JP2012002586A - Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic flaw detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate an ultrasonic flaw detection even for an inspection object surface having a complicated shape.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic probe 10 comprises: an ultrasonic transmitting/receiving element 11 for oscillating and receiving ultrasonic waves for an ultrasonic flaw detection of a specimen; and a shoe member 12 interposed between the ultrasonic transmitting/receiving element 11 and a specimen 16. Since the shoe member 12 is composed of polymer gel which is solid material that is polymers crosslinked to form a three-dimensional network structure and absorbing liquid component to be swollen, the shoe member 12 forms propagation paths of ultrasonic waves. A part where the shoe member 12 contacts with the specimen 16 forms a convex surface.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe and a flaw detection method using the same, and more particularly to an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic flaw detection method that can be applied to an inspection object having a complicated shape.

  The ultrasonic flaw detection technique is a technique capable of confirming the soundness of a structural material in a non-destructive manner, and is used as an indispensable technique in various fields. In particular, in recent years, there has been a demand for inspection even for structures having a complicated shape portion such as a curved surface on the surface to be inspected, and the demand for ultrasonic flaw detection technology has been increasing.

  On the other hand, when the target is a complicated shape such as a curved surface shape, the ultrasonic wave may not be appropriately incident on the inspection target. For example, in the weld line and its heat-affected zone, distortion and umbrella breakage due to welding heat input, or convex shapes after depositing molten metal, etc. I often have. For this reason, commonly used shoe materials such as acrylic and polystyrene cannot follow the shape of the surface of the object to be inspected, and the ultrasonic wave oscillated from the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element does not pass through the inside of the object to be inspected. There are cases where it is not possible. Also, there are many objects having a complicated structure such as a piping nozzle part, elbow part, T-shaped pipe joint part, turbine blade, etc., where the inspection target part is not flat in the first place. Until recently, it has been difficult to directly contact an ultrasonic probe or a shoe material with an object having such a complicated shape.

  In order to solve such a problem, for example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a shoe material having flexibility for contacting a complex shape is used, and the surface shape of the object to be inspected is utilized using the flexibility. Ultrasonic waves are incident so that they are in close contact with each other.

JP 2007-263697 A JP 2010-38820 A Japanese Patent No. 4349073 JP 2003-254947 A JP 2009-92650 A

  However, in the material examples listed as materials having flexibility, for example, rubber has a drawback that ultrasonic attenuation is very large. In addition, some of the gel materials also have a large attenuation. Some gel materials are not suitable for complex shapes due to problems such as flexibility. Furthermore, since the gel material is an incompressible material, the gel itself hardly shrinks. Therefore, there is a problem that the shoe material protrudes from the holder. Further, due to the problem of adhesion between the shape of the shoe material itself and the surface shape of the object to be inspected, there may be a situation in which the ultrasonic wave does not propagate into the object to be inspected although it adheres to the complex shape.

  In the example described in Patent Document 2, an ultrasonic inspection apparatus in which a flexible gel-like member is attached to a general shoe material is proposed. However, for example, there is an acoustic impedance difference between the shoe material and gel made of acrylic or polystyrene, which are generally used, so that ultrasonic waves are reflected at the interface. Since this appears as noise in the actual flaw detection range, there is a problem that a dead zone occurs in the flaw detection range, and the sensitivity of the ultrasonic wave is lowered due to interface reflection, and the detectability is lowered.

  Further, in general ultrasonic flaw detection, it is necessary to apply a liquid contact medium such as water or glycerin to the surface of the object to be inspected. However, the contact medium often requires post-processing after inspection, and is often an anaerobic material depending on the object to be inspected, and is not preferred for use.

  However, ordinary shoe materials such as acrylic cannot make ultrasonic waves incident on the object to be inspected without a contact medium. In order to solve this problem, for example, in Patent Document 3, when the object to be inspected is concrete, a liquid polymer solution is applied, and after the polymer solution is formed into a sheet, a contact medium is formed on the sheet. There has been proposed a method in which a contact medium is not directly applied to an object to be inspected by applying and flaw detection and removing the sheet after flaw detection. However, in this proposal, it is necessary to apply a polymer solution to the object to be inspected. Therefore, it is not integrated with a flaw detection probe necessary for inspection, and there is a problem that convenience of inspection is low.

