WO2013051107A1

WO2013051107A1 - Ultrasonic flaw detection device for hollow axle

Info

Publication number: WO2013051107A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/072847
Authority: WO
Inventors: 一光川田; 嗣喜西岡
Original assignee: 日本クラウトクレーマー株式会社
Priority date: 2011-10-04
Filing date: 2011-10-04
Publication date: 2013-04-11

Abstract

[Problem] To miniaturize an ultrasonic flaw detection device that detects flaws in a hollow axle using ultrasonic waves. [Solution] This ultrasonic flaw detection device (1) is characterized by being provided with the following: a columnar flaw detection head (11) that has a plurality of ultrasonic oscillators (13) disposed along the entire circumferential direction thereof and that performs phased array flaw detection by insertion into a hollow axle (2); a phased array ultrasonic flaw detector (52) that outputs an operation signal for selectively exciting the ultrasonic oscillators (13) at the same time as, in accordance with the ultrasonic oscillators (13) receiving ultrasonic echoes, acquiring output according to the intensity of ultrasonic echo received by the ultrasonic oscillators (13), and that outputs the same as echo signals; and a CPU (51) and the like that controls the output of operation signals and generates information relating to hollow axle defects on the basis of echo signal intensity.

Description

Ultrasonic flaw detector for boring axle

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic flaw detection apparatus that flaws a boring axle with ultrasonic waves.

中 Boring axles are widely used for Shinkansen axles. The boring axle is subjected to a flaw detection inspection by inserting a flaw detection head into the boring portion. In railway vehicles such as the Shinkansen, flaw detection inspections are carried out in alternating inspections, bogie inspections, and general inspections. Here, the alternating inspection is an inspection performed in the presence state (that is, without dismantling) at the vehicle place. For this reason, it was necessary to move the ultrasonic flaw detector in accordance with the axle in a narrow space of the vehicle place. Moreover, it was necessary to inspect at high speed.

Patent Documents

1 and 2 describe conventional ultrasonic flaw detectors. All of these apparatuses relate to the flaw detection head inserted into the boring part, and rotate the ultrasonic probe of the flaw detection head around the axis in the boring part. In this apparatus, a wire is passed through a flexible tube, and the rotational force of a rotary motor provided outside is transmitted to the ultrasonic probe by the wire. Further, the ultrasonic wave is propagated by filling the gap between the ultrasonic probe and the boring part with oil.

Japanese Patent No. 2649299 Japanese Patent No. 2691822

In the conventional apparatus, since the ultrasonic probe is rotated by the wire passing through the flexible tube, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large. In addition, since the oil is injected into the gap between the rotating ultrasonic probe and the boring axle, there is a problem that the required amount of oil increases. Although there is a method of placing the rotating device inside the head, it is the same in that the device becomes larger.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its main purpose is to reduce the size and speed of the apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic flaw detector of the present invention has a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in the entire circumferential direction, and is a cylindrical shape that performs phased array flaw detection by being inserted into a boring axle. The ultrasonic transducer receives an ultrasonic echo while the ultrasonic transducer receives an ultrasonic echo while outputting an operation signal for selectively exciting the ultrasonic transducer and the ultrasonic transducer. A phased array ultrasonic flaw detector that obtains an output corresponding to the intensity of the ultrasonic echo and outputs it as an echo signal, and controls the output of the operation signal, and also relates to a flaw in the boring axle from the intensity of the echo signal. And an information generation unit that generates information.

According to the ultrasonic flaw detection apparatus of the present invention, since a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in the entire circumferential direction are provided in the flaw detection head and perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves, it is possible to rotate the flaw detection head. You can get information about flaws on boring axles. For this reason, a rotation mechanism such as a motor or a wire is not required, and the configuration can be simplified. As a result, the apparatus can be reduced in size. It is also possible to control the focus by performing transmission / reception phase control when the vibrator is selectively excited.

