JPH1010100A - Piping flaw detecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a probe from being separated from a piping by imparting a proper tension to a roller chain to connect a traveling body having the probe and rolling on the circumferential surface of the piping and another auxiliary traveling body rolling on the circumference. SOLUTION: A traveling body 4 has a probe 8 movable along an arm 6. The traveling body 4 is arranged on the circumferential surface of a piping 1 so as to be movable along a guide rail 2 externally making contact with a required position of the piping 1. One-side ends of roller chains 15, 17 are connected to the front and rear end parts of the traveling body 4, and the other end part of the roller chain 15 and the other end part of the roller chain 17 are connected to the moving directional rear end of an auxiliary traveling body 13 and to the moving directional front end of an auxiliary traveling body 14, respectively. The spaces between the traveling body 3 and each auxiliary traveling body 13, 14 and between the auxiliary traveling bodies 13, 14 are equally set. A proper tension is imparted to the roller chains 15, 16 by a tension imparting means 12 arranged between the roller chain 15 and the traveling body 4. Thus, driving devices 11, 7 are operated to oppose the probe 8 to the required position of the piping 1, and the ultrasonic inspection of the piping 1 is performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pipe flaw detector used for nondestructive inspection of pipes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 3 to 5 show an example of a conventional pipe flaw detection apparatus. The pipe flaw detection apparatus includes a guide rail 2 which can be circumscribed to a pipe 1 to be subjected to a nondestructive inspection, and the above-mentioned pipe flaw detection apparatus. A traveling body 4 having wheels 3 that can roll in the circumferential direction along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 1; a traveling body 4 attached to the traveling body 4 so as to extend in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the pipe 1; An arm 6 having a mechanism 5, a probe 8 which is engaged with the guide mechanism 5 of the arm 6 so as to face the pipe 1, and which can be moved along the arm 6 by a driving device 7;
A roller chain 10 having a plurality of rollers 9 capable of rolling the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 1 in the circumferential direction.

The running body 4 includes a slide (not shown) that can guide the running body 4 in the circumferential direction of the pipe along the guide rail 2 and a driving device 11 for rotating the wheels 3. Have been.

When a non-destructive inspection is performed on a butt welding joint portion of a pipe 1 using a pipe flaw detector shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a guide rail 2 is circumscribed at a required position of the pipe 1, 2 so that it can move along
The traveling body 4 is disposed on the upper part of the outer periphery of the traveling body 4, and one end of the roller chain 10 is connected to the front end in the traveling direction of the traveling body 4 via a tension applying means 12 such as a turnbuckle, and the rear end in the traveling direction of the traveling body 4 The other end of the roller chain 10 is connected to the section.

Next, tension is applied to the roller chain 10 by appropriately adjusting the tension applying means 12.

Further, the traveling body 4 is appropriately moved in the circumferential direction of the pipe 1 by operating the traveling driving device 11, and
By operating the driving device 7 of the probe 8 and appropriately moving the probe 8 in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the pipe 1 with respect to the arm 6 provided on the traveling body 4, The probe 8 faces each other, and the ultrasonic inspection of the pipe 1 is performed.

[0007]

However, in the pipe flaw detection apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, when the traveling body 4 moves upward from the middle part of the pipe 1 in the vertical direction in the circumferential direction, the traveling body 4
Due to the gravity acting on the pipe 1, the wheel 3 of the traveling body 4, which is located on the upper side of the pipe 1, is located between the upper and lower portions of the pipe 1 in the vertical direction. The probe 8 may be separated from the outer peripheral surface, whereby the probe 8 may be separated from the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 1 to make it impossible to perform the ultrasonic inspection.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has as its object to provide a pipe flaw detection apparatus in which a probe does not leave a pipe.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a pipe flaw detector according to the present invention comprises a guide rail which can be circumscribed to a pipe to be subjected to a nondestructive inspection, and an outer peripheral surface of the pipe which extends along the guide rail. A plurality of traveling bodies having wheels that can roll in the circumferential direction, an arm attached to a predetermined one of the traveling bodies so as to extend substantially parallel to the axial direction of the pipe, and a pipe facing the pipe. A probe attached to the arm so as to be able to move along the arm, and the same number of roller chains as a traveling body having a plurality of rollers capable of rolling the outer peripheral surface of the pipe in a circumferential direction; A tension applying means for arranging the traveling body on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe at a predetermined interval in a circumferential direction and applying tension to each roller chain when each traveling body is connected by the roller chain. ing

In the pipe flaw detector according to the present invention, the tension applied to each roller chain by the tension applying means,
The own weight of the traveling body without the probe acts synergistically on the traveling body with the probe to prevent the wheels of the traveling body from floating from the outer peripheral surface of the pipe.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of an embodiment of a pipe flaw detector according to the present invention.
The same reference numerals denote the same parts.

