Ultrasonic coupling pad material and preparation method therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of ultrasonic coupling pads, and in particular to an ultrasonic coupling pad material and a preparation method therefor. In a technical solution of the present invention, a rubber or thermoplastic elastomer or soft plastic and a mineral oil are used as main materials. The technical solution specifically comprises first soaking the rubber or thermoplastic elastomer or soft plastic in the mineral oil, and after full absorption, performing extrusion processing using a twin-screw extruder that is provided with a liquid metering pump, so as to obtain the coupling pad material. The beneficial effects of the present invention are: the present invention achieves a groundbreaking breakthrough in conventional coupling pad materials with hydrogel as a base material, the rubber or thermoplastic elastomer or soft plastic is used in combination with the mineral oil, so that a prepared coupling pad not only has good acoustic performance, but also has a wider range of application scenarios, and the use cost is reduced.

Description

An ultrasonic coupling pad material and its preparation method Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ultrasonic coupling pad technology, and in particular to an ultrasonic coupling pad material and its preparation method. Background Technology

[0002] In ultrasonic testing, ultrasonic coupling pads based on hydrogels are favored due to their excellent acoustic properties, high elasticity, and strong plasticity. The main components of hydrogels are water and water-soluble polymer materials; their acoustic impedance is close to that of water, and their sound attenuation coefficient is lower compared to traditional rigid plastics.

[0003] As application scenarios continue to expand, some shortcomings of hydrogel-based ultrasonic coupling pads have gradually emerged in practical applications. First, hydrogel coupling pads require stringent storage conditions. Since the main component of hydrogel is water, with a water content typically exceeding 80%, the pads will dry out when exposed to air, altering their properties. Therefore, they need to be soaked in a sealed container containing a moisturizing solution. Furthermore, they are prone to freezing during transportation and storage at low temperatures. Second, hydrogel is essentially a solid solution, and it exchanges fluids with the human body upon contact. To avoid cross-infection, it can only be used as a disposable consumable and cannot be reused after sterilization, increasing testing costs. Third, hydrogel has poor strength; it cannot independently fix soft tissues during ultrasonic testing and is easily damaged during scanning. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an ultrasonic coupling pad material and its preparation method, specifically to provide an ultrasonic coupling pad material with high strength and strong adaptability and its preparation method.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: an ultrasonic coupling pad material, wherein the ultrasonic coupling pad material is composed of rubber or thermoplastic elastomer or soft plastic and mineral oil, wherein, by mass parts, rubber or thermoplastic elastomer or soft plastic accounts for 10 to 30 parts and mineral oil accounts for 90 to 400 parts.

[0006] Specifically, the ultrasonic coupling pad material also includes 0.01 to 5 parts of antioxidant.

[0007] Specifically, the ultrasonic coupling pad material is produced using a twin-screw extruder with a liquid metering pump.

[0008] A method for preparing an ultrasonic coupling pad material includes the following steps:

[0009] S01. Material preparation: Prepare 10-30 parts of rubber or thermoplastic elastomer or soft plastic and 90-400 parts of mineral oil, in parts by weight.

[0010] S02. Soak the rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or soft plastic from step S01 in mineral oil to allow it to fully absorb the mineral oil, then remove and drain.

[0011] S03. The rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or soft plastic that has fully absorbed mineral oil in step S02 is added from the main feed port of a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The remaining mineral oil in step S02 is added from the liquid metering pump of the twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. After extrusion molding, it is cut into granules and dried to obtain the ultrasonic coupling pad material.

[0012] Specifically, in step S03, the rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or soft plastic that has fully absorbed mineral oil is first mixed and stirred evenly with an antioxidant before being added to a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump.

[0013] Specifically, the antioxidant is measured in parts by weight, ranging from 0.01 to 5 parts.

[0014] Specifically, the rubber or thermoplastic elastomer or soft plastic uses styrene-based thermoplastic elastomers.

[0015] Specifically, the mineral oil used is paraffin oil.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: it breaks through the conventional coupling pad material based on hydrogel, and uses a combination of rubber or thermoplastic elastomer or soft plastic with mineral oil.

[0017] 1. The coupling pad material prepared in this way has high anti-freezing ability, can be stored and transported in low temperature environment without affecting its use, and does not need to be soaked in water during storage, nor does it need to be frequently sprayed with water to keep it moist during use, which greatly expands the application scenarios of the coupling pad, reduces storage and transportation costs, and at the same time has good acoustic performance and coupling effect.