  Furthermore, in Patent Document 4 and Patent Document 5, the gel material is cited as the material for the shoe material, but there are materials in which it is difficult to propagate ultrasonic waves depending on the type of the gel material.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to make it possible to easily perform ultrasonic flaw detection even on a surface to be inspected having a complicated shape.

  In order to achieve the above object, an aspect of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention includes an ultrasonic transmission / reception element that oscillates and receives an ultrasonic wave for performing ultrasonic flaw detection on an object to be inspected, and the ultrasonic wave Propagation of ultrasonic waves by a polymer gel material, which is a solid material which is interposed between a transmitting / receiving element and the object to be inspected and a polymer is crosslinked to form a three-dimensional network structure and absorbs a liquid component to swell. An ultrasonic probe having a shoe material that forms a path, wherein a portion of the shoe material that contacts the object to be inspected forms a convex surface in a direction that contacts the object to be inspected.

  Another aspect of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention is an ultrasonic transmission / reception element that oscillates and receives an ultrasonic wave for performing ultrasonic flaw detection on an inspection object; and the ultrasonic transmission / reception element; An ultrasonic wave propagation path is formed by a polymer gel material, which is a solid material that is interspersed between the objects to be inspected and forms a three-dimensional network structure by cross-linking polymers to absorb liquid components and swell. The surface of the portion to be ultrasonically flawed of the object to be inspected is a convex surface, and the portion where the shoe material hits the object to be inspected is the ultrasonic probe having the shoe material to be inspected. The concave surface has a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the surface of the portion to be subjected to ultrasonic flaw detection.

  Furthermore, in one aspect of the ultrasonic flaw detection method according to the present invention, an ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transmission / reception element that oscillates and receives an ultrasonic wave and a shoe material that propagates the ultrasonic wave is pressed against the object to be inspected. Then, the ultrasonic wave oscillated by the ultrasonic transmission / reception element is propagated to the inspection object through the shoe material, and the ultrasonic wave reflected by the inspection object is transmitted by the ultrasonic probe through the shoe material. An ultrasonic flaw detection method in which a test object is flawed by receiving, wherein the shoe material is interposed between the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element and the test object, and a polymer is crosslinked to form a three-dimensional network. In the structure, an ultrasonic wave propagation path is formed by a polymer gel material that is a solid material that absorbs and swells a liquid component, and when the ultrasonic probe is pressed against the object to be inspected, Initially, one place on the surface of the object to be inspected The initial contact portion comes into contact with one initial contact portion of the shoe material, and further pressing further causes the shoe material to deform so that the contact portion continuously spreads continuously from the periphery of the initial contact portion. The shoe material and the object to be inspected are brought into contact with each other.

  According to the present invention, ultrasonic flaw detection can be easily performed even on a surface to be inspected having a complicated shape.

