Weld Seam Inspection Chain

Abstract

To provide an adjustable weld seam inspection chain to which an ultrasonic sensor is attached to inspect two plastic pipes for weld seams by using ultrasonic waves.SOLUTION: A weld seam inspection chain 1 forms a weld seam inspection chain 1 by a hook engagement with one another. The chain includes: a plurality of standard chain members capable of making a chain shorter or longer separately; a sensor attachment unit 4 to which an ultrasonic sensor is to be attached; an adjustment unit 5 for fine-adjusting the length of the weld seam inspection chain 1. The standard chain member 2 has a hook on one side and has a hook reception unit 7 on another side, and this allows the chain members to hook-engages with one another.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a weld seam inspection chain for ultrasonically inspecting the weld seams of two plastic pipes welded together at their end faces, comprising a number of standard chain members that hook together to form the weld seam inspection chain, allowing the chain to be individually extended or shortened, a sensor holder for mounting an ultrasonic sensor, and an adjustment unit for finely adjusting the length of the weld seam inspection chain. The chain is used to make the ultrasonic sensor go around the pipe, and the entire circumference of the weld seam is inspected ultrasonically without rotating the pipe itself and without destroying it. [Background technology]

[0002] Non-destructive testing of test objects by means of ultrasound is a conventional technique and is used in many fields, for example in aircraft construction. This method is mainly applied to metallic materials, since they have good acoustic conductivity. Ultrasonic testing is preferably used to detect internal and external defects that would not be visible without destroying the test object.

[0003] US Patent No. 5,824,908 discloses an inspection method that can detect defects in materials based on ultrasonic waves, but the method disclosed has the disadvantage that it is only applicable to plates and only to materials that have a certain degree of homogeneity without structural changes in the material.

[0004] CN 110031549 discloses a device for inspecting weld seams of pipes welded together. The disadvantage of this embodiment is that it has several separate parts that are screwed together, which makes the installation of the chain on the pipes laborious, and the chain is easily soiled due to the several rollers, making maintenance very laborious. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The object of the present invention is to propose a weld seam inspection chain which allows simple installation of an ultrasonic inspection device or a transmitter and a receiver of an ultrasonic inspection device for inspecting weld seams in welded plastic pipes, can be adapted to different pipe diameters with little effort, and is easy to maintain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This problem is solved according to the invention in that the standard chain members have a hook on one side and a hook receptacle on the opposite side, so that the individual chain members can hook into one another.

[0007] The weld seam inspection chain according to the invention, for ultrasonically inspecting the weld seams of two plastic pipes welded together at their end faces, has several standard chain parts which are hooked together to form the weld seam inspection chain. By adding or removing standard chain parts in the weld seam inspection chain, the chain can be individually extended or shortened, and can thus be used for several different pipe diameters. The weld seam inspection chain has a sensor attachment for mounting an ultrasonic sensor or a transmitter and a receiver of an ultrasonic sensor. To finely adjust the length of the weld seam inspection chain, the weld seam inspection chain according to the invention has an adjustment unit. The standard chain parts which hook together have a hook on one side and a hook receptacle on the opposite side. Due to the connection by means of the hook and the hook receptacle, it is simple to connect or disconnect the standard chain parts to each other, which allows a quick adaptation of the chain length.

[0008] It has proven advantageous if the standard chain member is manufactured as a 3D printed part, preferably from a polymer. Of course, other manufacturing methods are also conceivable, in which case the standard chain member preferably consists of plastic.

[0009] Preferably, the standard chain has a support surface on the hook receiving portion side, which is formed as a radius so that it can be directly supported on the outer circumference of the welded pipe, so that only a linear support surface is created between the standard chain and the outer circumference of the pipe, and the chain can be easily turned and can be well supported on the outer diameter regardless of the pipe size.

[0010] It has proven to be advantageous if the standard chain element is formed in one piece and bears directly against the outer circumference of the welded tube. Due to the standard chain element formed in one piece and the support surface formed as a radius, separate rollers can be dispensed with. Preferably, the standard chain element has a fork-shaped configuration on the hook receiving part side, preferably with two posts.

[0011] The support surfaces of the standard chain member are preferably arranged fixedly and integrally with the standard chain member. Advantageously, the support surfaces are arranged on two posts which are provided on the fork-shaped sides of the hook receiving part.

