Contact Pattern Measurement by Means of Ultrasonic Waves: Art of Present and Some Improvements of its Performance

Abstract

To understand the contact characteristics of a joint surface, it is necessary and indispensable to measure the contact pressure. There have, however, been very few contributions to the method of measuring the contact pressure when comparing it with other methods to detect the properties of engineering surfaces. The contact pressure measurement by means of ultrasonic waves (ultrasonic contact pressure measurement) is surely an effective method as ascertained by earlier works, and thus in this paper some improvements of its performance by using a focus type transducer have been reported, also referring to its art of the present. The measurement using a focus type transducer shows a fairly good characteristic as compared with that using a conventional transducer, especially from the aspect of the resolution ability of the contact pattern.