and the contact geometry remains basically unchanged during the tilting angle α, thus stabilizing the vibration transmission direction. When the vibrator 41 is working, it makes flexible contact with the tooth valley of the workpiece 100. The vibrator 41 is configured to output a low-frequency micro-amplitude vibration with a frequency of 20–120 Hz and a relative displacement amplitude of < 200 μm on the tooth surface. This is used to break the contact line pinning state of the bubbles in the tooth valley, so that the bubbles in the tooth valley are converted into a free state that can be displaced. This is then discharged in conjunction with the inclined exhaust path of the tooth valley. When the vibrator 41 is flexibly wrapped, the flexible contact with the tooth valley area results in "near-field micro-amplitude", which causes little disturbance to the deionized water.

[0027] like Figure 1As shown, a chamber 20 for spraying and wetting the workpiece 100 is provided on the side of the water tank 1. When the workpiece 100 is hoisted into the water tank 1 and immersed in deionized water, it is pre-transported through the chamber 20 to pre-wet it, thereby driving away some of the air adsorbed on the workpiece surface and reducing the amount of bubbles generated in the deionized water. The chamber 20 is semi-sealed to prevent the water mist from spreading when spraying and wetting the workpiece. The wetting method is to directly use deionized water at the same temperature as the deionized water in the water tank, spraying it around the workpiece 100 in a 360-degree circle. The bottom of the chamber 20 has an integrated liquid collection tank for easy collection of dripping droplets. After wetting, the workpiece 100 is then hoisted into the water tank 1 for subsequent defoaming and testing. Example

[0028] A method for using an ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears includes the following steps. S1. After spraying and immersing the workpiece 100 in water, it is hoisted into a water tank 1 containing deionized water and placed on a rotating frame 2. The rotating frame 2 is used to position the workpiece 100. Specifically, the hoisting is carried out using a gantry crane to hoist the workpiece into the water tank. The rotating frame 2 is used to fix the workpiece. Specifically, the workpiece 100 is placed on a cross-shaped support frame formed by the driving roller 23 and the driven roller 22 of the rotating frame 2. The center platform 25 of the rotating frame 2 (lead screw 252 – support arm 254 – slide 256 – support wheel 257) radially supports and centers the workpiece 100 from the inner circle, so that the axis of the workpiece 100 is horizontal and coincides with the axis of the rotating frame 2.

[0029] S2, using the rotating frame 2 to drive the workpiece 100 to rotate n times at an inclined angle α, the bubble removal device 4 applies controlled vibration to the high side of the outer ring of the workpiece 100 and collects the bubbles floating on the inner wall of the tooth valley on the high side of the outer ring of the workpiece 100. Specifically, the electric rod 26 in the rotating frame 2 drives the side frame 21 to tilt, so that the workpiece 100 is tilted relative to the liquid surface at an angle α∈[5°,15°]. The outer ring of the workpiece 100 forms a high side and a low side in the deionized water, and the opening side of the tooth valley is higher than the bottom of the tooth valley. The drive assembly 24 is started to drive the workpiece 100 to rotate n times around its own central axis, and n satisfies: n × number of teeth covered on the high side ≥ total number of teeth of the workpiece 100 (or n=1–3 times, so that each tooth valley passes through the high side at least once; rotation through During the process, the vibrator 41 of the bubble removal device 4 outputs low-frequency micro-amplitude vibration of 20-120Hz and relative displacement of tooth surface <200μm through the contact of the non-working surface of the workpiece 100 with the flexible plastic ball head, which breaks the pinning of the bubbles at the tooth root / tooth valley; at the same time, the guide shroud 42 of the bubble removal device 4 is directly facing the high side tooth tip of the outer ring of the workpiece 100, and is connected to the vacuum pump through the hose-regulating valve-check valve-gas-liquid separation device to extract the bubbles and wet gas that float to the liquid surface from the deionized water.

[0030] S3, after the workpiece 100 is straightened from an inclined state to a horizontal state using the rotating frame 2 and the water in the water tank 1 is in a statically stable state, ultrasonic testing is performed on the outer ring of the workpiece 100 using the ultrasonic probe assembly 3. When the workpiece 100 is straightened to a horizontal state, the straightening path of the workpiece is limited to the tooth valley opening not passing through the upward extreme value interval to avoid the air film being pinned to the tooth root; after straightening, the static time window T (1~5min) is maintained. After the water disturbance decays and the amplitude jitter σ(A) of the echo of the tooth root area obtained by ultrasonic probing and the water distance position drift Δp converge to the threshold, static stability is determined; the gantry 5 is started to move along the guide rail 11, and ultrasonic testing is performed on the outer ring of the workpiece 100 in conjunction with the lifting and lowering of the ultrasonic probe assembly 3 and the rotation of the workpiece 100. During the test, the electric ball valve of the bubble removal device 4 is closed, the bypass valve is opened, and the vacuum pump runs without load.

