Magnetostrictive Probe With Mechanical and Fluid Coupling for Guided Wave Testing of Tubular Structures

摘要

A probe for use in magnetostrictive testing of tubular structures. The probe has a handle and an outer tube, the latter having an expandable probe head for insertion into the tubular structure. A pair of magnetostrictive sensors is mounted in or on the probe head. A flexible bladder is located inside the outer tube in the area of the probe head, and communicates with a pressurizing cartridge in the probe handle via a bladder tube. The bladder is operable to expand, causing the probe head to expand, which moves the sensors toward the inner wall of the tubular structure. The probe is also equipped with a couplant injector that delivers coupling fluid to any gaps between the inner surface of the tubular structure and the outer surface of the probe.

主权项

1. A probe for use in magnetostrictive testing of a tubular structure, comprising:
an outer tube having a probe head portion for insertion into the tubular structure, the outer tube being radially expandable at the probe head portion; a pair of magnetostrictive sensors in or on the probe head portion of the outer tube, each sensor comprising a ring-shaped magnet and a ring-shaped strip made from ferromagnetic material, the strip being concentric to and having a larger diameter than the magnet, the strip having an electrical coil wrapped around its width, and the magnet being polarized in a direction parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the outer tube; a flexible bladder located inside the outer tube in the area of the probe head; a probe handle attached to the outer tube at the end opposite the probe head; a pressurizing cartridge located in or on the probe handle, operable to store pressurizing fluid; a bladder tube extending longitudinally inside the outer tube, the bladder tube operable to deliver the pressurizing fluid from the pressurizing cartridge to the bladder, thereby causing the bladder to expand; a couplant cartridge located in or on the probe handle, operable to store couplant fluid; a couplant tube around and concentric to the bladder tube extending to the probe head, the couplant tube having nozzles for fluid communication of the couplant fluid out of the couplant tube; wherein the outer tube has openings operable to communicate the couplant fluid from the couplant tube toward the inner surface of the tubular structure.