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Title: Apparatus and method for measuring the thickness of a coating

Patent ·
OSTI ID:874311

An apparatus and method for measuring the thickness of a coating adhered to a substrate. An electromagnetic acoustic transducer is used to induce surface waves into the coating. The surface waves have a selected frequency and a fixed wavelength. Interpolation is used to determine the frequency of surface waves that propagate through the coating with the least attenuation. The phase velocity of the surface waves having this frequency is then calculated. The phase velocity is compared to known phase velocity/thickness tables to determine the thickness of the coating.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC07-94ID13223
Assignee:
Bechtel BWXT Idaho LLC (Idaho Falls, ID)
Patent Number(s):
US 6363787
OSTI ID:
874311
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (3)

Opto-Acoustical Inspection of Surface Layers journal May 1990
Laser generation and detection of surface acoustic waves: Elastic properties of surface layers journal January 1992
Application of ultrasonic Rayleigh waves to thickness measurement of metallic coatings journal January 1995