In the ultrasonic flaw detector described above, a frustum-shaped pedestal is provided on the flaw detection head, the ultrasonic transducer is formed into a vertically long rectangular shape or a vertically long trapezoid, and the entire circumferential direction on the inclined side surface of the pedestal portion. When arranged radially from the center of the truncated cone, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic transducer can be directly irradiated toward the boring axle. Thereby, detection accuracy can be improved.

In the ultrasonic flaw detector described above, when the flaw detection head is provided with a resinous ultrasonic wave propagation portion that is in close contact with the inclined side surface of the pedestal and that defines a part of the peripheral surface of the flaw detection head. , The propagation efficiency of ultrasonic waves can be increased.

In the ultrasonic flaw detector described above, when the ultrasonic transducer is provided in a curved concave shape in which the central portion in the longitudinal direction is recessed from the end, excessive spread of ultrasonic waves can be suppressed and detected. Sensitivity can be increased.

In the ultrasonic flaw detection apparatus described above, when an oil injection mechanism for injecting oil into the gap between the boring axle and the flaw detection head is provided, the ultrasonic wave can be efficiently propagated by the oil injected into the gap. . Further, since the flaw detection head does not rotate, the amount of oil used can be reduced.

In the ultrasonic flaw detector described above, a mechanism for traveling the entire apparatus, and inspection of one or more trains for the flaw detection head, the phased array flaw detector, the information generator, and the traveling mechanism are performed. A battery with a capacity that does not need to be supplied is provided, and power is supplied cordlessly during the flaw detection period. As a result, troublesome work such as connection of a commercial power supply during the inspection work becomes unnecessary, and work efficiency can be dramatically improved.

According to the ultrasonic flaw detector of the present invention, the apparatus can be miniaturized and the detection capability can be improved. Also, the inspection time can be greatly shortened.

It is a block diagram explaining the structure of an ultrasonic flaw detector. (A) is a front view of an ultrasonic flaw detector. (B) is a left side view of the ultrasonic flaw detector. It is an external view of a flaw detection head. It is a figure explaining the peripheral part of an ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of an ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. It is sectional drawing explaining the structure of an ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. It is a figure explaining the mode of flaw detection inspection. It is a figure explaining selection of an ultrasonic transducer. It is a figure which illustrates the example of the effect of focusing typically. It is a figure which illustrates typically reflection of the ultrasonic wave by a crack. It is sectional drawing explaining the modification of an ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. It is a figure which illustrates typically the flaw detection by the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator of a modification. (A) is a principal part external view of the flaw detection head of 2nd Embodiment. (B) is a figure explaining a daisy type ultrasonic transducer. It is a figure which illustrates typically the flaw detection by the flaw detection head of 2nd Embodiment.

<About device configuration>
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the ultrasonic flaw detector 1 of this embodiment makes the inspection object the boring axle 2 used for railway vehicles, such as a Shinkansen. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic flaw detector 1 includes a head unit 10, a head unit lifting / lowering unit 20, a traveling mechanism 30, an oiling mechanism 40, a control unit 50, and a power supply unit 60. .

The head unit 10 is a central part of ultrasonic flaw detection, and has a flaw detection head 11. The flaw detection head 11 is a part that outputs ultrasonic waves and receives ultrasonic echoes. As shown in FIG. 2, the flaw detection head 11 is housed inside the housing 12 during non-flaw detection, and is fed from the housing 12 to the hollow portion 2a of the boring axle 2 during flaw detection as shown in FIG. .

As shown in FIG. 3, the flaw detection head 11 has a conical shape, and an ultrasonic transducer 13 is disposed therein. The ultrasonic transducer 13 is excited by applying an excitation pulse (square pulse, spike pulse) as an operation signal, and outputs an ultrasonic wave. Moreover, the ultrasonic echo which returned by reflection by a wound is received. The diameter φ11 of the flaw detection head 11 is set to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the boring axle 2 (the diameter of the hollow portion 2a).