[0012] It has been found to be a preferred embodiment that the adjustment unit of the welded seam inspection chain according to the invention has two adjustment elements which are slidable relative to one another, preferably engaging one another and being infinitely adjustable and lockable by means of a screw.

[0013] It has proven to be advantageous if the sensor mounting part is designed as a chain part, so that it can be arranged without great effort on a part which corresponds to a standard chain part, an adjustment unit, a holder for an angle sensor or a connecting means of the chain part.

[0014] It has proven to be a preferred embodiment if an advancement wedge for mounting the ultrasonic sensor is arranged on the sensor mounting part, the advancement wedge being displaceably arranged on the sensor holder. Preferably, two advancement wedges are arranged on the sensor mounting part, one advancement wedge housing a transmitter of the ultrasonic sensor and the other advancement wedge housing a receiver.

[0015] Preferably, a clamping system is arranged on the sensor mounting part, which applies a constant pressing force to the advancement wedge resting against the outer circumferential surface of the pipe. It has proven advantageous if the clamping system is formed from a spring-elastic element which presses the advancement wedge against the outer circumferential surface of the pipe, the spring-elastic element preferably also serving to position the advancement wedge on the sensor mounting part, the advancement wedge preferably being arranged displaceably.

[0016] The advancement wedge advantageously comprises an outer housing and an inner member, the outer housing and the inner member preferably comprising different materials, the inner member preferably being fabricated from PTFE, as ultrasonic testing has found that this is an advantageous material.

[0017] The weld seam inspection chain according to the invention preferably has a holder for mounting the angle sensor, which is formed as a chain part, which also allows for simple installation in the weld seam inspection chain or in a standard chain part or in another part that is correspondingly formed so as to be compatible with the chain.

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a part of a weld seam inspection chain according to the invention installed on a pipe; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the area of ​​the sensor mounting of a weld seam inspection chain according to the invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view showing two standard chain members in hook-to-hook engagement with each other. [Figure 4] 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a part of a weld seam inspection chain according to the invention; [Diagram 5] 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a part of a weld seam inspection chain according to the invention, seen from below; [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional view showing the sensor mounting portion as viewed from below. [Figure 7] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The weld seam inspection chain 1 according to the invention, shown in FIG. 1, for inspecting weld seams on butt-welded plastic pipes, comprises several standard chain parts 2 which are connected to one another only by hook engagement. By engaging and disengaging the individual standard chain parts, the chain can be lengthened or shortened as desired. For this purpose, the standard chain parts 2 have a hook 6 on one side and a hook receptacle 7 on the other side. The weld seam inspection chain 1 according to the invention also has a sensor mounting part 4, which serves for mounting an ultrasonic sensor or a transmitter or receiver of an ultrasonic sensor. To precisely adjust the length of the weld seam inspection chain 1, the chain 1 has an adjustment unit 5.

[0021] The standard chain piece 2 has a support surface 9 on the side of the hook receptacle 7, which is formed by a radius 8 arranged integrally in the standard chain piece 2. Due to the radius 8 which bears directly against the outer periphery of the tube, only a linear support surface 9 results, so that the chain according to the invention bears well against the outer periphery and can easily run around it. The support surface 9 is arranged integrally in the standard chain piece 2 and is therefore fixed. The radius 8 on the standard chain piece 2 forms a protruding projection on the side of the hook receptacle 7, preferably for the provision of a pin (not shown) for engaging the hook 6. The protruding projection can also be used to space the standard chain piece 2 away from the outer periphery of the tube 20 or to bear against the outer periphery exclusively at the support surface 9.

[0022] The hook receiving portion 7 is preferably fork-shaped and has two posts 12 between which the hook 6 engages, and a pin (not shown) extends between the posts 12, the pin being arranged in the standard chain member 2 as a separate part or similarly integrated therein.

[0023] The standard chain member 2 is formed in one piece, as can be seen best in FIG. 3, and is preferably manufactured from plastic, particularly preferably by 3D printing.

