CA1073093A - Ultrasonic method and apparatus for measuring wall thickness of tubular members - Google Patents
Ultrasonic method and apparatus for measuring wall thickness of tubular membersInfo
- Publication number
- CA1073093A CA1073093A CA264,533A CA264533A CA1073093A CA 1073093 A CA1073093 A CA 1073093A CA 264533 A CA264533 A CA 264533A CA 1073093 A CA1073093 A CA 1073093A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- echo
- tubular member
- gate
- accumulating
- transducer
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
- G01N29/04—Analysing solids
- G01N29/07—Analysing solids by measuring propagation velocity or propagation time of acoustic waves
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G01B17/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic vibrations
- G01B17/02—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic vibrations for measuring thickness
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
- G01N2291/02—Indexing codes associated with the analysed material
- G01N2291/028—Material parameters
- G01N2291/02854—Length, thickness
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S73/00—Measuring and testing
- Y10S73/901—Digital readout
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Biochemistry (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Immunology (AREA)
- Pathology (AREA)
- Length Measuring Devices Characterised By Use Of Acoustic Means (AREA)
- Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
Abstract
A B S T R A C T
The invention concerns a method and apparatus for measuring the wall thickness of tubular members using pulses of ultrasonic energy and measuring the time interval between the echoes from the two surfaces of the wall. A rotating diagonal reflector in combination with a fixed transducer is used to scan the interior of the member with the time between the echo from the inner and outer surfaces of the wall being used as a measure of the wall thickness. Each of the time measurements is assigned to a particular counter to accumulate all measurements of a particular thickness. This provides a profile of the wall thickness of the tubular member.
The invention concerns a method and apparatus for measuring the wall thickness of tubular members using pulses of ultrasonic energy and measuring the time interval between the echoes from the two surfaces of the wall. A rotating diagonal reflector in combination with a fixed transducer is used to scan the interior of the member with the time between the echo from the inner and outer surfaces of the wall being used as a measure of the wall thickness. Each of the time measurements is assigned to a particular counter to accumulate all measurements of a particular thickness. This provides a profile of the wall thickness of the tubular member.
Description
~ ~o73093 The invention concerns a method and apparatus for measuring the wall thickness of tubular members.
The present invention relates in particular to a method and apparatus for inspecting tubular members to detect corrosion and thinning and more particularly to a method and apparatus using ultrasonic energy to measure the thickness of the wall of the tubular member. The use of ultrasonic means for detecting anomalies or other types of imperfections in tubular members is well known. There have also been attempts to adopt ultrasonic means for measuring the thickness of the tubular members.
While these attempts have been partially successful, they have not dis-played the data in a way that allows the operator to detect the presence .
, of corrosion or a thinning of the tubular member. The ability to detect thinning and corrosion of the tubular members is important especially in the case of heat exchangers where possible tube failure could cause serious problems.
The present invention solves the above problems by providing a ` non-destructive inspec*ion method characterized by repetitively generat-ing within said member an ultrasonic pulse; directing said pulses in a direction normal to the wall of the member; receiving the returning echoes of each of said pulses; detecting the first two echoes; measuring the time period between the first and second echo from respectively the inner and ., ~
the outer wall of the member; and accumulating said measured time~periods in a series of accumulating means each of said accumulating means accumu-lating the measured time periods falling within preset limits.
