Patent ID: 6883376
Filing Date: 2005-04-26
Classification: G01B,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of determining the wall thickness of a tubular workpiece and the speed of sound within said tubular workpiece from a single set of recorded ultrasound data, said method comprising the steps of: configuring an acoustic couplant medium; placing at least one ultrasonic transducer in acoustic communication with said couplant medium; defining a transmission path in said acoustic couplant medium; selectively disposing said tubular workpiece in said acoustic couplant medium such that said tubular workpiece is in said transmission path; defining, along said transmission path, an acoustic discontinuity at each interface between a surface of said tubular workpiece and said acoustic couplant medium; transmitting a plurality of ultrasound waves through said transmission path, at least one of said plurality of ultrasound waves being transmitted without the presence of said tubular workpiece in said transmission path; receiving signals corresponding to: recording time and amplitude data for each of said received signals; calculating a speed of sound in said tubular workpiece based on said recorded time and amplitude data; and calculating a thickness of each wall of said tubular workpiece based on said recorded time and amplitude data.