It is sectional drawing of 1st Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which shows the width | variety of the shoe material of 1st Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the length of the shoe material of 1st Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which pressed 1st Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention against the surface to be examined. It is a time chart which shows the detection result of the ultrasonic echo when not applying an acoustic contact medium using the shoe material made from polystyrene by a prior art. It is a time chart which shows the detection result of the ultrasonic echo at the time of apply | coating an acoustic contact medium using the shoe material made from polystyrene by a prior art. It is a time chart which shows the detection result of the ultrasonic echo in case the acoustic contact medium is not apply | coated using the shoe material of the polystyrene-type gel by 1st Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is a time chart which shows the detection result of the ultrasonic echo at the time of apply | coating an acoustic contact medium using the shoe material of the polystyrene-type gel by 1st Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shoe material of 2nd Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view seen from the direction of FIG. 2 of 1st Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shoe material of 3rd Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. 11. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shoe material of 4th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. FIG. 14 is a side view taken along line XIV in FIG. 13. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shoe material of 5th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. FIG. 16 is a side sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG. 15. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shoe material of 6th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is XVIII-XVIII arrow directional cross-sectional view of FIG. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the shoe material of 7th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention, and the to-be-inspected object surface vicinity which opposes it. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the shoe material of 8th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention, and to-be-inspected object surface vicinity facing it. It is sectional drawing of 9th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention, and is a figure which shows the state which the front-end | tip of an ultrasonic probe was pressed on the to-be-inspected surface and deform | transformed slightly. It is sectional drawing which shows the condition where the ultrasonic probe of FIG. 21 was further pressed on the surface to be examined. It is sectional drawing of 10th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of 11th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention, and is a figure which shows the state which the front-end | tip of the ultrasonic probe left | separated from the to-be-inspected object surface. It is sectional drawing which shows the condition where the ultrasonic probe of FIG. 24 was pressed on the surface to be examined. It is a figure which shows 12th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is XXVI line XXVI arrow cross-sectional view of FIG. It is a XXVII-XXVII line longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shoe material of 13th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shoe material of 14th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shoe material of 15th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of 16th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of 17th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of 18th Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, the same or similar parts are denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the width of the shoe material of the first embodiment of the ultrasonic probe. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the length of the shoe material of the first embodiment of the ultrasonic probe. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment is pressed against the surface to be inspected.

  The ultrasonic probe 10 includes an ultrasonic transmission / reception element 11, a shoe material 12 attached in contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception element 11, and a holding unit (holder) 13 that holds the ultrasonic transmission / reception element 11 and the shoe material 12. And a contact protection part 14 attached to the tip of the holding part 13.

  When the inspection object 16 is inspected using the ultrasonic probe 10, the tip 15 of the shoe material 12 is pressed against the inspection object 16 to deform the shoe material 12 to deform the inspection object 16 and the shoe. The material 12 is brought into close contact with each other, an ultrasonic wave is oscillated from the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element 11, the ultrasonic wave is propagated in the shoe material 12, and the ultrasonic wave is applied to the inspection object 16. Ultrasonic waves are reflected on the surface and inside of the inspection object 16, and the reflected ultrasonic waves propagate through the shoe material 12 again and are received by the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element 11.

  The ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element 11 is, for example, a ceramic or composite material, a piezoelectric element that can generate ultrasonic waves by other piezoelectric effects, a piezoelectric element by a polymer film, or a mechanism that can generate ultrasonic waves other than that. And a damping material for damping the ultrasonic wave, and a front plate attached to the ultrasonic oscillation surface. In addition to generating ultrasonic waves, it also has a function of receiving ultrasonic waves and converting them into electrical signals.

  The shoe material 12 transmits the ultrasonic wave oscillated by the ultrasonic transmission / reception element 11 to the inspection object, and transmits the ultrasonic wave reflected by the inspection object 16 to the ultrasonic transmission / reception element 11. The shoe material 12 is a polymer gel that is a solid material having a three-dimensional network structure in which a polymer is cross-linked and that has swollen by absorbing a liquid component (solvent).

  As an applicable polymer gel, for example, a styrene-based, polystyrene-based, polyethylene-based, urethane-based, or silicon-based gel material is used. The solvent used is, for example, a hydrogel (hydrogel) that is an aqueous medium or a lipogel (organogel) that is an oily medium. The gel used is a gel material having a hardness of 0 to 50, for example, Asker hardness defined in SRIS0101, which is a standard of the Japan Rubber Association. The hardness notation in JIS K 6253 type E is also equivalent to SRIS0101. Further, the gel material preferably has an elongation rate of 1000% or more. By applying the gel material having the above conditions, it is applicable to ultrasonic flaw detection as a shoe material having low ultrasonic attenuation and flexibility.

  The holding unit 13 is made of metal, for example, and covers the back and side surfaces of the ultrasonic transmission / reception element 11 and the side surface of the shoe material 12 to hold the ultrasonic transmission / reception element 11 and the shoe material 12.

