Ultrasonic inspection apparatus and method for nondestructive testing of tubular member having varying inner diameter

Claim 2

Ultrasonic inspection apparatus for insertion within the end of the tubular member to inspect said member for flaws, comprising elongated shaft means adapted to be inserted within a tubular member, ultrasonIc inspection apparatus carried on the shaft means intermediate the two ends thereof, expandable fluidtight sealing means carried on said shaft means on one side of said inspection apparatus, a second fluidtight sealing means carried on said shaft means on the side of the inspection apparatus opposite said one side, said second fluidtight sealing means being adapted to provide a fixed seal at the end of the tubular member when said expandable sealing means and at least a portion of the shaft means are within said tubular member, means for expanding said expandable sealing means when the apparatus is within a tubular member to provide a fixed fluidtight seal within said member, said shaft means being axially translatable through said two fixed sealing means, means for filling the interior region of the tubular member bounded by said two sealing means with an ultrasonic energycoupling fluid, and means for translating said ultrasonic inspection apparatus through the interior region of said tubular member bounded by said sealing means.

Claim 3

Ultrasonic inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said ultrasonic inspection apparatus comprises first and second spaced ultrasonic transducers, and wherein said apparatus further includes transducer adjustment means carried on said shaft means and located exterior of the tubular member when said second sealing means is in sealing engagement with the tubular member, said transducer adjustment means including means for changing the angular orientation of one of the transducers relative to the central axis of the tubular member and means for changing the spacing between said transducers.

Claim 4

Ultrasonic inspection apparatus for insertion within a tubular member to ultrasonically inspect said member, comprising an ultrasonic transducer carrier adapted to be inserted within the tubular member, first and second coaxially aligned hollow shafts extending from opposite sides of said transducer carrier, an inflatable sealing means carried on said first shaft and adapted to be inserted within the tubular member in nonsealing relationship therewith, a second fluidtight sealing means carried on said second shaft and adapted to provide a fixed seal at one end of the tubular member when the inflatable sealing means and said transducer carrier are within said tubular member, means for inflating said inflatable sealing means to bring it into contact with the inner surface of the tubular member when the first hollow shaft and the transducer carrier are within the member, thereby to provide a fixed fluidtight seal at an axial location removed from said one end, said transducer carrier being disposed in spaced relationship from the inner surface of the tubular member when said two sealing means are in sealing engagement with the tubular member, means for filling the interior region of the tubular member bounded by the two sealing means with an ultrasonic energy-coupling fluid, and means for translating said transducer carrier through the bounded region of said tubular member.

Claim 5

Ultrasonic inspection apparatus for insertion within a tubular member to ultrasonically inspect said member, comprising an ultrasonic transducer carrier adapted to be inserted within the tubular member, first and second coaxially aligned hollow shafts extending from opposite sides of said transducer carrier, an inflatable sealing means carried on said first shaft and adapted to be inserted within the tubular member in nonsealing relationship therewith, a second fluidtight sealing means carried on said second shaft and adapted to provide a fixed seal at one end of the tubular member when the inflatable sealing means and said transducer carrier are within said tubular member, means for inflating said inflatable sealing means to bring it into contact with the inner surface of the tubular member when the first hollow shaft and the transducer carrier are within the member, thereby to provide a fixed fluidtight seal at an axial location removed from said one end, said transducer carrier being disposed in spaced relationship from the inner surface of the tubular member when said two sealing means are in sealing engagement with the tubular member, means for filling the interior region of the tubular member bounded by the two sealing means with an ultrasonic energy-coupling fluid, and means for translating said transducer carrier through the bounded region of said tubular member.

Claim 6

The inspection apparatus claimed in claim 3 wherein the means for inflating said inflatable sealing means comprises a first fluid passageway extending longitudinally through said second hollow shaft, said transducer carrier, and said first hollow shaft, a second fluid passageway extending radially through said first hollow shaft and communicating with said inflatable sealing means to admit fluid under pressure for inflating the sealing means, and fluid connector means communicating with said second hollow shaft at a region thereon exterior to the sealed tubular member and communicating with said first fluid passageway for admitting a fluid under pressure into said passageway for inflating the inflatable sealing means.

