Pipe wall thickness gauge

• US 3,955,425 A
• Filed: 08/16/1974
• Issued: 05/11/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Indev Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Indev Incorporated
• Inventors: Corneau, George E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Queisser, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kreitman, Stephen A.
• Application Number:
  US05/497,947
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 73/552, 73/67.8 S, 73/67.8 R, 73/67.7, 73/71.5 US, 324/37
• US Class Current: 73/622
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92152 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92428 Calibration, after-treatment, or cooling zone
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92447 Moulded article
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/09 Articles with cross-sections having partially or fully enclosed cavities, e.g. pipes or channels
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 17/02 for measuring thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02854 Length, thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/24 Probes transducers for acoustic waves B06B, G10K; for measuring G01H

Abstract

A pipe wall thickness gauge including an acoustic signal generator and sensor in a housing mounted in a base adapted for underwater use and continuous monitoring of the wall thickness of a pipe, such as freshly extruded plastic pipe. The gauge includes a base adapted to surround the pipe, the base consisting of at least two base sections each having at least one pipe positioning member with pipe centering elements at the tip thereof; at least one of the pipe positioning members including a mounting means for the housing of the acoustic signal generator and sensor. Preferably, adjusting means are included to move the pipe positioning member inwardly or outwardly to accomodate different diameter pipes and to vary, within limits, the position and direction of the acoustic signal generator and sensor. Various other features are included in the preferred form of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a pipe wall thickness gauge including at least one wall thickness indicator consisting of an acoustic signal generator, a sensor for receiving reflected acoustic signals, a common generator-sensor housing and electronic time differentiation and indication means electrically connected to said generator and to said sensor for determining the time delay between two acoustic signal reflections from the inside and the outside of the wall of a pipe and converting said time delay into a signal proportional to the wall thickness of said pipe, the improvement comprising:

a gauge base adapted to surround circumferentially a pipe located along the axis of said gauge, said base consisting of at least two separable sectors, each of which subtends an arc of no more than 180°

around said axis, each of said sectors including at least one pipe positioning member with pipe centering elements at the tips thereof pointed radially inward toward said axis, all of said positioning and centering elements being adapted to maintain a pipe in a position along said axis, at least one of said pipe positioning members including means for holding said generator-sensor housing in a precisely predetermined position relative to a pipe maintained in a position along said axis by said positioning and centering elements, said generator-sensor housing holding means projecting from said pipe positioning member in a direction parallel to said axis, said holding means further including adjustment means for adjusting the position of said acoustic signal generator and said sensor relative to said pipe positioning member, in the radial direction, in the direction perpendicular to said radial direction in a plane perpendicular to said axis, and in angular inclination relative to a plane perpendicular to said axis, said generator-sensor holding means consisting of a generator-sensor housing retainer having flat side walls and adjacent flat surfaces forming an angle therewith, said retainer being enclosed by a holder having mating flat side walls, a pivotal attachment securing each of said holder side walls to said mating retainer side walls at a point, said generator-sensor housing being located between said pivotal attachment points, the opposite said holder side walls each including a threaded adjustment screw having a camming tip in contact with one of said inclined plane surfaces of said retainer, one of said screws being located closer to said axis and the other further away from said axis than the center of said generator-sensor housing.