Patent ID: 6948369

Claim:
A non-destructive, non-immersion, open air method for ultrasonically measuring a weldment between materials, the method comprises the steps of: a. selecting an ultrasonic signal sending and receiving probe with an ultrasonic transducer and a nose piece sized to be substantially the same size as an electrode indentation corresponding to the weldment to be measured; b. placing the nose piece of the ultrasonic signal sending and receiving probe on an external surface of the material; c. transporting said probe in a selected path along the external surface of the material with the nose piece sliding on high points of the material to maintain the ultrasonic transducer of the probe a fixed stand-off distance from the external surface of the material as ultrasonic signals are applied to and received from the surface of the material; d. determining time between each ultrasonic signal applied to the external surface and each ultrasonic signal received from the external surface; e. measuring distance traveled by the probe along the path with the measured distance travel coordinated in time application and receipt of ultrasonic signals to and from the material; and f. determining weldment characteristics from the results obtained in steps d. and e.