The invention further provides an apparatus being characterized by an ultrasonic transducer; a transceiver, said transceiver being coupled to said transducer to energize said transducer to produce an ultrasonic pulse and receive any returning echoes; housing means for said transducer, .'?'!
said h~using means being adaptable for supporting said transducer within the tubular member to direct a beam of ultrasonic energy lengthwise in the tubular member; an acoustical mirror, said mirror being rotatably mounted ", ~
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~073(~93 on said housing for rotation about an axis parallel to that of the tubular member and having a reflecting surface inclined at an angle to said axis to direct the ultrasonic energy towards the wall of the tubular member; rotating means, said rotating means being coupled to said mirror; a water flow directing means, said water flow directing means being mounted on said housing to produce a water coupling between said transducer, said mirror and the tubular member; elapsed time measuring means, said time measuring means being coupled to said transceiver and disposed to measure the time between the echoes from the inner and outer walls of the tubular member;
10 and accumulating means, said accumulating means being coupled to said elapsed time measuring means to accumulate the measured times that fall within one of a series of predetermined maximum and minimum time periods. ' The ultrasonic transducer produces ultrasonic waves that are directed towards the walls of the tubular member by a rotating acoustical mirror having an inclined surface. A transceiver is provided for energiz-ing the ultrasonic transducer to produce the ultrasonic waves and receive the returning echoes. The time interval between the echo from the inner and the outer surface of the tubular member is measured, for example by digital means. The digital measurements are then analysed to determine which of the measurements fall within selected time periods. The digital measure-ments that fall within each of the selected time periods may be accumulated ., .
- on a digital display means. This permits the operator to inspect the digital display means to determine ... .
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~073093 the thickness of the various portions of the wall of the tubular member. A serious corrosion or thinning of the tube wall will be indicated by the accumulation of a number of measurements different from the average time measurement.
In addition to accumulating the time measurements in a series of selected time intervals, they can be displayed in the form of a histogram, This will provide the operator with both an eaæily inspected and permanent records of the measurements.
~ne present invention will be more easily understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the attached drawin~s in which:
Figure 1 shows the probe in cross-section while the ~, electronic circuit is shown in block diagram form;
Figure 2 is a series of waveforms showing the shape - of the signal at various positions in the circuitry; &nd , Figure 3 is a histogram of the measurements made by ';~ the instrument compared to tho~e made by the micrometer.
. .
'~ Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown on the lefl;
side a probe that can be inserted in the tubnlar member to measure the wall thickness. The probe combines an ultrasonic transducer 10`and a rotating mirror 11 having a surface 12 inclined at approximately 45 to the axis of the transducer.
The rotating mirror directs the ultrasonic energy normal to the wall of the tubular member and directs the returning echoes to the transducer. The mirror 11 is m~unted in one ~`- end of a water turbine rotor 14. The turbine rotor is provided with two axially extending arms 13 which support the rotating mirror at the lower end and a series of jet holes'24 tha~.
' 30 form the turbine at the upper end. Ihe turbine rotor is ,,,~ rotatably supported on the turbine ststor 15 by me4ns of two bearings 16 and 17. Provisions sre msde for introducing -~l water into the cavity 27 ~urrounding the bearinB 17 80 that '~'` it can flow`out the jet holes 24 to spin the rotor lô.
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' ' ' ' ' ' -`` 1073093 The turbine and transducer assembly is supported on the end of a tube 20 which can be a rigid tubular member that is used for inserting the probe into the tubular member being inspected. Centering devices 21 and 23 are provided on the tubular member 20 to center the probe within the tubular member. A flow directing means, for example, two rubber dams 26 are provided on the turbine stator to isolate the lower end of the probe member from the upper end and cause the water which flows out of the jet holes 24 to flow downward.
This ensures that the tubular member will be filled with water and provide good acoustical coupling between the transducer 10 and the tubuiar member being inspected. The transducer is coupled to the remainder of the system by a coaxial cable 25 that extends through the tube 20.
The transducer is coupled to a transmitterlreceiver 30 which generates a pulse for energizing the transducer and then receives the returning signals. In the present application where the probe is designed for measuring the thickness Or the wall of the tubular member, the receiver will receive two or more echoes, one from the inner surface o~ the wall and one or more from the outer surface of the wall. The transmitter/receiver 30 ~nd the transducer 10 may be commercially available units, for example a model msnufactured by Panametrics Incorporated Or Waltham, Massachusetts~ The signal from the receiver is amplified by an amplifier 31 and supplied to a full wave detector 32. The smplifier 31 `l should be limited to prevent it from saturating when large amplitude echoes are received. The full wave detector receives the two alternating echo signsl~ from the receiver and converts them to a pair of unidireotional pulses. The full wave detector may comprise a rsdio frequency transrormer, a diode bridge and an integrating circuit. The full wave detector will efrectively separate the echoes and produce two distinct 9ig~alc. The pulsec are ~plined by an a~plifier 33 and ~ .
