Dry-coupled low-frequency ultrasonic wheel probes: Application to adhesive bond inspection

A. M. Robinson, B. W. Drinkwater*, J. Allin

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

One of the factors limiting the more widespread use of adhesive bonding by industry is the lack of fast and reliable non-destructive testing methods. This paper describes a novel low frequency (<500kHz) dry coupled wheel probe which can be used to assess the integrity of three layered adhesive joints. A key novel element of this wheel probe is its operation in pulse-echo mode at low frequencies with a wide bandwidth. The system measures the first through thickness resonance of the joint which is then used to infer bondline thickness. The system is demonstrated on a range of adhesively bonded specimens of automotive specification. Also its sensitivity to alignment and coupling are discussed as are other factors limiting its operation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)27-36
Number of pages10
JournalNDT and E International
Volume36
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2003

Keywords

  • Adhesive bonding
  • Dry-coupling
  • Ultrasound
  • Wheel probe

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