As shown in FIG. 4, the ultrasonic transducer 13 is attached to the inclined side surface of the truncated cone-shaped base 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the ultrasonic transducer 13 of the present embodiment has a vertically long rectangular shape, and is arranged radially from the center C14 of the truncated cone over the entire circumferential direction on the inclined side surface. As shown in FIG. 6, each ultrasonic transducer 13 has an element length EL13 of about 8 mm, an incident angle θ13 of 45 to 55 degrees, and a height H13 of about 4 to 5.5 mm. The length L13 is about 6 to 7 mm. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, 64 ultrasonic transducers 13 (# 1 to # 64) are arranged uniformly over the entire circumferential direction. The ultrasonic transducer 13 is not limited to a vertically long rectangular shape but may be a vertically long trapezoidal shape.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a damper material 14 a is provided on the inclined side surface which is the back surface side of the ultrasonic transducer 13, and the output of the ultrasonic wave to the pedestal 14 side is suppressed. On the other hand, an ultrasonic wave propagation unit 15 is provided on the surface side of the ultrasonic transducer 13. The ultrasonic wave propagation portion 15 is made of a resin (for example, polystyrene) that propagates ultrasonic waves, and the angle θ15 forms a refraction angle of the ultrasonic wave incident on the boring axle 2. The ultrasonic wave propagation part 15 is in close contact with the inclined side surface of the pedestal 14 and defines a part of the outer peripheral surface of the flaw detection head 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, an oil discharge port 42a is provided on the cable-side lower surface of the flaw detection head 11, and an oil recovery port 42b is provided on the tip-side upper surface and the cable-side upper surface, and an oil supply tube 42c and an oil recovery tube 42d are provided respectively. Via the fuel tank 41. After the oil is supplied from the oil discharge port 42a at the lower end, the oil circulates upward and is recovered from the oil recovery port 42b on the upper surface, and pushes the bubbles backward in accordance with the flaw detection movement. With this configuration, bubbles that are harmful to flaw detection can be efficiently discharged.

Further, the flaw detection head 11 is provided with an O-ring 44 so as to sandwich the ultrasonic transducer 13 from the front and back, and a gap between the inner diameter of the axle and the outer diameter of the head is sealed to prevent oil from flowing out. The flaw detection head 11 and the axle front end side are sealed by these O-rings 44. For this reason, a pressure change occurs at the tip of the shaft as the flaw detection head 11 moves, and oil leaks from the seal portion as it is. In order to prevent oil leakage due to such pressure change, an air vent hole (not shown) is provided in the center of the flaw detection head 11.

One oil discharge port 42a is provided for the entire circumference of the flaw detection head 11, and two oil recovery ports 42b are similarly provided. By setting the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of the oil discharge port 42a and the total cross-sectional area of the oil recovery port 42b to 1: 2, the gap between the flaw detection head 11 and the boring axle 2 (inspection material) is balanced, and flaw detection is in progress. It is possible to eliminate the oil shortage and minimize the oil residue after the flaw detection. Further, since the oil supply mechanism 40 includes an oil discharge port 42a, an oil discharge port 42b, and an air vent hole, and the flaw detection head 11 does not rotate, the amount of oil used can be extremely reduced. As a result, the residual amount of oil is suppressed to 20 cc or less per shaft, and the operation of removing the residual oil becomes unnecessary.

The head unit elevating unit 20 is a part for elevating the head unit 10 described above, a movable frame 21 with the head unit 10 attached to the upper end, and an elevating mechanism (not shown) for elevating the movable frame 21. have.

The movable frame 21 is attached with a chain drive mechanism 23 that sends and pulls the cable 22 back. As shown in FIG. 3, the cable 22 is connected to the base end of the flaw detection head 11, the signal line 24 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals, the oil supply pipe 42 c for supplying oil, and the oil recovery An oil recovery pipe 42d and the like are accommodated.