., .
.` ~
- ` 1073093 used to aetuate a gate 34 to produce a single square wave pulse whose leading edge corresponds to the first echo and trailing edge corresponds to the second echo. An additional echo arriving after the first two will be rejected.
The pulse from the gate 34 is used to start and stop a digital counter 35 that counts pulses from a clock source 36. Thus, the interval between the first two echoes is converted to a digital time measurement.
At the end of each measurement period, the counter 35 contains a number of counts proportional to the wall thickness discounting the stop/start error. Each display counter memory 42 has a preassigned thickness range which corresponds to a range of counts in the counter 35. The distribution analyser or gate 40 gates a pulse to increment the counter me ry 42 which corresponds to the preassigned block of counts in 35. The number of counts in each counter is displayed in lights for the operator. Each value range corresponds to and is assigned a thickness range for the tube wall material being measured. Thus, by reading the counter an operator may see how often the probe has measured a wall whose thickness was within the thickness range corresponding to that counter. As shown in Figure 1, the instrument illus-trated uses 20 channels 41 and 20 displays 42 representing 20 adjacent thick-ness value ranges with a 21st counter display 43 being used to accumulate the errors corresponding to those instances in which the transducer failed to receive both returning echoes. A 22nd counter display 44 is used to accumu-` late the total of the number of measurements.
Shown in Figure 2 are the waveforms which are produced at various portions of the electronic circuit. In particular, waveform 50 illustrates the two echoes that are produced by the receiver and received by the amplifier 31. The signal 52 illustrates the rectified signals with the leading edge i of each of the pulses corresponding to the start of the first and second echo, ;l respectively.
:' ~ .
'',~
` 1073093 The waveform 53 corresponds to the pul9e produced by the gate circuit 34 which is used to control the operation of the digital counter 35.
The data accumulated in the various counter memories of the distribution analyser 40 may be displayed in the form of a - histogram as shown in Figure 3. The twenty channels are shown at the bottom of tne graph while the corresyonding wall thicknesses in mm are shown at the top. The lefthand edge illustrates the percentage of individual measurements which are accumulated in each of the individual counters. As shown, the error signal 60 corre,sponds to a small percentage of the total measurements while the majority Or the measurements 61 and 62 fall within the two ranges corresponding to the thirteenth and fourteenth counters. The portion of the graphs ; 15 63 and 64 appearing above the graphs 61 and 62 illustrate the magnitude of the ~icrometer messure~ents made on the same tubular member in which the ultrasonic device is used. While the ultrasonic measurements were spread over a slightly wider range of wall thicknesses than the micrometer range measurements, they did not measure any greatly re &ced wall thickness or other abnormalities. Further, from the graph, one would conclude that the average wall thickness of the tubular member was between 2.6 and 2.9 mm.
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The present invention relates in particular to a method and apparatus for inspecting tubular members to detect corrosion and thinning and more particularly to a method and apparatus using ultrasonic energy to measure the thickness of the wall of the tubular member. The use of ultrasonic means for detecting anomalies or other types of imperfections in tubular members is well known. There have also been attempts to adopt ultrasonic means for measuring the thickness of the tubular members.
While these attempts have been partially successful, they have not dis-played the data in a way that allows the operator to detect the presence .
, of corrosion or a thinning of the tubular member. The ability to detect thinning and corrosion of the tubular members is important especially in the case of heat exchangers where possible tube failure could cause serious problems.