  The contact protection part 14 is made of, for example, resin at the tip of the holding part 13 and is fixed to the holding part 13. When the ultrasonic probe 10 is pressed toward the inspection object 16, the contact protection unit 14 contacts the inspection object 16. When the ultrasonic probe 10 is moved in a state of being pressed against the inspection object 16 to scan the inspection object 16, the inspection object 16 is ultrasonicated by the contact protection unit 14 using a soft material such as resin. It can prevent being damaged by friction with the probe 10.

  The shoe material 12 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the center of the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 protrudes toward the inspection surface of the inspection object 16. Further, the rear end portion 17 of the shoe material 12 is flat and is in close contact with the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element 11.

  The shoe material 12 is formed with a tapered portion 18 so as to become gradually narrower toward the distal end portion 15.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the width W of the shoe material 12 is larger than the width SF at the surface position of the inspected object 16 where the ultrasonic wave oscillated from the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element 2 spreads.

  In this embodiment, since the shoe material 12 is flexibly deformed by pressing the ultrasonic probe 10 against the inspection object 16, even if the inspection object 16 has a complicated shape, as shown in FIG. The inspection object 16 and the shoe material 12 can be brought into close contact with each other. Further, there is little attenuation when ultrasonic waves propagate through the shoe material 12.

  Furthermore, when the ultrasonic probe 10 is pressed against the object 16 to be inspected, the protrusion of the tip 15 of the shoe material 12 first hits the surface of the object 16 to be inspected as the shoe material 12 is crushed and deformed. The contact portion between the inspection body 16 and the shoe material 12 is gradually enlarged, and the entire tip portion 15 is in close contact with the surface of the inspection body 16. Therefore, it is possible to prevent bubbles from being generated at the contact portion between the object 16 to be inspected and the shoe material 12 and obstructing the propagation of ultrasonic waves.

  Further, since the tapered portion 18 is formed at the distal end portion 15 of the shoe material 12, the shoe material 12 can be spread laterally when being pressed against the object 16 and crushed. It is possible to avoid an adverse effect on the contact between the test piece 15 and the test object 16.

  In general, when a gel material is applied as the shoe material 12, it tends to be considered to be a compressible material because of its high flexibility, but in reality, the Poisson's ratio is almost equal to that of a liquid, and the volume changes almost even when pressed. Not an incompressible material. For this reason, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, when the tip portion of the shoe material is not formed with a tapered portion, for example, even if the surface of the object to be inspected is flat, the shoe by the gel in the holder The material does not have a place where the gel volume escapes against pressing against the surface of the object to be inspected, and a problem arises in that the contact portion between the shoe material and the surface of the object to be inspected cannot be contacted properly.

  In the first embodiment, since the tapered portion 18 is formed at the distal end portion 15 of the shoe material 12, the gel volume can be released with respect to the direction in which the shoe material 12 is pressed. Thereby, contact failure with a shoe material and the to-be-inspected object surface can be prevented.

  Next, the results of a test for confirming the effect of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a time chart showing detection results of ultrasonic echoes when a hard polystyrene shoe material having a thickness of 30 mm according to the prior art is used and no acoustic contact medium is applied. In this case, since the adhesion between the shoe material and the object to be inspected is insufficient, the bottom echo cannot be measured. FIG. 7 is a time chart showing the detection result of ultrasonic echoes when the acoustic contact medium is further applied using the same polystyrene shoe as in FIG. In this case, it can be seen that the bottom surface echo B1 reflected from the bottom surface of the device under test 16 and its multiple echoes can be measured.

  FIG. 8 is a time chart showing detection results of ultrasonic echoes when the acoustic contact medium is not applied using the polystyrene gel shoe material by the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment. In this case, as in the case of FIG. 7, it can be seen that the bottom echo B1 reflected from the bottom surface of the inspection object 16 and its multiple echoes can be measured. Further, FIG. 9 is a time chart showing the detection result of the ultrasonic echo when the acoustic contact medium is applied using the polystyrene gel shoe material of this embodiment as in the case of FIG. Also in this case, it can be seen that the bottom echo B1 and its multiple echoes can be measured as in the case of FIGS.