The chain drive mechanism 23 includes a chain 23a, a motor 23b, and a reel 23c. The tip of the chain 23a is connected to the flaw detection head 11, and is engaged with and driven by a gear (not shown) rotated by a motor 23b. When the chain 23a is unwound, the flaw detection head 11 moves inside the boring axle 2 to the back side. On the contrary, when the chain 23a is pulled back, the flaw detection head 11 moves inside the boring axle 2 toward the head unit 10 side.

The cable stock 25 is provided in the lower part of the movable frame 21, and the cable 22 is stored when the flaw detection head 11 is pulled back and collected. Due to such a structure, the cable 24, the oil supply pipe 42c, the oil recovery pipe 42d, and the like are directly connected from the flaw detection head 11 to the phased array ultrasonic flaw detector 52 and the oil supply without passing through the ultrasonic signal and the rotary joint portion of the oil pipe. Connected to mechanism 40.

The operation of the lifting mechanism is controlled under the control of the control unit 50. The flaw detection head 11 can be positioned at the height position of the boring axle 2 by moving the movable frame 21 up and down. Thereby, the inspection can be facilitated.

The traveling mechanism 30 is a mechanism for traveling the entire ultrasonic flaw detector 1 and includes a traveling motor (not shown) and wheels 31 (see FIG. 2). The traveling mechanism 30 of the present embodiment causes the ultrasonic flaw detector 1 to travel in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axle direction (that is, a direction along the side surface of the vehicle). Thereby, after completion | finish of the test | inspection with respect to a certain boring axle 2, the ultrasonic flaw detector 1 can be easily moved to the position of the next boring axle 2. As a result, the inspection with respect to many boring axles 2 can be performed efficiently. This travel motor is driven by a battery 62. If the battery 62 is fully charged, it is not necessary to connect the commercial power source 63 during all inspection processes of one or more trains.

The oil supply mechanism 40 is a mechanism for injecting oil into the gap between the boring axle 2 and the flaw detection head 11 during flaw detection. As shown in FIG. 2, an oil supply tank 41, an oil supply pipe 42c, and oil recovery It has a pipe 42d and an oil supply pump 43. The oil supply tank 41 is a part for storing oil for injection. The oil supply pipe 42 c is a pipe for guiding the oil in the oil supply tank 41 to the flaw detection head 11, and the oil recovery pipe 42 d is a pipe for guiding the oil collected by the flaw detection head 11 to the oil supply tank 41. Moreover, the oil supply pump 43 sends out oil, and is provided in the middle of the oil supply pipe 42c.

The controller 50 controls each part of the ultrasonic flaw detector 1 such as the flaw detection head 11, the head unit lifting / lowering part 20, and the traveling mechanism 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 50 in the present embodiment includes a CPU 51 and a phased array ultrasonic flaw detector 52.

The CPU 51 and the like correspond to an information generation unit and are composed of a set of CPU and memory. The CPU operates according to an operation program stored in the memory and executes various controls. The memory stores various programs in addition to the operation program. For example, data defining a selection pattern of the ultrasonic transducer 13 is also stored. Further, since the boring axle 2 has different shapes depending on the motor shaft, trailer shaft, etc., and the occurrence position of the interference echo coming from the axle shape is different, the mask position information of the external echo according to the axle shape is stored as the axle information. Is done. The shape of the boring axle 2 varies depending on the knitting. For this reason, the axle information is stored for each type of boring axle 2. All inspection results are stored in units of vehicle organization.

The phased array ultrasonic flaw detector 52 outputs an excitation pulse for exciting the ultrasonic transducer 13 or obtains an output corresponding to the intensity of the ultrasonic echo received by the ultrasonic transducer 13 as an echo signal. Or output. For this reason, the phased array ultrasonic flaw detector 52 has a pulsar (not shown) that outputs an excitation pulse for each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 13. Similarly, the phased array ultrasonic flaw detector 52 amplifies an electrical signal output from the ultrasonic transducer 13 upon reception of the ultrasonic echo and outputs a receiver (not shown) that outputs the signal as an echo signal. Each of the ultrasonic transducers 13 is provided.