[0031] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears, characterized in that: The device includes a water tank, inside which is a rotating frame for supporting the workpiece and driving its rotation and swing. A guide rail is provided on the long side of the water tank for movably mounting a gantry frame. A liftable ultrasonic probe assembly is mounted on the gantry frame. An air bubble removal device is also installed inside the water tank. After the rotating frame tilts the workpiece within the water tank, the side of the workpiece facing the air bubble removal device is positioned higher than the bottom of the air bubble. The air bubble removal device uses a one-way exhaust path from the bottom of the air bubble to the top of the air bubble to eliminate air bubbles adhering to the bottom of the air bubble. After completing the air bubble removal operation, the rotating frame returns the workpiece to a horizontal position. The gantry frame drives the liftable ultrasonic probe assembly to reciprocate linearly along the guide rail to perform ultrasonic flaw detection on the outer ring of the workpiece.

2. The ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The tilt angle α of the workpiece when it is defoamed on the rotating frame with the bubble removal device is 5 to 15 degrees.

3. The ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating frame includes a side frame, a first support roller, a second support roller, a drive assembly, a central platform, and an electric rod. The side frame is square-shaped. Two second support rollers and two first support rollers extend outward in a radial pattern on the same horizontal plane, centered on the central axis of the circular central platform. The inner ends of the two first support rollers and the two second support rollers are movably connected to the central platform via sealed bearings. The outer ends of the two first support rollers are movably connected to the side frame via sealed bearings. The middle portions of the two second support rollers movably penetrate the side frame via sealed bearings. The outer ends of the two second support rollers penetrate the side wall of the water tank via sealed bearings. The inner ends of the two second support rollers are movably connected to the central platform via sealed bearings. The electric rod is mounted on the side wall of the water tank. The output end of the electric rod is hinged to the side frame, driving the side frame to rotate around the central axis of the second support rollers. The workpiece is placed on the cross-shaped structure formed by the first and second support rollers. The drive assembly is mounted on the side wall of the water tank and is used to drive the workpiece to rotate on the first and second support rollers.

4. The ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The platform includes a base, a lead screw, a rotary motor, several support arms, a guide rail, a slide block, support wheels, and a bracket. The bracket is mounted on the base and is square with open sides. The two ends of the lead screw are movably connected to the base and the bracket via bearings. The rotary motor is mounted on the top of the bracket and connected to the end of the lead screw via a coupling. A sliding sleeve is helically fitted on the lead screw. One end of each of the support arms is hinged to the sliding sleeve, and the other end is hinged to the slide block, which is slidably engaged with the guide rail. The support wheels are movably mounted on the side of the slide block away from the lead screw and roll against the inner ring of the workpiece.

5. The ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The drive assembly includes a servo motor and a drive roller. The drive roller moves through the side of the water tank via a sealed bearing. One end of the drive roller is in frictional contact with the lower surface of the workpiece, and the other end is connected to the output end of the servo motor.

6. The ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The bubble removal device includes a vibrator and a flow guide. The vibrator and the flow guide are mounted on a frame, and there is a gap space between the vibrator and the flow guide to accommodate the outer ring of the workpiece. The frame is connected to the output end of a horizontally arranged second electric push rod. The second electric push rod drives the vibrator and the flow guide to move closer to or away from the outer ring of the workpiece through the frame. The flow guide is connected to a regulating valve and a vacuum pump in sequence through a hose to adsorb bubbles that have detached from the workpiece.

7. The ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The flow guide shroud has several flat openings facing the tooth valleys of the workpiece. The flat openings are parallel to the tooth valleys of the workpiece and are connected to the flow guide shroud.

8. The ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The vibrator is wrapped with a flexible plastic ball head.

9. The ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The side of the water tank is provided with a working chamber for spraying and wetting the workpiece.

10. The method of using the ultrasonic water immersion testing device for large-diameter ring gears as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: Includes the following steps, S1. After spraying the workpiece with water, it is hoisted into a water tank containing deionized water and placed on a rotating frame. The rotating frame is used to position the workpiece. S2, using a rotating frame to drive the workpiece to rotate n times at an inclined angle a, a bubble removal device is used to apply controlled vibration to the high side of the outer ring of the workpiece, and collect the bubbles that float on the inner wall of the tooth valley on the high side of the outer ring of the workpiece. S3. After the workpiece is straightened from an inclined state to a horizontal state using a rotating frame and the water in the tank is in a static and stable state, ultrasonic flaw detection is performed on the outer ring of the workpiece using an ultrasonic probe assembly.

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