3D printing of high frequencies ultrasound angled probe wedges and immersion probe wedges

Abstract

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) is used in almost all industries in the world. There are a few common inspection methods, however, in this report the author would focus on Ultrasonic Testing (UT). UT is an inspection method that uses a transducer to send high frequency sound waves through the material to test for defects. The four primary transducers are Straight Beam, Angled Beam, Delay Line and Immersion Transducer. The project would be focused on Angled Beam Transducers that house a wedge and a transducer. It is costly to manufacture an angled beam transducer as UT is a highly sensitive equipment. Therefore, the objective of the project is to reduce the cost using Additive Manufacturing (AM). This involves creating a wedge through computer aided design (CAD) software and designing the wedge to perform as well as a conventional wedge. The author’s emphasis will be on the creation of a 45° and 60° 3-Dimensional (3D) printed wedge that will be attached to a 5Mhz and 10Mhz 90° transducer respectively to conduct UT inspection. The design process would include research of density in different 3D materials and noise reduction of disruptive sound waves. The angle of the wedge would be found through Snell’s Law calculation. After the design process, the 3D wedges would be printed to undergo numerous UT tests that are done in industries such as calibration, distance amplitude correction curve. Real defects tests would be done to compare the 3D wedge to a conventional wedge to test its effectiveness. The results of all the tests would validate the possibilities of replacing the traditional angled beam wedge.