The phased array ultrasonic flaw detector 52 also has a waveform memory (not shown) that digitally converts the voltage value of the echo signal from each receiver and stores the digitally converted voltage value in association with time information. ing. Furthermore, the phased array ultrasonic flaw detector 52 also includes a switching unit (not shown) for electrically connecting the ultrasonic transducer 13 that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and the pulser and receiver. The switching unit connects the pulser to the ultrasonic transducer 13 when outputting ultrasonic waves, and connects the receiver to the ultrasonic transducer 13 after outputting ultrasonic waves.

Then, the CPU 51 or the like that functions as an information generation unit selects the ultrasonic transducer 13 that supplies the excitation pulse or sets the intensity of the excitation pulse. Further, the CPU 51 and the like read the voltage value (echo signal intensity) of the waveform memory included in the phased array ultrasonic flaw detector 52 and obtain information on the flaws in the boring axle such as the presence / absence, position and size of the flaws in the boring axle. Generate.

The power supply unit 60 is a part that generates a power supply used in each part of the ultrasonic flaw detector 1, and includes a power supply circuit 61 and a battery 62. The power supply circuit 61 is a part that converts the power of the commercial power supply 63 into DC power used in each part. The battery 62 is a part that supplies DC power to each unit such as the head unit 10 and the control unit 50 during a period in which the power supply by the power supply circuit 61 is not performed (for example, a travel period by the travel mechanism 30). It is charged by DC power from 61. The battery 62 is determined to have a capacity capable of supplying power for all inspections including movement between axles in a fully charged state. This eliminates the need for connection to a commercial power source in the inspection process, and enables efficient inspection work.

<About flaw detection operation>
Next, the flaw detection operation by the ultrasonic flaw detection apparatus 1 will be described. Here, the flaw detection inspection for the boring axle 2 provided in the railway vehicle will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the flaw detection inspection of the boring axle 2, the flaw detection head 11 is inserted into the hollow portion 2a of the boring axle 2. For this reason, the head unit 10 in a state in which the flaw detection head 11 is housed is moved up and down by the head unit lifting / lowering unit 20 so that the flaw detection head 11 faces the boring axle 2. Then, the flaw detection cable 22 is sent out by the chain drive mechanism 23. At this time, the control unit 50 operates the oil supply pump 43 to inject oil stored in the oil supply tank 41 between the flaw detection head 11 and the inner wall surface of the boring axle 2 through the oil supply pipe 42c. Further, excess oil is recovered through the oil recovery pipe 42d.

Thereby, the flaw detection head 11 is pushed to move the hollow portion 2a of the boring axle 2 to the back side. At this time, the oil injected by the oil supply mechanism 40 reduces the friction between the flaw detection head 11 and the boring axle 2, and the flaw detection head 11 moves smoothly. When the flaw detection head 11 is fully pushed in (for example, moved to the end opposite to the insertion side of the boring axle 2), the flaw detection inspection for the boring axle 2 is started.

In the flaw detection inspection, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 13 are grouped, and ultrasonic output and ultrasonic echo reception are performed for each group. In this embodiment, (N × M) ultrasonic transducers 13 are divided into M groups of (2 × N) ultrasonic transducers 13, and the ultrasonic transducers 13 belonging to each group are divided into N groups. Select by shifting individual pitches. In the example of FIG. 8, N is 8 and M is 8. For this reason, one group is formed by 16 ultrasonic transducers 13, and each group is shifted by eight ultrasonic transducers.

Specifically, 16 ultrasonic transducers 13 from the first ultrasonic transducer 13 (hereinafter also simply referred to as transducer # 1; the same applies to other ultrasonic transducers 13) to transducer # 16. Thus, the first group GR1 is formed, and the second group GR2 is formed of the vibrators # 25 to # 40. Similarly, the third group GR3 includes the transducer # 49 to the transducer # 64, the fourth group GR4 includes the transducer # 9 to the transducer # 24, and the fifth group includes the transducer # 33 to the transducer # 48. Is formed. Further, the sixth group GR6 includes the vibrator # 57 to the vibrator # 8, the seventh group GR7 includes the vibrator # 17 to the vibrator # 32, and the eighth group GR8 includes the vibrator # 41 to the vibrator # 56. Is formed.