The present invention solves the above problems by providing a ` non-destructive inspec*ion method characterized by repetitively generat-ing within said member an ultrasonic pulse; directing said pulses in a direction normal to the wall of the member; receiving the returning echoes of each of said pulses; detecting the first two echoes; measuring the time period between the first and second echo from respectively the inner and ., ~
the outer wall of the member; and accumulating said measured time~periods in a series of accumulating means each of said accumulating means accumu-lating the measured time periods falling within preset limits.
The invention further provides an apparatus being characterized by an ultrasonic transducer; a transceiver, said transceiver being coupled to said transducer to energize said transducer to produce an ultrasonic pulse and receive any returning echoes; housing means for said transducer, .'?'!
said h~using means being adaptable for supporting said transducer within the tubular member to direct a beam of ultrasonic energy lengthwise in the tubular member; an acoustical mirror, said mirror being rotatably mounted ", ~
~ -2-,. ~, .~ . , .
~ ~`
~073(~93 on said housing for rotation about an axis parallel to that of the tubular member and having a reflecting surface inclined at an angle to said axis to direct the ultrasonic energy towards the wall of the tubular member; rotating means, said rotating means being coupled to said mirror; a water flow directing means, said water flow directing means being mounted on said housing to produce a water coupling between said transducer, said mirror and the tubular member; elapsed time measuring means, said time measuring means being coupled to said transceiver and disposed to measure the time between the echoes from the inner and outer walls of the tubular member;
10 and accumulating means, said accumulating means being coupled to said elapsed time measuring means to accumulate the measured times that fall within one of a series of predetermined maximum and minimum time periods. ' The ultrasonic transducer produces ultrasonic waves that are directed towards the walls of the tubular member by a rotating acoustical mirror having an inclined surface. A transceiver is provided for energiz-ing the ultrasonic transducer to produce the ultrasonic waves and receive the returning echoes. The time interval between the echo from the inner and the outer surface of the tubular member is measured, for example by digital means. The digital measurements are then analysed to determine which of the measurements fall within selected time periods. The digital measure-ments that fall within each of the selected time periods may be accumulated ., .
- on a digital display means. This permits the operator to inspect the digital display means to determine ... .
' .
':
_3_ ~''''~
~,~.. - . . . . .. ..
-:, - ... . : . ,, . .- , .. ~ :
,, , , . ~ i ~ , ~ - . .
~073093 the thickness of the various portions of the wall of the tubular member. A serious corrosion or thinning of the tube wall will be indicated by the accumulation of a number of measurements different from the average time measurement.
In addition to accumulating the time measurements in a series of selected time intervals, they can be displayed in the form of a histogram, This will provide the operator with both an eaæily inspected and permanent records of the measurements.
~ne present invention will be more easily understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the attached drawin~s in which:
Figure 1 shows the probe in cross-section while the ~, electronic circuit is shown in block diagram form;
Figure 2 is a series of waveforms showing the shape - of the signal at various positions in the circuitry; &nd , Figure 3 is a histogram of the measurements made by ';~ the instrument compared to tho~e made by the micrometer.
. .
'~ Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown on the lefl;
side a probe that can be inserted in the tubnlar member to measure the wall thickness. The probe combines an ultrasonic transducer 10`and a rotating mirror 11 having a surface 12 inclined at approximately 45 to the axis of the transducer.
The rotating mirror directs the ultrasonic energy normal to the wall of the tubular member and directs the returning echoes to the transducer. The mirror 11 is m~unted in one ~`- end of a water turbine rotor 14. The turbine rotor is provided with two axially extending arms 13 which support the rotating mirror at the lower end and a series of jet holes'24 tha~.
' 30 form the turbine at the upper end. Ihe turbine rotor is ,,,~ rotatably supported on the turbine ststor 15 by me4ns of two bearings 16 and 17. Provisions sre msde for introducing -~l water into the cavity 27 ~urrounding the bearinB 17 80 that '~'` it can flow`out the jet holes 24 to spin the rotor lô.
