Metallurgical apparatus – Means for cutting solid metal with heat – e.g. – blowpipes – With wheeled carriage torch mount
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-20
2003-07-22
Kastler, Scott (Department: 1742)
Metallurgical apparatus
Means for cutting solid metal with heat, e.g., blowpipes
With wheeled carriage torch mount
C266S077000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06596222
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a carriage assembly that allows for accurate positioning and movement of testing, inspection and examination devices or other equipment relative to a stationary wall or surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Carriages for automated welding or cutting are known in the art, and provide means for transporting welding heads and/or cutting torches along with related power and fluid supply systems, including gas hoses, power cables and wire feed, following a track, band or mechanical device along a surface requiring welding. A carriage which is guided and propelled by a remote-controlled motor driven magnetic wheel system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,655.
Known carriage assemblies for use in automated welding or cutting are not well suited for traveling along a non-planar wall, such as the corrugated inner walls consisting of parallel pipes or tubes that form the boilers in power generating plants. The cables and hoses that provide power and working fluids to the tools carried by prior art carriages are directly connected to the same structural members that carry the tools themselves, and therefore can exert loads on the carriage that affect the accuracy of positioning the tools during a welding operation. Known carriages rely upon a guidance jig or reference line scribed on the surface to be welded in order to automatically position the torch or other tool being carried by the carriage. Irregularities in the surface along which the carriage is moving will affect the accuracy of positioning the carriage along a guidance jig or reference line since the wheels on the prior art carriages are not provided with a means for automatically adjusting to the irregularities in the surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above disadvantages of known carriages for moving welding or cutting equipment along a wall surface, the present invention is directed to an improved carriage assembly for moving equipment for testing or other functions along a wall surface. A carriage assembly according to an embodiment of the invention includes a first main frame that supports the equipment and is in turn supported by a hoisting cable, and a second sub-frame connected to the main frame preferably at a single point, with the second sub-frame supporting at least one of cables, wires, and hoses that supply or receive at least one of data, power, and working fluids to the equipment. The second sub-frame substantially isolates any loads and moments created by the cables, wires and/or hoses from the first main frame, with the total weight of the second sub-frame and the cables, wires and/or hoses it is attached to being carried by the hoisting cable. At least one set of positioning wheels are connected to the main frame at a fixed distance from the frame, and at least one set of magnetic holding wheels are connected to the main frame at an adjustable distance from the frame. The magnetic wheels can be spring biased toward the frame in order to compensate for irregularities in the surface along which the carriage assembly is moving, while the fixed positioning wheels can be forced to maintain contact with the wall surface and thereby provide an accurate spacing between the equipment mounted on the main frame and the wall surface. At least four fixed positioning wheels can be provided to assure that the carriage and its spacing from the wall will remain stable and constant even when variations in the wall surface cause a wheel to disengage from the wall. Although the preferred embodiment provides adjustable magnetic holding wheels and fixed, non-magnetic positioning wheels, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the magnetic holding wheels could be positioned at a fixed distance from the frame, and non-magnetic wheels such as rubber rollers could be provided with adjustability in their position relative to the frame, including spring biasing toward or away from the frame.
A carriage assembly according to an embodiment of the invention is particularly useful in applications involving non-destructive testing, examination and inspection of boiler walls or other structures, such as identifying material thickness and defects using a spatially-controlled heat application as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,844 to Cramer et al., which is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference. The present invention is well suited for tracking along a boiler wall having parallel boiler tubes with irregularities in their spacing, while maintaining an accurate spacing between equipment including a heater and temperature measuring devices mounted on the carriage, and the wall surface. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,844, a heater moving along the surface of the wall raises the temperature of the material forming the wall as a function of the thickness of the material at the point where the heat is being applied. A temperature sensor such as an infrared camera and associated optics detects the change in temperature of the wall surface as the heater is moved along the wall, and thereby provides a measurement of the wall thickness at points along the path traveled by the heater. Such an inspection system provides an effective and accurate means for detecting flaws in the pipes or tubes making up the walls of a boiler, such as build-ups of deposits, etc., which could lead to dangerous and catastrophic failures. This also can apply to measurements of structural members of other structures where similar concerns exist such as tanks and containers, vessel hulls, and other structures for material containment. In the case of detection of irregularities in wall thickness by this method, accurate positioning of the testing equipment relative to the wall surface is vital to meaningful results. The limited access openings into boilers and other vessels that may benefit from such inspections also necessitates a compact carriage assembly for carrying the testing equipment along the walls, with the carriage assembly lending itself to relatively easy disassembly and assembly.
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Jacobstein A. Ronald
Reilly Thomas L.
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Kastler Scott
ThermTech Services, Inc.
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