In the example of FIG. 8, the flaw detection head 11 having 64 ultrasonic transducers 13 is illustrated, but the same applies regardless of whether the number is 32 or 128. In the case of 32, for example, the above N becomes 4 and the above M becomes 8. One group is formed by the eight ultrasonic transducers 13, and each group is shifted by four ultrasonic transducers. In the case of 128, for example, the above N is 16 and the above M is 8. Then, one group is formed by the 32 ultrasonic transducers 13, and each group is shifted by 16 ultrasonic transducers.

In the flaw detection inspection, the control unit 50 outputs an ultrasonic wave and receives an ultrasonic echo in order from, for example, the group with the smallest number. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, ultrasonic flaw detection is performed by the transducers # 1 to # 16 belonging to the first group GR1 in the cycle 1, and by the transducers # 25 to # 39 belonging to the second group GR2 in the cycle 2. Ultrasonic flaw detection is performed. Similarly, when cycle 8 is selected, the cycle returns to cycle 1 and ultrasonic flaw detection is performed by the transducers # 1 to # 16.

In this flaw detection operation, a group that is more than a predetermined interval away from the group that is the control target immediately before can be set as the next control target. A non-flaw detection period of at least two cycles is interposed until a flaw detection operation in the same range as the previous flaw detection operation is performed. For example, the transducers # 9 to # 15 that are flaw-detected by the first group GR1 and the fourth group GR4 are flaw-detected in the first cycle and then flaw-detected in the fourth cycle with two cycles between them. Thereby, after the ultrasonic echo generated by the previous flaw detection operation is sufficiently attenuated, the subsequent flaw detection processing can be performed. As a result, it is possible to reliably suppress the influence of the ultrasonic echo generated in the group that is the control target immediately before.

By repeatedly performing the flaw detection inspection for each group, the flaw detection inspection can be performed over the entire circumferential direction of the boring axle 2. That is, the flaw detection inspection can be performed over the entire circumferential direction of the boring axle 2 without rotating the flaw detection head 11. As a result, although 200 rpm was the upper limit in the conventional probe rotation type, this ultrasonic flaw detector 1 can perform flaw detection inspection at a speed equivalent to 1000 rpm or more, and completes inspection in 80 seconds or less per axle. be able to.

At this time, the ultrasonic focusing position can be changed by appropriately changing the delay setting for the ultrasonic transducers 13 belonging to the same group. For example, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 9, if there is no delay setting, the ultrasonic beam propagates while spreading in the boring axle 2. Here, when an arc-shaped delay is set so as to focus on the ultrasonic transducers 13 belonging to the same group, the ultrasonic beam propagates while converging, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. Thereby, the beam width of the ultrasonic wave at the outer surface position of the boring axle 2 can be controlled, and the processing capability determined by the detection capability and the beam width can be controlled.

As shown in FIG. 10, an oil layer OL is formed in the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the flaw detection head 11 and the boring axle 2. For this reason, the ultrasonic waves that have been output from the ultrasonic transducers 13 and have traveled through the ultrasonic wave propagation unit 15 are propagated to the boring axle 2 through the oil layer OL. Since the loss of ultrasonic waves can be suppressed by the oil layer OL, a decrease in detection accuracy can be suppressed. Then, the ultrasonic echo reflected by the flaw X reaches the ultrasonic transducer 13 through the reverse route. Again, since ultrasonic echoes are propagated through the oil layer OL, it is possible to suppress a decrease in detection accuracy.