, . .
. ..
/ ~
':
''`
:~`
;
;.:................................ .
' ' ' ' ' ' -`` 1073093 The turbine and transducer assembly is supported on the end of a tube 20 which can be a rigid tubular member that is used for inserting the probe into the tubular member being inspected. Centering devices 21 and 23 are provided on the tubular member 20 to center the probe within the tubular member. A flow directing means, for example, two rubber dams 26 are provided on the turbine stator to isolate the lower end of the probe member from the upper end and cause the water which flows out of the jet holes 24 to flow downward.
This ensures that the tubular member will be filled with water and provide good acoustical coupling between the transducer 10 and the tubuiar member being inspected. The transducer is coupled to the remainder of the system by a coaxial cable 25 that extends through the tube 20.
The transducer is coupled to a transmitterlreceiver 30 which generates a pulse for energizing the transducer and then receives the returning signals. In the present application where the probe is designed for measuring the thickness Or the wall of the tubular member, the receiver will receive two or more echoes, one from the inner surface o~ the wall and one or more from the outer surface of the wall. The transmitter/receiver 30 ~nd the transducer 10 may be commercially available units, for example a model msnufactured by Panametrics Incorporated Or Waltham, Massachusetts~ The signal from the receiver is amplified by an amplifier 31 and supplied to a full wave detector 32. The smplifier 31 `l should be limited to prevent it from saturating when large amplitude echoes are received. The full wave detector receives the two alternating echo signsl~ from the receiver and converts them to a pair of unidireotional pulses. The full wave detector may comprise a rsdio frequency transrormer, a diode bridge and an integrating circuit. The full wave detector will efrectively separate the echoes and produce two distinct 9ig~alc. The pulsec are ~plined by an a~plifier 33 and ~ .
., .
.` ~
- ` 1073093 used to aetuate a gate 34 to produce a single square wave pulse whose leading edge corresponds to the first echo and trailing edge corresponds to the second echo. An additional echo arriving after the first two will be rejected.
The pulse from the gate 34 is used to start and stop a digital counter 35 that counts pulses from a clock source 36. Thus, the interval between the first two echoes is converted to a digital time measurement.
At the end of each measurement period, the counter 35 contains a number of counts proportional to the wall thickness discounting the stop/start error. Each display counter memory 42 has a preassigned thickness range which corresponds to a range of counts in the counter 35. The distribution analyser or gate 40 gates a pulse to increment the counter me ry 42 which corresponds to the preassigned block of counts in 35. The number of counts in each counter is displayed in lights for the operator. Each value range corresponds to and is assigned a thickness range for the tube wall material being measured. Thus, by reading the counter an operator may see how often the probe has measured a wall whose thickness was within the thickness range corresponding to that counter. As shown in Figure 1, the instrument illus-trated uses 20 channels 41 and 20 displays 42 representing 20 adjacent thick-ness value ranges with a 21st counter display 43 being used to accumulate the errors corresponding to those instances in which the transducer failed to receive both returning echoes. A 22nd counter display 44 is used to accumu-` late the total of the number of measurements.
Shown in Figure 2 are the waveforms which are produced at various portions of the electronic circuit. In particular, waveform 50 illustrates the two echoes that are produced by the receiver and received by the amplifier 31. The signal 52 illustrates the rectified signals with the leading edge i of each of the pulses corresponding to the start of the first and second echo, ;l respectively.
:' ~ .
'',~
` 1073093 The waveform 53 corresponds to the pul9e produced by the gate circuit 34 which is used to control the operation of the digital counter 35.