  That is, according to this embodiment, the bottom echo B1 and its multiple echoes can be measured regardless of whether or not the acoustic contact medium is applied. Therefore, the application of the acoustic contact medium can be omitted when performing the ultrasonic flaw detection.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shoe material of the second embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view of the first embodiment viewed from the direction of FIG.

  In this embodiment, the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 is inclined so as to protrude most at the protruding point 20 at the center in the longitudinal direction.

  In this embodiment, when the shoe material 12 is pressed against the surface of the object 16 to be inspected, first, the protruding point 20 of the tip 15 of the shoe material 12 contacts the surface of the object 16 to be inspected at one point. As the shoe material 12 is further pressed, the shoe material 12 is gradually crushed and deformed, and the contact portion with the surface of the object 16 to be inspected continuously expands around the protruding point 20. The entire surface comes into contact. In this way, bubbles can be avoided from remaining on the contact surface.

  In the second embodiment, compared to the first embodiment, FIG. 1 is common and FIG. 10 corresponding to FIG. 2 has a different shape. As a modification of the second embodiment, it is possible to use the shoe member 12 in which the distal end portion 15 does not protrude at the center (not shown) as viewed from the direction of FIG. In this case, the projecting point 20 at the center in the longitudinal direction shown in FIG. 10 is linearly extended in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. In that case, when the tip 15 of the shoe material 12 first comes into contact with the surface of the object 16 to be inspected, it comes into contact with one line instead of one point of the projecting point 20 at the center in the longitudinal direction. When the shoe material 12 is further pressed against the object 16 to be inspected, the shoe material 12 is crushed and the line of the contact portion becomes gradually thicker. In this case as well, it is possible to avoid bubbles remaining on the contact surface.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shoe material of the third embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line XII-XII in FIG.

  Although the shoe material 12 of the first and second embodiments is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the lateral direction, in this third embodiment, the shoe material 12 has a substantially regular quadrangular prism shape. The tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 is inclined so as to protrude most at a single protruding point 20 in the center.

  In the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, when the shoe material 12 is pressed against the surface of the object to be inspected 16, first, the projection point 20 at the center of the tip 15 of the shoe material 12 is covered by one point. The contact with the surface of the inspection object 16, and the shoe material 12 is crushed and deformed, and the contact portion with the surface of the inspection object 16 continuously expands around the central protruding point 20. The entire surface of the tip 15 comes into contact. In this way, bubbles can be avoided from remaining on the contact surface.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of a shoe material according to a fourth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a side view taken along line XIV in FIG.

  In the fourth embodiment, the shoe material 12 has a substantially regular quadrangular prism shape as in the third embodiment. The tip 15 of the shoe material 12 is not centered but inclined so that one protruding point 21 at the end protrudes most.

  In the fourth embodiment, when the shoe material 12 is pressed against the surface of the object 16 to be inspected, the protruding point 21 at the end of the tip 15 of the shoe material 12 first contacts the surface of the object 16 to be inspected. Then, the shoe material 12 is crushed and deformed, and the contact portion with the surface of the object 16 to be inspected successively expands sequentially from the point 21 so that the entire surface of the tip 15 of the shoe material 12 comes into contact. In this way, bubbles can be avoided from remaining on the contact surface.

[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shoe material of the fifth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a sectional side view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG.

  In the fifth embodiment, the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 is a concave surface, and the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 conforms to the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 in the longitudinal direction. A curved projecting surface is formed, and a linear projecting portion 22 is formed at the center along the longitudinal direction of the distal end portion 15 of the shoe material 12. When the distal end portion 15 of the shoe material 12 comes into contact with the surface of the inspection target portion of the object 16 to be inspected, first, the linear protrusion 22 comes into contact with the surface of the inspection target portion of the object 16 to be inspected. As the material 12 is further pressed, the shoe material 12 is crushed and the width of the contact portion with the object 16 is gradually enlarged, resulting in surface contact.

  In the fifth embodiment, when the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 is a concave surface, it is possible to avoid bubbles from remaining on the contact surface as in the first to fourth embodiments.

[Sixth Embodiment]
FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shoe material of the sixth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, and FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG.