<Summary>
Thus, in the ultrasonic flaw detector 1 of the present embodiment, the flaw detection head 11 has a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 13 arranged radially in the entire circumferential direction, and transmits ultrasonic waves and ultrasonic echoes. Therefore, it is possible to obtain information on the flaw of the boring axle 2 without rotating the flaw detection head 11. For this reason, a rotation mechanism such as a motor or a wire is not required, and the apparatus configuration can be simplified. As a result, the ultrasonic flaw detector 1 can be reduced in size and weight, and can be easily handled even in a narrow space in a vehicle place.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the beam is focused by performing phase control using a phased array, the detection capability can be enhanced.

Further, in this embodiment, since the resin-made ultrasonic wave propagation part 15 that is in close contact with the inclined side surface of the base 14 and defines a part of the peripheral surface of the flaw detection head 11 is provided, the propagation efficiency of ultrasonic waves is improved. Can be increased.

Further, in the ultrasonic flaw detector 1 of the present embodiment, an oil injection mechanism 40 (oil supply tank 41, oil supply pipe 42c, oil recovery pipe 42d, and oil supply pump) that injects oil into the gap between the boring axle 2 and the flaw detection head 11 is provided. 43), the ultrasonic waves can be efficiently propagated by the oil injected into the gap. Further, since the flaw detection head 11 does not rotate, the amount of oil used can be extremely reduced. Here, the oil is important for efficiently putting the ultrasonic wave into the boring axle, and if the oil runs out partially, the ultrasonic wave does not propagate. In addition, excessive oil supply leaves oil inside the axle after the inspection is completed, and an oil removal operation is required after the inspection is completed, which increases unnecessary work. In this regard, in the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably propagate ultrasonic waves even with a small amount of oil.

Furthermore, since the apparatus is reduced in size and weight and the rotation mechanism of the flaw detection head 11 is not required, the power consumption of the ultrasonic flaw detection apparatus 1 is also reduced. Accordingly, the traveling mechanism 30 can be operated using the battery 62 as a power source. Further, since inspection for one or more trains can be performed only by the power of the battery 62, troublesome work such as connection of a commercial power source during the inspection work is completely unnecessary. As a result, the inspection efficiency can be drastically increased along with the speeding up of inspection and the elimination of oil removal work. As a result, the inspection time can be greatly shortened.

<About other embodiments>
The above description of the embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof. For example, you may comprise as follows.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a modification of the ultrasonic transducer 13. The ultrasonic transducer 13 of the modified example has a vertically long rectangular shape or a vertically long trapezoidal shape like the ultrasonic transducer 13 described above, but is provided in a curved concave shape in which the central portion in the longitudinal direction is recessed from the end portion. Is different. Although the degree of depression of the ultrasonic transducer 13 is determined as appropriate, it is preferable that the ultrasonic wave converge toward the flaw X. With this configuration, the ultrasonic wave output from the ultrasonic transducer 13 can be converged toward the flaw X as shown in FIG. Thereby, the excessive spread of an ultrasonic wave is suppressed and detection sensitivity can be raised.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the main part of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the ultrasonic transducer is different from that of the first embodiment. That is, the flaw detection head 11 ′ has a daisy type ultrasonic transducer 71. As shown in FIG. 13B, the ultrasonic transducer 71 has a hollow disk-like appearance. And the element 72 which outputs an ultrasonic wave is arrange | positioned radially from the disk center. Therefore, in this ultrasonic transducer 13, by selecting a necessary element 72 from a plurality of elements 72 arranged in the whole circumferential direction on the disk surface, the ultrasonic wave is selectively selected from a part on the circumference. Can be output.

Further, in this flaw detection head 11 ′, as shown in FIG. 13A, a frustoconical reflection member 73 is provided so as to face the disk surface of the ultrasonic transducer 71. The reflecting member 73 is a member that reflects ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transducer 71 and ultrasonic echoes from the flaw X, and the inclined side surface functions as a reflecting surface. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 14, the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic transducer 71 is reflected by the inclined side surface, and this ultrasonic wave can be irradiated to the boring axle 2. Further, by reflecting the ultrasonic echo from the scratch X on the inclined side surface, the ultrasonic echo 71 can be received by the ultrasonic transducer 71.