Claim 7

Ultrasonic inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 4 and including first and second ultrasonic transducers adjustably mounted on said traNsducer carrier, transducer adjustment means carried on said second hollow shaft on the side of said second sealing means opposite the transducer carrier, said transducer adjustment means including, adjustment mechanism extending through said second hollow shaft and within the transducer carrier and coupled, respectively, to the first and second transducers, said adjustment mechanism being rotatable and axially translatable relative to said second hollow shaft, means in said transducer carrier for rotating the angular orientation of the first transducer relative to the axis of the tubular member, means in said transducer carrier for changing the axial position of the second transducer relative to the first transducer, means connecting said adjustment mechanism to the means for changing the angular orientation of the first transducer to vary the angular orientation of the first when the adjustment mechanism is rotated, and means for connecting the adjustment mechanism to the second transducer for changing the axial position of that transducer relative to the first transducer when the adjustment mechanism is axially translated.

Claim 8

Ultrasonic inspection apparatus for insertion within a tubular member to ultrasonically inspect said member, comprising an ultrasonic transducer carrier adapted to be inserted within the tubular member, first and second coaxially aligned hollow shafts respectively secured to opposite sides of said transducer carrier, an inflatable sealing means carried on said first shaft and adapted to be inserted within the tubular member in nonsealing relationship therewith, a second fluidtight sealing means carried on said second shaft and being adapted to provide a fixed seal at one end of the tubular member when the inflatable sealing means and said transducer carrier are within said tubular member, means for inflating said inflatable sealing means to bring it into contact with the inner surface of the tubular member when the first hollow shaft and the transducer carrier are within said member, thereby to provide a fixed fluidtight seal at an axial location removed from said one end, said transducer carrier being disposed in spaced relationship from the inner surface of the tubular member when said two sealing means are in sealing engagement with the tubular member, means permitting said two shafts to be translated relative to the two fixed sealing means, means for filling the interior region of the tubular member bounded by the two sealing means with an ultrasonic energy-coupling fluid, and means for translating said two shafts and said transducer carrier as a rigid unit through the bounded region of said tubular member.

Claim 9

Ultrasonic inspection apparatus for insertion within a tubular member to ultrasonically inspect said member, comprising an ultrasonic transducer carrier adapted to be inserted within the tubular member, first and second coaxially aligned hollow shafts respectively secured to opposite sides of said transducer carrier, an inflatable sealing means carried on said first shaft and adapted to be inserted within the tubular member in nonsealing relationship therewith, a second fluidtight sealing means carried on said second shaft and being adapted to provide a fixed seal at one end of the tubular member when the inflatable sealing means and said transducer carrier are within said tubular member, means for inflating said inflatable sealing means to bring it into contact with the inner surface of the tubular member when the first hollow shaft and the transducer carrier are within said member, thereby to provide a fixed fluidtight seal at an axial location removed from said one end, said transducer carrier being disposed in spaced relationship from the inner surface of the tubular member when said two sealing means are in sealing engagement with the tubular member, means permitting said two shafts to be translated relative to the two fixed sealing means, means for filling the interior region of the tubular member bounded by the two sealing means with an ultrasonic energy-coupling fluid, and means for translating said two shafts and said transducer carrier as a rigid unit through the bounded region of said tubular member.

Claim 10

Ultrasonic inspection apparatus for insertion within the end of a tubular member having an upset end region to inspect said end region for flaws, the interior surface of said member being inclined to the central axis of a member in at least a portion of the upset end region, said apparatus comprising elongated shaft means adapted to be inserted within a tubular member at its upset end, ultrasonic inspection means carried on the shaft means intermediate the two ends thereof, expandable fluidtight sealing means carried on said shaft means on one side of the inspection apparatus, a second fluidtight sealing means carried on said shaft means on the side of the inspection apparatus opposite said expandable sealing means, said second fluidtight sealing means being adapted to provide a fixed seal at the upset end of the tubular member when the expandable sealing means and at least a portion of the shaft means are within the tubular member, means for expanding said expandable sealing means against the inside wall of the tubular member to provide a fixed fluidtight seal at a location axially spaced from said upset said shaft means being helically translatable through said two sealing means, means for filling the interiOr region of the tubular member bounded by said two sealing means with an ultrasonic energy-coupling fluid, and means for helically translating said shaft means and said ultrasonic inspection means through the interior of the upset end region of said tubular member.