  In the sixth embodiment, similarly to the fifth embodiment, the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 is a concave surface, and the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 is the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16. A convex surface curved in the longitudinal direction in conformity with the surface of the film. The curvature radius of the concave surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 is larger than the curvature radius of the convex surface of the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12. Therefore, when the distal end portion 15 of the shoe material 12 comes into contact with the surface of the inspection target portion of the object 16 to be inspected, first, the longitudinal direction of the distal end portion 15 of the shoe material 12 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. One linear protrusion 22 that is short in the direction comes into contact with the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16. When the shoe material 12 is further pressed, the shoe material 12 is crushed and the width of the contact portion with the object to be inspected 16 gradually increases, and surface contact occurs.

  In the sixth embodiment, as in the fifth embodiment, it is possible to avoid bubbles remaining on the contact surface when the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 is a concave surface.

[Seventh Embodiment]
FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the shoe material of the seventh embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention and the vicinity of the surface of the object to be inspected.

  In this embodiment, the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 is a spherical surface with a concave curvature radius R, and the surface of the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 is a spherical surface with a convex curvature radius r. Here, the curvature radius R of the concave surface is larger than the curvature radius r of the convex surface. Thus, when the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 is brought into contact with and pressed against the surface of the inspection target portion of the object 16 to be inspected, the shoe material 12 is first contacted at one point 40 of the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 and then the shoe material. When 12 is further pressed and crushed, the contact portion gradually expands around the first contact point, and bubbles can be prevented from remaining on the contact surface.

  In the above description, it is assumed that the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 and the surface of the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 are both spherical. As a modification of this embodiment, the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 is a cylindrical surface (cylindrical surface) with a concave curvature radius R, and the tip portion 15 surface of the shoe material 12 has a convex curvature radius r. It may be a cylindrical surface. In this case, when the shoe material 12 is first contacted on the straight line 15 and then further pressed and crushed, the contact portion gradually expands in the width direction of the first contact line. It is possible to avoid leaving bubbles on the contact surface.

[Eighth Embodiment]
FIG. 20 is a schematic sectional view showing the shoe material of the eighth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention and the vicinity of the surface of the object to be inspected facing the shoe material.

  In this embodiment, the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 is a spherical surface with a convex curvature radius R, and the tip portion 15 surface of the shoe material 12 is a spherical surface with a concave curvature radius r. Here, the radius of curvature r of the concave surface is larger than the radius of curvature R of the convex surface. Also in this embodiment, the same effect as in the seventh embodiment can be obtained. Also in this embodiment, the contact surface may be a cylindrical surface instead of a spherical surface.

  When the surface of the inspection target portion of the inspection object 16 is a convex surface as shown in FIG. 20, the surface of the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 may not necessarily be a concave surface but may be a flat surface or a convex surface. .

[Ninth Embodiment]
FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the ninth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, and shows a state where the tip of the shoe material 12 is slightly deformed by being pressed against the target surface of the inspection object 16. is there. FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ultrasonic probe 10 of FIG. 21 is further pressed against the target surface of the inspection object 16.

  This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, and does not include the contact protection part 14 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, when the tip of the shoe material 12 is pressed against the target surface of the object 16 to be deformed, a part of the shoe material 12 can escape to the tapered portion 18. The material 12 and the surface of the inspection object 16 are in close contact with each other.

[Tenth embodiment]
FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the tenth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the ninth embodiment, and the tapered portion 18 extends from the front end portion 15 to the rear end portion 17 of the shoe material 12. In this embodiment, the space between the side surface of the shoe material 12 and the holding portion 13 is larger than that in the ninth embodiment. Also in this case, when the tip of the shoe material 12 is pressed against the target surface of the object 16 to be deformed, a part of the shoe material 12 can escape to the tapered portion 18.

[Eleventh embodiment]
FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the eleventh embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, showing a state where the tip of the ultrasonic probe is separated from the surface of the object to be inspected. FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing a situation where the ultrasonic probe of FIG. 24 is pressed against the surface to be inspected.

