Planar Probe Head Sliding Plate Ultrasonic Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrasonic probes for testing flat components are heavy, inflexible, and require complex programming to compensate for surface unevenness, making them inefficient for large-area components with production-related openings or cutouts.
Innovation Solution
A surface probe with a sliding plate that extends beyond the base body, featuring a slit-shaped water outlet opening and a modular design with cuboid flow chambers, allowing for a larger contact surface and gravitational compensation, enabling easy movement and adaptation to uneven surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the probe assembly rests directly on the component surface with a small contact area, then the structure is simple, but the probe is heavy and difficult to move over large-area components with uneven surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The probe assembly is segmented into a base body and a separate sliding plate that can be attached or detached. The sliding plate has a larger surface area than the base body, providing better contact with the component surface and enabling easier movement over large-area components with uneven surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding plate extends beyond the base body in the lateral dimension, increasing the contact surface area with the component. This dimensional extension allows the probe to bridge surface irregularities and move more easily across large components.
2Measurement precision
If programming is used to compensate for surface unevenness, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and testing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding plate passively compensates for surface unevenness through its larger surface area and gravitational compensation device, eliminating the need for complex programming. The physical design itself provides the adaptation to surface variations.
Solution Approach 2:
Complex software programming for surface compensation is replaced with a simple mechanical solution - the sliding plate with gravitational compensation device that physically adapts to surface unevenness through gravity and geometry.
3Ease of operation
If a gravitational compensation device is used to enable easy movement, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A gravitational compensation device is integrated into the probe assembly that uses counterbalancing forces to offset the weight of the probe. This allows the probe to move easily across large-area components with minimal applied force.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding plate acts as a flexible interface between the rigid probe assembly and the component surface, allowing passive adaptation to surface irregularities while maintaining structural integrity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The surface probe can be easily moved over large-area components with uneven surfaces, compensating for fluctuations using a gravitational compensation device, and allows for turbulence-free water flow, reducing testing complexity and time.
Implementation Method 1
The invention relates to a surface probe for coupling ultrasonic signals to a flat component to be tested using water jet technology
Implementation Method 2
a water flow forms between the underside of the surface probe and a surface of the component to be tested
Implementation Method 3
A surface probe for coupling ultrasonic signals to a flat component to be tested
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a probe head system (10), especially a planar probe head, for coupling ultrasonic signals to a planar component to be tested by way of free water jet technology. Said probe head system comprises a probe head (12), at least one pre-flow chamber (14, 16) having at least one water inlet (78), and at least one flow chamber (42), mounted downstream of the pre-flow chamber (14, 16) and having a preferably slot-type water outlet opening (50). The invention further relates to a device for the ultrasonic testing of a component. The aim of the invention is to devise a simple, light-weight probe head system which can be easily adapted to various measurement conditions. The probe head (12) is detachably arranged outside the at least one flow and/or pre-flow chamber (14, 16) in a freely accessible manner, a lateral surface (64) of the probe head (12) having transceiver elements defining an inner wall section of the flow chamber (42). The planar probe head (10) is connected to a glide plate (24, 152) defining a lower face (56, 156) of the planar probe head (10) on the component side, the planar extension of said glide plate being larger along the component (160) than the planar extension of the base (28) along the component (160), and the glide plate (24, 152) having the slot-type water outlet opening (50).