The data accumulated in the various counter memories of the distribution analyser 40 may be displayed in the form of a - histogram as shown in Figure 3. The twenty channels are shown at the bottom of tne graph while the corresyonding wall thicknesses in mm are shown at the top. The lefthand edge illustrates the percentage of individual measurements which are accumulated in each of the individual counters. As shown, the error signal 60 corre,sponds to a small percentage of the total measurements while the majority Or the measurements 61 and 62 fall within the two ranges corresponding to the thirteenth and fourteenth counters. The portion of the graphs ; 15 63 and 64 appearing above the graphs 61 and 62 illustrate the magnitude of the ~icrometer messure~ents made on the same tubular member in which the ultrasonic device is used. While the ultrasonic measurements were spread over a slightly wider range of wall thicknesses than the micrometer range measurements, they did not measure any greatly re &ced wall thickness or other abnormalities. Further, from the graph, one would conclude that the average wall thickness of the tubular member was between 2.6 and 2.9 mm.
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.. .
., .
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. ...................................................................... .
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Claims (10)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Method for measuring the wall thickness of tubular member comprising: repetitively generating within said member an ultrasonic pulse; directing said pulses in a direction normal to the wall of the member; receiving the returning echoes of each of said pulses;
detecting the first two echoes; measuring the time period between the first and second echo from respectively the inner and the outer wall of the member; and accumulating said measured time periods in a series of accumulating means each of said accumulating means accumulating the measured time periods falling within preset limits.
detecting the first two echoes; measuring the time period between the first and second echo from respectively the inner and the outer wall of the member; and accumulating said measured time periods in a series of accumulating means each of said accumulating means accumulating the measured time periods falling within preset limits.
2. Method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the preset limits of each accumulating means corresponds to selected ranges of wall thickness of the member.
3. Method as claimed in claim 1, comprising generating a gate pulse, of which the leading edge corresponds to the start of the first echo and the trailing edge to that of the second echo; generating a series of clock pulses; passing said clock pulses to a counting means for the duration of said gate pulse, which counting means thus produces a measure for the time period.
4. Method as claimed in claim 2 comprising generating a gate pulse, of which the leading edge corresponds to the start of the first echo and the trailing edge to that of the second echo; generating a series of clock pulses; passing said clock pulses to a counting means for the duration of said gate pulse, which counting means thus produces a measure for the time period.
5. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said accumulated time periods are displayed in the form of a histogram.
6. Apparatus for measuring the wall thickness of a tubular member comprising: an ultrasonic transducer; a transceiver, said transceiver being coupled to said transducer to energize said transducer to produce an ultrasonic pulse and receive any returning echoes; housing means for said transducer, said housing means being adaptable for supporting said transducer within the tubular member to direct a beam of ultrasonic energy lengthwise in the tubular member; an acoustical mirror, said mirror being rotatably mounted on said housing for rotation about an axis parallel to that of the tubular member and having a reflecting surface inclined at an angle to said axis to direct the ultrasonic energy towards the wall of the tubular member; rotating means, said rotating means being coupled to said mirror; a water flow directing means, said water flow directing means being mounted on said housing to produce a water coupling between said transducer, said mirror and the tubular member;
elapsed time measuring means, said time measuring means being coupled to said transceiver and disposed to measure the time between the echoes from the inner and outer walls of the tubular member; and accumulating means, said accumulating means being coupled to said elapsed time measuring means to accumulate the measured times that fall within one of a series of pre-determined maximum and minimum time periods.
elapsed time measuring means, said time measuring means being coupled to said transceiver and disposed to measure the time between the echoes from the inner and outer walls of the tubular member; and accumulating means, said accumulating means being coupled to said elapsed time measuring means to accumulate the measured times that fall within one of a series of pre-determined maximum and minimum time periods.
7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said accumulating means comprises a plurality of counter memories, one counter memory being assigned to each time period.
8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said elapsed time measuring means comprises a gate means coupled to said transceiver. said gate means being opened by the receiving of the first echo and closed by the receiving of the second echo to generate a gate pulse; a clock means for generating a series of clock pulses; a digital counting means, said gate means being coupled to both said clock means and said counting means to supply clock pulses to said counting means for the duration of said gate pulse.