[0024] In FIG. 2 further elements of the weld seam inspection chain 1 according to the invention can be seen, such as the adjustment unit 5, which preferably has two adjustment members 10 which can slide relative to one another. The length of the chain 1 can then be adjusted precisely and appropriately using an adjustment screw 13. In order to ensure that the inspection of the weld seam takes place all around, it is advantageous to provide the chain 1 with an angle sensor 21. To attach this angle sensor 21 to the chain 1, one chain part is designed as a holder 3 for the angle sensor and has corresponding mounting means. At their ends, both the holder 3, the sensor mount 4 and the adjustment unit 5 are designed in such a way that they can be easily adapted to standard chain parts 2, since the holder 3, the sensor mount 4 and the adjustment unit 5 have the same ends and are therefore compatible. In FIG. 5 the chain 1 according to the invention is shown from below, whereby the advancement wedges 11, which accommodate the transmitters and receivers of the ultrasonic sensors, can be clearly seen. The advancement wedges 11 are arranged in the sensor mount 4 so as to be displaceable via guides 15. Preferably, in order to be able to carry out an optimal ultrasonic inspection, the advancement wedges 11 are pressed against the circumference of the pipe 20 via a clamping system 14. For this purpose, preferably, a spring element is used (not shown). A safety clip 16 advantageously fixes the advancement wedges in the sensor mounting part 4. Furthermore, the advancement wedges 11 are preferably arranged so that they can be displaced relative to one another, which makes it possible to inspect different widths of the weld seam, in which case a stepless displacement or a displacement with several set positions is envisaged.

[0025] The advancement wedge 11 comprises an outer housing 17 and an inner member 18. Due to its two-part design, the inner member can be easily replaced if worn, since it is simply clipped into the outer housing 17. Furthermore, the inner member 18 is preferably made of PTFE, which is suitable for the transmission of ultrasound. Furthermore, air is bled through a hole 19 formed in the outer housing 17. [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 1 Weld seam inspection chain 2 Standard chain components 3 Angle sensor holder 4 Sensor mounting part 5 Adjustment Unit 6. Hooks 7 Hook Receptacle 8. R Section 9 Support surface 10 Adjustment member 11 Advance wedge 12 Support Hook Receptacle 13 Adjustment screw 14 Fastening system 15 Guide 16 Safety Clip 17 Outer housing 18 Inner member 19 holes 20 tubes 21 Angle Sensor

Claims

1. A weld seam inspection chain (1) for ultrasonically inspecting the weld seam of two plastic pipes (20) welded to each other at their end faces, the weld seam inspection chain (1) comprising: a plurality of standard chain members (2) that are hook-engaged with each other to form the weld seam inspection chain, the plurality of standard chain members (2) being capable of being individually added or removed to extend or shorten the weld seam inspection chain (1); a sensor mounting portion (4) for mounting an ultrasonic sensor; and an adjustment unit (5) for finely adjusting the length of the weld seam inspection chain. The standard chain members (2) have hooks (6) on one side and hook receivers (7) on the opposite side, so that the individual standard chain members can be hook-engaged with each other; the standard chain member (2) has a support surface (9) on the side of the hook receiving portion (7), which is formed as a radiused portion (8) and bears directly against the outer circumferential surface of the welded plastic pipe (20); The standard chain member (2) is integrally formed and directly abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the welded plastic pipe (20); characterised in that the support surface of the standard chain member (2) is arranged fixedly and integrally therewith, Weld seam inspection chain (1).

2. 2. The weld seam inspection chain (1) according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment unit (5) has two adjustment members (10) which are slidable relative to one another.

3. 3. The weld seam inspection chain (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor mounting portion (4) is formed as a chain element.

4. 4. The weld seam inspection chain (1) according to claim 1, wherein an advancement wedge (11) for mounting the ultrasonic sensor is arranged on the sensor mounting portion (4), and the advancement wedge (11) is arranged displaceably on the sensor mounting portion (4).

5. 5. The weld seam inspection chain (1) according to claim 4, wherein a fastening system (14) is arranged on the sensor mounting portion (4), and the fastening system (14) is adapted to apply a constant pressing force to the advancement wedge (11) abutting against the outer peripheral surface of the plastic pipe (20).

6. 5. The weld seam inspection chain (1) of claim 4, wherein the advancement wedge (11) comprises an outer housing (17) and an inner member (18).

7. 7. The weld seam inspection chain (1) according to claim 1, wherein a holder (3) for mounting an angle sensor is arranged in the weld seam inspection chain (1), the holder (3) being formed as a chain member.

8. A welded seam inspection chain (1) as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the standard chain member (2) is made of plastic.

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