  This embodiment is a modification of the ninth embodiment (FIGS. 21 and 22), and instead of providing the shoe material 12 with the tapered portion 18, the holding portion located around the tip portion 15 of the shoe material 12 is provided. 13 side walls form an enlarged portion 23 that spreads outward toward the tip.

  As shown in FIG. 25, when the tip of the shoe material 12 is pressed against the target surface of the object 16 to be deformed, a part of the shoe material 12 can escape to the enlarged portion 23 of the holding portion 13, The shoe material 12 and the surface of the inspection object 16 are in close contact with each other.

[Twelfth embodiment]
FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a twelfth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVI-XX in FIG. 27 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line XXVII-XXVII in FIG.

  This embodiment is, for example, a modification of the ninth embodiment (FIGS. 21 and 22), in which the shoe material 12 is a substantially square prism, and the side wall of the holding portion 13 is notched in one of the four surfaces. A portion 24 is formed.

  In this embodiment, when the tip of the shoe material 12 is pressed against the target surface of the object 16 to be deformed, a part of the shoe material 12 can escape to the cutout portion 24 of the holding portion 13. The material 12 and the surface of the inspection object 16 are in close contact with each other.

[Thirteenth embodiment]
FIG. 28 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shoe material of the thirteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic scattering unit 30 is provided on the side surface of the shoe material 12. The ultrasonic scattering unit 30 is made of a material equivalent to the gel material or other material.

  According to this embodiment, noise due to reflection or scattering of ultrasonic waves generated inside the shoe material 12 can be reduced.

[Fourteenth embodiment]
FIG. 29 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shoe material of the fourteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic absorption part 31 is provided on the side surface of the shoe material 12. It is assumed that the ultrasonic absorber 31 has an acoustic impedance close to that of the gel material 3 and the ultrasonic attenuation is larger than that of the gel material.

  According to this embodiment, noise due to reflection or scattering of ultrasonic waves generated inside the shoe material 12 can be reduced.

[Fifteenth embodiment]
FIG. 30 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shoe material of the fifteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. This embodiment is a combination of the features of the thirteenth and fourteenth embodiments, and both the ultrasonic scattering unit 30 and the ultrasonic absorption unit 31 are provided on the side surface of the shoe material 12.

  According to this embodiment, noise due to reflection or scattering of ultrasonic waves generated inside the shoe material 12 can be reduced.

[Sixteenth Embodiment]
FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view of the sixteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, and an ultrasonic scattering unit 30 similar to that of the thirteenth embodiment (FIG. 28) is provided outside the portion surrounding the side surface of the shoe material 12 in the holding unit 13. Provide.

  According to this embodiment, noise due to reflection or scattering of ultrasonic waves generated inside the shoe material 12 can be reduced.

[Seventeenth embodiment]
FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view of the seventeenth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the sixteenth embodiment, and an ultrasonic scattering unit 30 similar to the fifteenth embodiment (FIG. 30) is provided outside the portion surrounding the side surface of the shoe material 12 in the holding unit 13. Both ultrasonic absorbers 31 are provided.

  According to this embodiment, noise due to reflection or scattering of ultrasonic waves generated inside the shoe material 12 can be reduced.

  As a modification of this embodiment, only the ultrasonic absorbing portion 31 similar to that of the fourteenth embodiment (FIG. 29) may be provided outside the portion surrounding the side surface of the shoe material 12 in the holding portion 13 ( Not shown).

[Eighteenth Embodiment]
FIG. 33 is a sectional view of an eighteenth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, for example, and the rear end portion 17 of the shoe material 12, that is, the surface facing the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element 11 forms a convex curved surface.

  According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent bubbles from being generated at the contact interface between the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element 11 and the shoe material 12.

[Other Embodiments]
Each embodiment described above is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

  For example, the ultrasonic probe 10 may be a single probe having one element, an array sensor arranged one-dimensionally, or a matrix sensor arranged two-dimensionally.