9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said elapsed time measuring means comprises a gate means coupled to said transceiver, said gate means being opened by the receiving of the first echo and closed by the receiving of the second echo to generate a gate pulse;
a clock means for generating a series of clock pulses; a digital counting means, said gate means being coupled to both said clock means and said counting means to supply clock pulses to said counting means for the duration of said gate pulse.
a clock means for generating a series of clock pulses; a digital counting means, said gate means being coupled to both said clock means and said counting means to supply clock pulses to said counting means for the duration of said gate pulse.
10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said accumulating means comprises a digital display means.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US05/645,051 US4008603A (en) | 1975-12-29 | 1975-12-29 | Ultrasonic method and apparatus for measuring wall thickness of tubular members |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1073093A true CA1073093A (en) | 1980-03-04 |
Family
ID=24587453
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA264,533A Expired CA1073093A (en) | 1975-12-29 | 1976-11-01 | Ultrasonic method and apparatus for measuring wall thickness of tubular members |
Country Status (6)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4008603A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1073093A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2658983C2 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2337331A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1552702A (en) |
| NO (1) | NO764362L (en) |
Families Citing this family (30)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1508701A (en) * | 1976-02-06 | 1978-04-26 | Ford Motor Co | Ultrasonic testing of cylinder bores |
| FR2359420A1 (en) * | 1976-07-21 | 1978-02-17 | Commissariat Energie Atomique | DEVICE FOR TUBE TESTING BY ULTRASONICS INCLUDING MEANS FOR INTRODUCING AN ACOUSTIC COUPLING LIQUID |
| US4249810A (en) * | 1978-02-27 | 1981-02-10 | Magnaflux Corporation | Pipeline inspection apparatus |
| US4212207A (en) * | 1978-12-14 | 1980-07-15 | Shell Oil Company | Ultrasonic tube inspection |
| US4332016A (en) * | 1979-01-26 | 1982-05-25 | A/S Tomra Systems | Method, apparatus and transducer for measurement of dimensions |
| JPS5668443A (en) * | 1979-11-12 | 1981-06-09 | Olympus Optical Co | Ultrasonic scanner for inspecting body cavity |
| JPS56136536A (en) * | 1980-03-29 | 1981-10-24 | Olympus Optical Co | Ultrasonic scanner for detecting interior of body cavity |
| JPS56152635A (en) * | 1980-04-28 | 1981-11-26 | Olympus Optical Co | Ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus |
| JPS56158630A (en) * | 1980-05-09 | 1981-12-07 | Olympus Optical Co | Endoscope with ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus |
| EP0075997A3 (en) * | 1981-09-25 | 1985-05-22 | Sigma Research, Inc. | Well logging device |
| NL185585C (en) * | 1981-10-05 | 1990-05-16 | Nucon Eng & Contracting Bv | SYSTEM FOR MEASURING PARAMETERS OF A PIPE OR TUBULAR MEASUREMENT OBJECT. |
| US4525815A (en) * | 1982-02-09 | 1985-06-25 | Watson W Keith R | Well pipe perforation detector |
| GB2125966B (en) * | 1982-08-27 | 1986-02-05 | Atomic Energy Authority Uk | Ultrasonic measurement of tube bore |
| DE3340693A1 (en) * | 1983-11-10 | 1985-05-23 | Brown, Boveri & Cie Ag, 6800 Mannheim | Device for manipulating the probe of an ultrasonic wall thickness meter |
