Wear monitoring with rotational sensor and sensor thickness
First Claim
1. Apparatus for determining a thickness of a wall of a pipe, characterised in that the apparatus comprises:
- a signal processing module configured torespond to signaling containing information about traveling stress waves transmitted to and reflected back from an inner surface and an outer surface of a wall of a pipe by a sensor band that includes a series, ring or array having multiple PVDF transducers circumferentially arranged at angular positions and mounted around, and attached to or clamped onto, the outer surface of the wall of the pipe, the signaling being generated over a period of time by each of the multiple PVDF transducers in the sensor band that transmits respective traveling stress waves and senses reflections of the traveling stress waves transmitted that are reflected back from the inner surface a certain time later than from the outer surface at each circumferential location of a respective one of the multiple PVDF transducers; and
determine corresponding signaling containing information about a time-based trending profile of a thickness of the wall of the pipe corresponding to respective circumferential locations of the multiple PVDF transducers as a function of the angular position and the period of time, based on the signaling received from the sensor band using a self-reference approach where the difference in time between the reflections of the traveling stress waves being reflected back from the inner surface and the outer surface is proportional to the thickness of the wall of the pipe; and
one or more orientation or rotation sensors, each responding to its orientation in relation to its displacement on the pipe and to provide an orientation signal containing information about the same.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for determining a thickness of a wall of a pipe, featuring a signal processing module configured to respond to signaling containing information about traveling stress waves transmitted to and reflected back from a wall of a pipe by a sensor band that includes a series, ring or array having multiple transducers circumferentially arranged and mounted around, and attached to or clamped onto, an outside wall of the pipe; and determine a profile of a thickness of the wall of the pipe corresponding to circumferential locations of the multiple transducers based on the signaling received from the sensor band; and one or more orientation or rotation sensors, each responding to its orientation in relation to its displacement on the pipe and to provide an orientation signal containing information about the same.
28 Citations
31 Claims
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1. Apparatus for determining a thickness of a wall of a pipe, characterised in that the apparatus comprises:
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a signal processing module configured to respond to signaling containing information about traveling stress waves transmitted to and reflected back from an inner surface and an outer surface of a wall of a pipe by a sensor band that includes a series, ring or array having multiple PVDF transducers circumferentially arranged at angular positions and mounted around, and attached to or clamped onto, the outer surface of the wall of the pipe, the signaling being generated over a period of time by each of the multiple PVDF transducers in the sensor band that transmits respective traveling stress waves and senses reflections of the traveling stress waves transmitted that are reflected back from the inner surface a certain time later than from the outer surface at each circumferential location of a respective one of the multiple PVDF transducers; and determine corresponding signaling containing information about a time-based trending profile of a thickness of the wall of the pipe corresponding to respective circumferential locations of the multiple PVDF transducers as a function of the angular position and the period of time, based on the signaling received from the sensor band using a self-reference approach where the difference in time between the reflections of the traveling stress waves being reflected back from the inner surface and the outer surface is proportional to the thickness of the wall of the pipe; and one or more orientation or rotation sensors, each responding to its orientation in relation to its displacement on the pipe and to provide an orientation signal containing information about the same. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification