Apparatus and method to remotely inspect piping and piping attachment welds
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsKevin J. Foley, Nathan A. Brown, Charles R. Barrett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method to remotely perform automated piping and piping attachment weld inspections. The apparatus has two spaced positioning arms that rotate out from one side of a frame structure and a kicker arm that rotates out from an opposite side of the frame structure at a location between the two positioning arms. The positioning arms and the kicker arm wedge the frame structure between an object to be scanned and an opposing structure. A scanning subassembly supported on the frame structure is configured to pivot and move in an appropriate direction and to pilot a transducer around the surface of the object to be scanned.
Claims17
An automated inspection assembly that includes a number of subassemblies comprising:
- a frame subassembly, having a first side and a second side having a length and width with the width substantially larger than a thickness of the frame subassembly between the first side and the second side, and the length having a first end and a second end along a longitudinal dimension of the length, the frame subassembly being configured to form the main support structure for the automated inspection assembly;
- a positioning arms subassembly, coupled to the frame subassembly, including a support arm remotely operable to extend out from or retract toward the first side of the frame subassembly;
- a kicker arm remotely operable to extend out from or retract toward the second side of the frame subassembly, the support arm and the kicker arm in an extended position being operable to wedge the frame subassembly between a member to be inspected and a surface opposed to the member to be inspected, with the support arm and the kicker arm configured to support the entire weight of the automated inspection assembly when in the extended position;
- a scanning subassembly supported from the frame subassembly and configured to scan at least a portion of the member;
- and
- wherein at least one of the kicker arm or the support arm is operable to move hydraulically.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.