| DE3410954A1 (en) * | 1984-03-24 | 1984-09-20 | Hermann 8000 München Schimkat | Device for operating an ultrasonic test head |
| JPS61286748A (en) * | 1985-06-14 | 1986-12-17 | Nippon Piston Ring Co Ltd | Method for inspecting connection state of assembling type cam shaft |
| US4766577A (en) * | 1985-12-27 | 1988-08-23 | Shell Oil Company | Axial borehole televiewer |
| US4964295A (en) * | 1986-06-26 | 1990-10-23 | Westinghouse Electric Co. | Bore mapping and surface time measurement system |
| US4991427A (en) * | 1986-06-26 | 1991-02-12 | Westinghouse Electric Corp. | Bore mapping and surface time measurement system |
| US4955235A (en) * | 1987-07-30 | 1990-09-11 | Westinghouse Electric Corp. | Apparatus and method for providing a combined ultrasonic and eddy current inspection of a metallic body |
| US4856337A (en) * | 1987-07-30 | 1989-08-15 | Westinghouse Electric Corp. | Apparatus and method for providing a combined ultrasonic and eddy current inspection of a tube |
| FR2623626B1 (en) * | 1987-11-25 | 1990-04-13 | Electricite De France | NON-DESTRUCTIVE TUBE TESTING DEVICE BY ULTRASOUND |
| DE3824003A1 (en) * | 1988-07-15 | 1989-02-23 | Nsq Hauk Ges Fuer Qualitaetssi | METHOD FOR TESTING PIPELINE SYSTEMS |
| US5046364A (en) * | 1990-10-22 | 1991-09-10 | Stasuk David G | Hand-held ultrasonic probe |
| DK169900B1 (en) * | 1991-05-31 | 1995-03-27 | Force Inst | Method and apparatus for detecting corrosion in pipes |
| FR2726642B1 (en) * | 1994-11-03 | 1996-12-13 | Lyonnaise Eaux Eclairage | METHOD FOR ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENT OF THE THICKNESS OF A WATER PIPELINE AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT SAID METHOD |
| US8286491B2 (en) | 2009-11-19 | 2012-10-16 | Olympus Ndt | Ultrasonic internal rotating inspection probe that self-eliminates air bubbles |
| DE102012014584A1 (en) * | 2012-07-23 | 2014-01-23 | Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik Gmbh | Measured variable sensor with internal data memory |
| CN103278114B (en) * | 2013-06-07 | 2015-12-23 | 南通友联数码技术开发有限公司 | A kind of ultrasound wave Pipe thickness measurement device |
| RU2619833C1 (en) * | 2015-12-22 | 2017-05-18 | Акционерное общество "Научно-исследовательский институт полимерных материалов" | Method of ultrasonic product inspection |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3028752A (en) * | 1959-06-02 | 1962-04-10 | Curtiss Wright Corp | Ultrasonic testing apparatus |
| US3093998A (en) * | 1959-11-06 | 1963-06-18 | Grumman Aircraft Engineering C | Method for testing fluids for particle contamination |
| US3221544A (en) * | 1963-06-10 | 1965-12-07 | Southwest Res Inst | Ultrasonic inspection system |
| US3636778A (en) * | 1970-06-05 | 1972-01-25 | Atomic Energy Commission | Method and means for dimensional inspection of tubing |
| US3808879A (en) * | 1972-08-03 | 1974-05-07 | Amf Inc | Ultrasonic wall thickness measurement |
-
1975
- 1975-12-29 US US05/645,051 patent/US4008603A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1976
- 1976-11-01 CA CA264,533A patent/CA1073093A/en not_active Expired
- 1976-12-23 GB GB53828/76A patent/GB1552702A/en not_active Expired
- 1976-12-24 FR FR7639106A patent/FR2337331A1/en active Granted
- 1976-12-27 DE DE2658983A patent/DE2658983C2/en not_active Expired
- 1976-12-27 NO NO764362A patent/NO764362L/no unknown
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2337331B1 (en) | 1982-04-16 |
| FR2337331A1 (en) | 1977-07-29 |
| NO764362L (en) | 1977-06-30 |
| DE2658983A1 (en) | 1977-07-07 |
| DE2658983C2 (en) | 1986-07-10 |
| US4008603A (en) | 1977-02-22 |
| GB1552702A (en) | 1979-09-19 |
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