Also in the second embodiment, since the flaw detection inspection can be performed over the entire circumferential direction by switching the element 72 that receives the ultrasonic wave output and the ultrasonic echo, the boring axle is not required to rotate the flaw detection head 11 '. Information about 2 scratches can be acquired. For this reason, a rotation mechanism such as a motor or a wire is not required, and the configuration can be simplified. As a result, the ultrasonic flaw detector 1 can be reduced in size.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the boring axle 2 provided in the railway vehicle is exemplified as the boring axle to be flaw-detected. However, the boring axle is not limited to that for the Shinkansen.

Further, the selection pattern of the ultrasonic transducer 13 and the element 72 is not limited to the pattern illustrated in FIG. The number of elements and the number of groups can be determined as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ultrasonic flaw detection apparatus, 2 ... Boring axle, 2a ... Hollow part, 10 ... Head unit, 11 ... Flaw detection head, 11 '... Flaw detection head, 13 ... Ultrasonic transducer, 14 ... Base, 14a ... Damper material, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Ultrasonic propagation part, 20 ... Head unit raising / lowering part, 21 ... Movable frame, 22 ... Cable, 23 ... Chain drive mechanism, 23a ... Chain, 23b ... Motor, 23c ... Reel, 24 ... Communication line, 25 ... Cable stock , 30 ... travel mechanism, 31 ... wheel, 40 ... oil supply mechanism, 41 ... oil supply tank, 42a ... oil discharge port, 42b ... oil recovery port, 42c ... oil supply pipe, 42d ... oil recovery pipe, 43 ... oil supply pump, 44 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS O-ring 50 ... Control part 51 ... CPU 52 ... Memory 60 ... Power supply part 61 ... Power supply circuit 62 ... Battery 63 ... Commercial power supply 71 ... Ultrasonic transducer 72 ... Element 3 ... Reflecting member, φ11 ... Diameter of flaw detection head, EL13 ... Element length of ultrasonic transducer, θ13 ... Incident angle of ultrasonic transducer, H13 ... Height of ultrasonic transducer, L13 ... Ultrasonic transducer Length, C14 ... Center of the truncated cone, OL ... Oil layer, X ... Scratches

Claims

A cylindrical flaw detection head having a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in the entire circumferential direction and performing phased array flaw detection by being inserted into a boring axle,
While outputting the operation signal for selectively exciting the ultrasonic transducer, the ultrasonic transducer receives the ultrasonic echo, and in response to the ultrasonic echo received by the ultrasonic transducer. A phased array flaw detector that obtains output according to intensity and outputs it as an echo signal;
An ultrasonic flaw detection apparatus comprising: an information generation unit that controls output of the operation signal and generates information on flaws of the boring axle from the intensity of the echo signal.
The flaw detection head has a truncated cone-shaped pedestal,
The ultrasonic transducer has a vertically long rectangular shape or a vertically long trapezoidal shape, and is arranged radially from the center of the truncated cone over the entire circumferential direction on the inclined side surface of the pedestal portion. The ultrasonic flaw detector described in 1.
The ultrasonic testing head according to claim 2, wherein the flaw detection head has a resin-made ultrasonic wave propagation portion that is in close contact with the inclined side surface of the pedestal portion and defines a part of a peripheral surface of the flaw detection head. Sonic flaw detector.
The ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the ultrasonic transducer is provided in a curved concave shape in which a central portion in a longitudinal direction is recessed from an end portion.
The ultrasonic flaw detector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an oil injection mechanism for injecting oil into a gap between the boring axle and the flaw detection head.
A mechanism for traveling the entire apparatus, and a battery having a capacity that does not require power supply over one or more train inspections for the flaw detection head, the phased array flaw detector, the information generation unit, and the traveling mechanism. The ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic flaw detector is provided.