[0018] 2. It has high strength, is not easily torn during use, and is easier to mold to fit different inspection sites, increasing the scope of application of the test; at the same time, it can be reused after ultrasonic testing by cleaning and disinfection, resulting in low usage cost.

[0019] 3. During the preparation of hydrogel coupling pads, the aqueous solution will continuously boil in a vacuum environment, so vacuum defoaming cannot be used, which will affect the acoustic uniformity of the coupling pad. However, the coupling pad material of this application can be defoamed in a vacuum during the preparation process, which can effectively avoid the generation of bubbles in the coupling pad. Detailed Implementation

[0020] Example 1: An ultrasonic coupling pad material, composed of a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer and mineral oil, wherein, by mass parts, the styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer accounts for 10 parts and the mineral oil accounts for 90 parts. It also includes 0.05 parts of an antioxidant. The ultrasonic coupling pad material of this example is processed using a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The specific preparation method is as follows.

[0021] S01. Material preparation: Prepare 10 parts by weight of styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer and 90 parts by weight of mineral oil. The styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer is SEEPS manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd., under the trade name SEPTON™, brand number 4033; the mineral oil is No. 7 white mineral oil from paraffin oil.

[0022] S02. Soak the styrene thermoplastic elastomer from step S01 in No. 7 white mineral oil for 24 hours to allow the styrene thermoplastic elastomer to fully absorb the white mineral oil, and then remove and drain.

[0023] S03. The styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, which has been fully inhaled with white mineral oil in step S02, is added through the main feed port of a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The remaining white mineral oil from step S02 is added through the liquid metering pump of the twin-screw extruder. After extrusion molding, it is cut into granules and dried to obtain the ultrasonic coupling pad material. The length-to-diameter ratio of the twin-screw extruder is set to 60:1.

[0024] Specifically, in step S03, the styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, which has fully absorbed white mineral oil, is mixed and stirred evenly with 0.05 parts of antioxidant before being added to a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The antioxidant can be any conventionally used antioxidant and is not limited here.

[0025] Example 2: An ultrasonic coupling pad material, composed of a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer and mineral oil, wherein, by mass parts, the styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer accounts for 10 parts and the mineral oil accounts for 100 parts. It also includes 0.02 parts of an antioxidant. The ultrasonic coupling pad material of this example is processed using a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The specific preparation method is as follows.

[0026] S01. Material preparation: Prepare 10 parts by weight of styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer and 100 parts by weight of mineral oil. The styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer is SEEPS manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd., under the trade name SEPTON™, brand number 4033; the mineral oil is No. 5 white mineral oil from paraffin oil.

[0027] S02. Soak the styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer from step S01 in No. 5 white mineral oil for 12 hours to allow it to fully absorb the white mineral oil, then remove and drain.

[0028] S03. The styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, which has been fully inhaled with white mineral oil in step S02, is added through the main feed port of a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The remaining white mineral oil from step S02 is added through the liquid metering pump of the twin-screw extruder. After extrusion molding, it is cut into granules and dried to obtain the ultrasonic coupling pad material. The length-to-diameter ratio of the twin-screw extruder is set to 64:1.

[0029] Specifically, in step S03, the styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, which has fully absorbed white mineral oil, is mixed and stirred evenly with 0.02 parts of antioxidant before being added to a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The antioxidant can be any conventionally used antioxidant and is not limited here.

[0030] Example 3: An ultrasonic coupling pad material, composed of a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer and mineral oil, wherein, by mass parts, the styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer accounts for 10 parts and the mineral oil accounts for 250 parts. It also includes 0.04 parts of an antioxidant. The ultrasonic coupling pad material of this example is processed using a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The specific preparation method is as follows.

[0031] S01. Material preparation: Prepare 10 parts by weight of styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer and 250 parts by weight of mineral oil. The styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer is SEBS manufactured by Kraton Corporation, USA, with the trade name G1645M; the mineral oil is No. 68 white mineral oil from paraffin oil.

[0032] S02. Soak the styrene thermoplastic elastomer from step S01 in No. 68 white mineral oil for 12 hours to allow the styrene thermoplastic elastomer to fully absorb the white mineral oil, and then remove and drain.