Claim 11

Ultrasonic inspection apparatus for insertion within the end of a tubular member having an upset end region to inspect said end region for flaws, the interior surface of said member being inclined to the central axis of a member in at least a portion of the upset end region, said apparatus comprising elongated shaft means adapted to be inserted within a tubular member at its upset end, ultrasonic inspection means carried on the shaft means intermediate the two ends thereof, expandable fluidtight sealing means carried on said shaft means on one side of the inspection apparatus, a second fluidtight sealing means carried on said shaft means on the side of the inspection apparatus opposite said expandable sealing means, said second fluidtight sealing means being adapted to provide a fixed seal at the upset end of the tubular member when the expandable sealing means and at least a portion of the shaft means are within the tubular member, means for expanding said expandable sealing means against the inside wall of the tubular member to provide a fixed fluidtight seal at a location axially spaced from said upset said shaft means being helically translatable through said two sealing means, means for filling the interiOr region of the tubular member bounded by said two sealing means with an ultrasonic energy-coupling fluid, and means for helically translating said shaft means and said ultrasonic inspection means through the interior of the upset end region of said tubular member.

Claim 12

The apparatus claimed in claim 7 wherein said ultrasonic inspection means includes first and second ultrasonic transducers disposed in spaced relationship with respect to each other, a first transducer mounting means for mounting the first transducer at a desired angular orientation relative to the inner surface to the member, means coupled to said mounting means and accessible at a location exterior to the sealed upset end of the tubular member for changing the angular orientation of said first transducer relative the axis of said member, thereby to establish a desired angular orientation of the first transducer relative to the inner surface of the member irrespective of the inclination of the inner surface relative to the axis of the tubular member, second transducer mounting means for mounting said second transducer, means coupled to said second mounting means and accessible at a location external to the sealed upset end of the tubular member for translating said second mounting means and second transducer relative to the first transducer, thereby to position said second transducer to optimally receive ultrasonic energy transmitted by the first transducer and reflected from the inner surface of the tubular member.

Claim 13

The inspection apparatus claimed in claim 8 wherein said elongated shaft means includes first and second hollow shafts, said first hollow shaft extending from said ultrasonic inspection apparatus through said expandable sealing means and said second hollow shaft extending from the ultrasonic inspection apparatus through said second sealing means to the exterior of the sealed tubular member, said means for changing the angular orientation of the first transducer and for translating said second mounting means including mechanism extending through the interior of the second hollow shaft and coupled respectively to said first transducer-mounting means and said second transducer-mounting means, means exterior to the sealed tubular member for rotating said mechanism to change the angular orientation of the first ultrasonic transducer, and means for axially translating at least a portion of said mechanism to axially translate said second ultrasonic transducer relative to said first ultrasonic transducer.

Claim 14

The inspection apparatus claimed in claim 9 wherein said expandable sealing means includes an inflatable member which may be inflated by a fluid under pressure to engage the inner surface of the tubular member to provide a fixed seal therein.

Claim 15

The inspection apparatus claimed in claim 10 and further including, a first fluid passageway extending through said first and second hollow shafts, fluid-coupling means communicating with said first passageway at a region exterior to the sealed tubular member, means in said first hollow shaft providing a second fluid passageway to said inflatable sealing means, whereby fluid under pressure pumped into said fluid-coupling means passes through said first and second passageways to inflate the inflatable sealing means.

Claim 16

The inspection apparatus claimed in claim 9 wherein the means for axially translating said shaft means includes motor-driven roller means engaging the outer surface of said second hollow shaft for imparting a helical motion of said second hollow shaft.

Claim 19

The method claimed in claim 13 wherein the expandable sealing means is inflatable and wherein the step of expanding that sealing means includes pumping a fluid under pressure into the inflatable sealing means to bring it into sealing engagement with the inner surface of the tubular member.

Claim 24

The method claimed in claim 16 and including the steps of adjusting the angular orientation of the first transducer prior to its helical translation so that ultrasonic energy transmitted by the first transducer is incident on the inner surface of the member at a desired angle, and adjusting the spacing of the second transducer relative to the first transducer so that ultrasonic energy transmitted by the first transduCer and reflected from the inner surface of the tubular member is received by the second transducer.

Claim 25

The method claimed in claim 17 wherein the tubular member being inspected includes two regions whose inner surfaces are inclined at different angles to the central axis of the tubular member and wherein the claimed angular orientation of the first transducer was adjusted relative to the inner surface of a first one of said regions, and wherein the method includes the following steps which are performed after the transducers are translated through at least a portion of said bounded region, adjusting the angular orientation of the first transducer so that ultrasonic energy transmitted by that transducer is incident at a desired angle on the inner surface of the second one of said regions of the tubular member, and adjusting the spacing of the second transducer relative to the first transducer so that ultrasonic energy transmitted by the first transducer reflected from the inner surface of said second region of the tubular member is received by said second transducer.