EP0301906A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Apparatus and method for providing a combined ultrasonic and eddy current inspection of a tube
Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
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Filing: 1988-07-29
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2008-07-29
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus (1) and method for simultaneously inspecting tube walls with ultrasonic (11, 13, 15) and eddy current probes (17). The apparatus (1) includes a housing . assembly (6) containing a probe carrier (7) helically movable with respect to the housing (6), the probe carrier (7) having three ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) and an eddy current probe (17). The method includes correlation of the data generated by the ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) with the data generated by the eddy current probe (17) for determining the size, shape and nature of any flaws in the tube walls.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael Joseph Metala
- 👤 Warren Robert Junker
- 👤 William Guy Clark Jr.
- 👤 Lee Wayne Burtner
- 👤 Thomas Enrico Arzenti
- 👤 Robert Paul Vestovich
- 👤 Harold Paul Johnson
- 👤 Bruce Wayne Bevilacqua
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 22:58
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N29/00; G01N29/22; G01N29/221; G01N27/00; G01N27/72; G01N27/82; G01N27/90; G01N27/9013; G01N27/902; G01N27/9046; G01N29/04; G01N29/06; G01N29/0609; G01N29/0618; G01N29/26; G01N29/265; G01N2291/00; G01N2291/02; G01N2291/028; G01N2291/02854; G01N2291/04; G01N2291/044; G01N2291/045; G01N2291/048; G01N2291/10; G01N2291/105; G01N2291/26; G01N2291/263; G01N2291/2636
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
94 words
An apparatus (1) for inspecting the walls of an elongated conduit with both ultrasound and eddy currents, comprising a housing assembly (6) insertable within a selected conduit (3) characterized by a probe carrier (7) rotatably connected to the housing assembly (6), including at least three ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) for transmitting ultrasonic beams that are directly oriented radially, chordally and axially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the conduit (3), and an eddy current probe (17) for simultaneously generating eddy currents in the conduit wall while the probe carrier (7) is rotated.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
94 words
An apparatus (1) for inspecting the walls of an elongated conduit with both ultrasound and eddy currents, comprising a housing assembly (6) insertable within a selected conduit (3) characterized by a probe carrier (7) rotatably connected to the housing assembly (6), including at least three ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) for transmitting ultrasonic beams that are directly oriented radially, chordally and axially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the conduit (3), and an eddy current probe (17) for simultaneously generating eddy currents in the conduit wall while the probe carrier (7) is rotated.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
89 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 1, wherein said probe carrier (7) is rotatably connected to and helically movable with respect to said housing (6), including at least three ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) for transmitting ultrasonic beams that are directly oriented radially, chordally and axially from the longitudinal axis of the conduit (3) and an eddy current probe (17) for simultaneously generating eddy currents in the walls of the conduit (3) when the probe carrier (7) is rotated, whereby said conduit walls are helically scanned both ultrasonically and electromagnetically.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 2, further including a helical drive train (20) disposed in said housing (6) for helically moving the probe carrier (7) with respect to the housing assembly (6).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 3, wherein said helical drive train (20) includes a lead screw assembly (29) for axially moving the probe carrier (7) with respect to the housing assembly (6) when the probe carrier (7) is rotated.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 3, wherein said helical drive train (20) includes a motor (22) for rotating the probe carrier (7) with respect to the housing assembly (6), and an optical encoder (24) coupled to the output of the motor (22).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 3, wherein the probe carrier (7) includes a mounting surface (94) that is substantially co-planar with its axis of rotation, and wherein each of the three ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) includes a beam directing reflector (96, 98, 100) mounted on said mounting surface (94).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
47 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 6, wherein the radial and axial beam directing probes (11, 13, 15) are mounted substantially in alignment with the axis of rotation of the probe carrier (7) while the chordal beam directing probe (13) is mounted to one side of said axis.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 2, wherein the ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) are connected to a pulser-receiver (54, 56, 58) by way of an electrically conductive slip ring (28).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 2, wherein the probe carrier (7) includes at least one cylindrical shoulder (82) and wherein said eddy current probe (17) is mounted in the shoulder (82).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 9, wherein said eddy current probe (17) is resiliently mounted on the outer surface of the cylindrical shoulder (82) so as to resiliently engage the inner surface of the conduit wall when said probe carrier (7) is helically moved.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
106 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 1, wherein said probe carrier (7) is rotatably mounted on and helically movable with respect to said housing assembly (6), including three ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) for transmitting ultrasonic beams that are directly oriented radially chordally and axially with respect to the axis of rotation of the conduit (3) and an eddy current probe for simultaneously transmitting electromagnetic lines of flux through the walls of the conduit (3) when the probe carrier (7) is rotated, further comprising a helical drive train (20) disposed in said housing (6) for helically moving the probe carrier with respect to the housing assembly (6).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 11, wherein said helical drive train (20) includes a motor (22) for rotating the probe carrier (7) within said housing assembly, and a lead screw assembly (29) for axially moving the probe carrier (7) when it is rotated.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 12, wherein the helical drive train (20) further includes an optical encoder (24) for indicating the relative amount of rotational movement between the probe carrier (7) and the housing assembly (6).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
58 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 13, wherein said lead screw assembly (29) includes a drive shaft (30) for coupling the output of the motor (22) with the probe carrier (7), said shaft (30) having a bore (141) along its longitudinal axis for receiving wires which connect the ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) to the pulser-receiver (54, 56, 58).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
48 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 14, wherein the rotary output of the motor (22), the optical encoder (24) and the axis of the shaft (30) are arranged substantially along the axis of rotation of the probe carrier (7) in order to minimize the width of the apparatus (1).
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 12, wherein the lead screw assembly (29) includes a shaft (30), and a drive sleeve (32) whose interior is slidably engaged to and axially movable along said shaft (30), and whose exterior is threaded.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 16, wherein the housing assembly (6) further includes a drive train housing (8) whose interior includes threads (137) that are engaged to the threaded exterior (135) of the drive sleeve (32).
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 11, wherein said probe carrier (7) is formed from a lightweight, dielectric material.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 11, wherein the outputs of the ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) and eddy current probe (17) are electrically connected to the input of a computer (44).
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus (1) of claim 13, further including a computer (44), wherein the output of the optical encoder (24) is connected to the input of the computer (44), and the output of the computer (44) controls the motor (22).
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
59 words
The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the computer (44) has input electrically connected to the optical encoder (24), and to the outputs of the three ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) and the eddy current probe (17), and has output connected to the source of electrical power in order to regulate the amount of power transmitted to the motor (22).
Claim 23
Independent Claim
134 words
A method of inspecting the walls of a tube (3) with both beam-type ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) and an eddy current probe (17), characterized by the steps of a) orienting the ultrasonic beams of three separate ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) radially, chordally and axially with respect to the axis of rotation of the tube (3); b) orienting an eddy current probe (17) so that the lines of electromagnetic flux emanated thereby intersect with a section of the tube wall exposed to one or more of the beams transmitted by the ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15); and c) helically moving the three ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) and one eddy current probe (17) within the tube (3) in order to simultaneously scan the walls of the tube (3) with ultrasound and electromagnetic flux.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
134 words
A method of inspecting the walls of a tube (3) with both beam-type ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) and an eddy current probe (17), characterized by the steps of a) orienting the ultrasonic beams of three separate ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) radially, chordally and axially with respect to the axis of rotation of the tube (3); b) orienting an eddy current probe (17) so that the lines of electromagnetic flux emanated thereby intersect with a section of the tube wall exposed to one or more of the beams transmitted by the ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15); and c) helically moving the three ultrasonic probes (11, 13, 15) and one eddy current probe (17) within the tube (3) in order to simultaneously scan the walls of the tube (3) with ultrasound and electromagnetic flux.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 22, further including the step of storing the data generated by each of the probes (11, 13, 15, 17).
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 23, further including the step of correlating the data generated by each probe (11, 13, 15, 17) with a specific radial and axial tube position.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 24, further including the step of correlating the data generated by each probe (11, 13, 15, 17) with a specific axial tube position.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 25, further including the step of simultaneously displaying the data generated by each probe (11, 13,15, 17) for a specific angular and axial position in the tube (3).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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