[0033] S03. The styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, which has been fully inhaled with white mineral oil in step S02, is added through the main feed port of a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The remaining white mineral oil from step S02 is added through the liquid metering pump of the twin-screw extruder. After extrusion molding, it is cut into granules and dried to obtain the ultrasonic coupling pad material. The length-to-diameter ratio of the twin-screw extruder is set to 56:1.

[0034] Specifically, in step S03, the styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, which has fully absorbed white mineral oil, is mixed and stirred evenly with 0.04 parts of antioxidant before being added to a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The antioxidant can be any conventionally used antioxidant and is not limited here.

[0035] Meanwhile, the applicant also manufactured finished coupling pads from the coupling pad materials obtained in the above three embodiments and tested their acoustic performance. Specifically, the steps for manufacturing finished coupling pads from the coupling pad materials of the above three embodiments are as follows: a certain amount of granular coupling pad material is taken, fully melted using a temperature-controlled hot melt machine, and then injected into a coupling pad mold. After cooling and molding, the finished coupling pad is obtained. The acoustic performance of the coupling pads made from the coupling pad materials of the three embodiments is compared with that of human soft tissue and conventionally used hydrogel coupling pads in the following table:

[0036] Sound velocity m / s Acoustic impedance × 10 6 Pa*s / m Sound attenuation coefficient dB / (cm*MHz) Human soft tissue 1540 1.56 0.2 Hydrogel coupling pad 1603 1.70 0.1 Example 1 1509 1.52 0.08 Example 2 1560 1.53 0.07 Example 3 1594 1.58 0.09

[0037] The above comparison shows that the coupling pads made from the coupling pad materials of the three embodiments of this application are closer to human soft tissue in terms of sound velocity and acoustic impedance. In the schemes of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, the sound attenuation coefficient is lower than that of conventional hydrogel coupling pads. Therefore, it can be seen that the coupling pad material of this application has good acoustic performance, and is even better than hydrogel coupling pads in some parameters. It also has a wider range of applications and lower cost than conventional hydrogel coupling pads.

[0038] Of course, the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of application of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent changes made to the principle of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic coupling pad material, characterized in that: The ultrasonic coupling pad material is composed of rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or soft plastic and mineral oil, wherein, by mass parts, the rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or soft plastic accounts for 10-30 parts, and the mineral oil accounts for 90-400 parts; the ultrasonic coupling pad material has a sound velocity of 1520-1620 m / s and an acoustic impedance of 1.5 × 10⁻⁶ m / s. 6 ~1.7×10 6 Pa*s / m, sound attenuation coefficient ≤0.1dB / (cm·MHz).

2. The ultrasound coupling pad material for a breast probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ultrasonic coupling pad material also includes 0.01 to 5 parts of antioxidant.

3. The ultrasound coupling pad material for a breast probe according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The ultrasonic coupling pad material is produced using a twin-screw extruder with a liquid metering pump.

4. A method for preparing an ultrasonic coupling pad material, characterized in that... It includes the following steps: S01. Material preparation: Prepare 10-30 parts of rubber or thermoplastic elastomer or soft plastic and 90-400 parts of mineral oil, in parts by weight. S02. Soak the rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or soft plastic from step S01 in mineral oil to allow the rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or soft plastic to fully absorb the mineral oil, and then remove and drain. S03. The rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or soft plastic that has fully absorbed mineral oil in step S02 is added from the main feed port of a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. The remaining mineral oil in step S02 is added from the liquid metering pump of the twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump. After extrusion molding, it is cut into granules and dried to obtain the ultrasonic coupling pad material.

5. The method for preparing an ultrasonic coupling pad material according to claim 4, characterized in that: In step S03, the rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or soft plastic that has fully absorbed mineral oil is first mixed and stirred evenly with an antioxidant before being added to a twin-screw extruder equipped with a liquid metering pump.

6. The method for preparing an ultrasonic coupling pad material according to claim 5, characterized in that: The antioxidant is measured in parts by weight, ranging from 0.01 to 5 parts.

7. The method for preparing an ultrasonic coupling pad material according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, or soft plastic is a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer.

8. The method for preparing an ultrasonic coupling pad material according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mineral oil used is paraffin oil.