In the pipe flaw detection apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a traveling body 4 (see FIGS. 3 to 5) having a probe 8 movable along the arm 6 as described above, and a pipe 1
The two auxiliary traveling bodies 13 and 14 which have wheels 3 which can roll in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the Auxiliary traveling body 1
Roller chains 15 and 17 for connecting the auxiliary traveling bodies 13 and 14
And a tension applying means 12 such as a turnbuckle.

The auxiliary traveling bodies 13 and 14 shown in FIGS.
Is provided with a driving device 11 for driving the wheels 3, but the driving device 11 is not an essential requirement, and the auxiliary driving bodies 13, 14 may be unpowered.

Further, each of the roller chains 15, 16, 17
Has a plurality of rollers 9 that can roll on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 1 in the circumferential direction, similarly to the roller chain 10 described above (see FIGS. 3 to 5).

Next, the operation will be described.

When a non-destructive inspection is performed on a butt welding joint portion of a pipe 1 using the pipe flaw detector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a guide rail 2 is circumscribed at a required position of the pipe 1, and 2 so that it can move along
The traveling body 4 is arranged at the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the vehicle.

One end of each of the roller chains 15 and 17 is connected to the front and rear ends of the traveling body 4, and the other end of the roller chain 15 connected to the front end of the traveling body 4 is connected to the auxiliary traveling body 13. The other end of the roller chain 17 connected to the rear end of the traveling body 4 is connected to the front end of the auxiliary traveling body 14 in the moving direction. The bodies 13 and 14 are connected by a roller chain 16.

At this time, a tension applying means 12 is interposed between one end of the roller chain 15 and the front end of the traveling body 4.

The two auxiliary traveling bodies 1 with respect to the traveling body 4
The distance between the auxiliary traveling bodies 13 and 14 and the distance between the two auxiliary traveling bodies 13 and 14 are made substantially equal.

Next, the tension applying means 12 is appropriately adjusted to apply tension to each of the roller chains 15, 16 and 17.

Further, the driving unit 11 is operated to move the traveling body 4 and the auxiliary traveling bodies 13 and 14 appropriately in the circumferential direction of the pipe 1, and the driving unit 7 is operated to be provided on the traveling body 4. The probe 8 is appropriately moved in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the pipe 1 with respect to the arm 6, so that the probe 8 faces a required portion of the pipe 1, and the ultrasonic flaw inspection of the pipe 1 is performed. Do.

At this time, in the pipe flaw detector shown in FIGS.
And the tension applied to the auxiliary traveling body 13,
The self-weight of 14 acts synergistically on the traveling body 4 having the probe 8 to prevent the wheels 3 of the traveling body 4 from floating from the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 1. The probe 8 does not separate from the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 1 even when moving upward from the middle part in the vertical direction, so that the ultrasonic inspection of the pipe 1 can be performed without any trouble.

It should be noted that the pipe flaw detector of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0025]

As described above, according to the pipe flaw detection apparatus of the present invention, the weight of the traveling body without the arm and the probe and the wheel driving force exert the tension on the roller chain connecting between the traveling bodies. And the lifting of the wheels of the traveling body equipped with the arm and the probe is prevented, so that the probe provided on the traveling body does not separate from the outer peripheral surface of the pipe, which hinders the ultrasonic inspection. It is possible to achieve an excellent effect that it can be implemented without any change.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of an embodiment of a pipe flaw detector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an auxiliary vehicle related to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a conventional pipe flaw detector.

4 is a view taken in the direction of arrows IV-IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a traveling body equipped with an arm and a probe related to FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Piping 2 Guide rail 3 Wheel 4 Running body 6 Arm 8 Probe 9 Roller 12 Tension applying means 13 Auxiliary running body (Running body) 14 Auxiliary running body (Running body) 15 Roller chain 16 Roller chain 17 Roller chain

Claims (1)

[Claims] A guide rail capable of circumscribing a pipe to be subjected to a nondestructive inspection; a plurality of traveling bodies having wheels capable of rolling an outer peripheral surface of the pipe in a circumferential direction along the guide rail; An arm attached to a predetermined one of the traveling bodies so as to extend substantially parallel to the axial direction of the pipe, and a probe attached to the arm so as to face the pipe and move along the arm. And the same number of roller chains as a traveling body having a plurality of rollers capable of rolling the outer peripheral surface of the pipe in the circumferential direction, and disposing the traveling body on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. And a tension applying means for applying tension to each roller chain when each traveling body is connected by the roller chain.