Inspection tool for measuring wall thickness of underground stor

Details Inspection tool for measuring wall thickness of underground stor Inspection tool for measuring wall thickness of underground stor

1997-08-22

1999-07-27

Williams, Hezron

Measuring and testing

Inspecting

73597, 33522, 33542, G01M 1900, G01H 700, G01B 1702

Patent

active

059293497

ABSTRACT:
The invention comprises a tool which can be inserted through the fill nozzle of an underground fuel storage tank to measure the tank wall thickness. The invention, in a preferred embodiment, uses ultrasonic thickness measurement technology, a well known inspection technique. A special type of ultrasonic probe known as a ZIP (Zero Interface Probe) is required to measure the thickness of fiberglass. A thickness measurement is accomplished by pressing the tool transducers firmly against the inside surface of the fiberglass tank after applying a couplant gel to the surface of the transducers. The tool is connected to an ultrasonic flaw detector, which generates a transmitted pulse and displays the transmitted and reflected pulses on a display screen. The thickness is determined by measuring the time-of-flight (on the display screen) between appropriate pulses. The time-of-flight is proportional to twice the thickness (since the sound pulse must travel to the back wall and return), the proportionality factor being the speed of sound in the fiberglass (speed.times.time=distance).

REFERENCES:
patent: 3460028 (1969-08-01), Beaver et al.
patent: 5370006 (1994-12-01), Zollinger et al.
patent: 5503033 (1996-04-01), Van Niekerk

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