TV inspection system now has control unit

-New equipment --A fully automatic pipe testing unit announced by Hocking NDT of St A/bans is designed for the inspection of either longitudinally or spirally welded pipe up to 1420 mm in diameter and 30 mm thick, produced by the submerged arc welding process. The system uses an eight-probe array to detect both longitudinal and transversely oriented flaws and features an eddy current guidance system for the probe assembly, programmable logic control for automatic sequencing as each pipe enters the test area and enhanced flaw detection capabilities using tandem probe techniques. Four probes are used for the detection of longitudinal flaws, two probe blocks each carrying two probes on either side of the weld line. In addition to giving good depth coverage of the thicker welds for both inner and outer surface flaws, these probes can operate in the tandem mode to give enhanced detection of centre line cracking and lack of weld penetration. The remaining four probes are used to find transversely oriented flaws with a single pair of probes operating in the pitch-catch mode

Eight probes are used to detect longitudinal and transverseflaws in Hocking's pipetester

for normal flaw detection, and two probes being used for coupling monitoring. Where required additional probes can be included for the detection of lamination at the weld edges. Weld tracking is carried out by means of an eddy current probe mounted in a separate carriage in front of the ultrasonic probe assembly. Signals generated by the eddy current unit control a

linear motor/inked to the probe assembly, giving precision adjustment to automatically maintain the correct "in line" testing position. Linear motor drive is also used for vertical and forward and reverse positioning of the head assembly for local flaw investigation and calibration. Hocking NDT Ltd, Inspec House, 129-135 Camp Road, St Albans, Herts ALl 5HP, UK

TV inspection system now has control unit

Flaws in cartridge cases detected by electro-optics

A control unit for the Look-See TV system designed for inspecting underground pipes and sewers has been announced by Telespec.

A high-speed automated electrooptic inspection system has been developed to detect surface flaws and internal metal defects in cartridge cases.

Designed for standard 480 mm mounting, the control unit can be installed into field service vans. Controls are provided for a range of facilities including remote focus-

sing, lighting and rotating mirror heads. Telespec has also announced the introduction of a miniature inspection television camera that uses a charged coupled device (CCD) instead of the conventional camera tube. Known as the TS801, the camera is designed for the remote examination of pipes ranging from 60 mm to 1 m in diameter. Constructed in stainless steel, the complete camera is said to be waterproof to a depth of 1 50 m. The camera has no external moving parts; focusing is achieved by the remote adjustment of the CCD chip ;within the camera body. The camera body has a 'C' mount which allows various lens to be used from wide-angle to telephoto.

Telespec's Look-See control system

NDT International October 1987

Telespec Ltd, Tannery Lane, Send, Woking, Surrey GU23 7HB, UK

The system is said to perform inspections at a rate of 600 cases per minute, and to result in greatly improved product reliability. In addition to inspecting the inside and outside of the cases, the system's computer deduces the cause of defects, enabling operators to take corrective action. The Flaw Inspection/Reject Systems (FIRS) has been developed by Battelle and is installed at IVI Inc in Valcartier, Quebec, Canada. It is a scaled-down version of an earlier system Battelle developed for the US Army.

Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, USA

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