Stand for ultrasonic testing of aluminum pistons

We offer fully automatic stands for ultrasonic testing of aluminum pistons at the production stage. It is possible to locate the cooling channel or assess the adhesion of the Alfin insert before or after making the annular notches. The system consists of an ultrasonic flaw detector, a computer control and archiving program, a table with a turntable and a set of appropriate ultrasonic probes. The operator’s task is to place the piston on the turntable and start the test. Then the entire process, including the evaluation of the results based on the set criteria, is performed automatically.
Tests of the Alfin insert before mechanical processing and aimed at locating the cooling channel are performed using the echo technique with double probes. They are applied to the bottom of the piston, the coupling agent is fed directly under the probe. The computer screen is divided into two parts – left for the upper layer and right for the lower one. The test result is visualized in the form of amplitude as a function of the piston rotation angle. The occurrence of indications of unacceptable intensity is signaled by a red sign, while their absence is signaled by a green sign.

Tests of the Alfin insert after making the annular notches are performed using the immersion transition technique. The piston is immersed in water by the operator and placed on a turntable. After pressing a button, the probes are automatically moved to the notches. Then the piston is examined around its entire circumference and an automatic evaluation is made, analogous to the echo technique.