  Moreover, you may combine the characteristic of each said embodiment variously.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic probe 11 Ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element 12 Shoe material 13 Holding part (holder)
14 Contact protection part 15 Front end part 16 Test object 17 Rear end part 18 Tapered part 20, 21 Projection point 23 Enlarged part 24 Notch part 30 Ultrasonic scattering part 31 Ultrasonic absorption part

Claims (12)

An ultrasonic transmission / reception element that oscillates and receives ultrasonic waves for performing ultrasonic flaw detection on an object to be inspected;
The polymer gel material, which is a solid material that is interspersed between the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element and the object to be inspected to form a three-dimensional network structure by absorbing a liquid component and swelled, is crosslinked. A shoe material that forms a propagation path of sound waves;
An ultrasonic probe having
An ultrasonic probe characterized in that a portion of the shoe material that contacts the object to be inspected forms a convex surface in a direction that contacts the object to be inspected.   When the surface of the part to be inspected for ultrasonic inspection of the object to be inspected is concave, the part where the shoe material hits the object to be inspected is based on the radius of curvature of the surface of the part to be inspected for ultrasonic inspection of the object to be inspected. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic probe has a small curvature radius. An ultrasonic transmission / reception element that oscillates and receives ultrasonic waves for ultrasonic testing of an object to be inspected;
The polymer gel material, which is a solid material that is interspersed between the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element and the object to be inspected to form a three-dimensional network structure by absorbing a liquid component and swelled, is crosslinked. A shoe material that forms a propagation path of sound waves;
In the ultrasonic probe having
The radius of curvature of the surface of the portion of the inspection object to be subjected to ultrasonic flaw detection is such that the surface of the portion of the inspection object to be subjected to ultrasonic flaw detection is a convex surface, An ultrasonic probe characterized by being a concave surface having a larger radius of curvature.   4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the shoe material has a width equal to or greater than a spread of an ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission / reception element. 5.   2. An ultrasonic scattering unit that scatters ultrasonic waves, provided on a side surface of the shoe material that is separated from a straight line that connects the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element and a surface that contacts the object to be inspected. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4.   2. An ultrasonic wave absorbing portion that is provided on a side surface of the shoe material that is deviated from a straight line connecting the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element and a surface that contacts the object to be inspected, and that absorbs ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 5. A holding portion for holding the shoe material surrounding a side face deviating from a straight line connecting the ultrasonic transmission / reception element and a surface that contacts the object to be inspected;
A gap space is formed between the shoe material and the holding portion that allows the shoe material to deform toward the side surface when the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element is pressed against the object to be inspected. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 6.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 7, wherein the shoe material is formed so as to gradually become thinner toward a surface that contacts the object to be inspected.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 7, wherein the holding portion is formed so as to gradually spread toward the object to be inspected.   10. The ultrasonic wave scattering unit according to claim 7, further comprising an ultrasonic wave scattering unit that is provided on a side surface of the holding unit opposite to the side facing the shoe material and scatters ultrasonic waves. Ultrasonic probe.   10. The ultrasonic wave absorbing portion according to claim 7, wherein the holding portion is provided on a side surface opposite to the side facing the shoe material, and has an ultrasonic wave absorbing portion. 10. Ultrasonic probe. An ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element that oscillates and receives ultrasonic waves and a shoe material that propagates ultrasonic waves is pressed against the object to be inspected, and the ultrasonic waves oscillated by the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element are applied to the shoe. Ultrasonic flaw detection method for flaw detection of inspection object by propagating to inspection object through material and receiving ultrasonic wave reflected by said inspection object with said ultrasonic probe via said shoe material Because
The shoe material is a solid material that is interposed between the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element and the object to be inspected and is a solid material that is swelled by absorbing a liquid component by crosslinking a polymer to form a three-dimensional network structure. Ultrasonic wave propagation path is formed by molecular gel material,
In pressing the ultrasonic probe against the object to be inspected, an initial contact portion at one location on the surface of the object to be inspected first comes into contact with an initial contact portion at one location on the shoe material. The shoe material is deformed by advancing, and the shoe material and the object to be inspected are brought into contact so that the contact portion continuously spreads sequentially from the periphery of the initial contact portion;
Ultrasonic flaw detection method characterized by.

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