Extendable pipe crawler

Patent · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:867832

Hapstack, Mark ^[1]

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1. North Augusta, SC

A pipe crawler having a front leg assembly and a back leg assembly connected together by two air cylinders, each leg assembly having four extendable legs and a pair of actuators for sliding the extendable legs radially outward to increase the range of the legs when the pipe crawler enters a section of a pipe having a larger diameter. The crawler crawls by "inchworm"-like motion, the front leg assembly and back leg assembly alternately engaging and disengaging the wall of the pipe to hold the pipe crawler as the air cylinders alternately advance the front leg assembly and bring up the rear leg assembly. The pair of actuators of each leg assembly are parallel, adjacent and opposing acting so that each slides two adjacent extendable legs radially outward.

• Research Organization: E I DUPONT DE NEMOURS & CO INC
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-76SR00001
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 5018451
• OSTI ID: 867832
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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/104/
acting
actuators
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advance
air
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alternately
assembly
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bring
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crawler
crawls
cylinders
diameter
disengaging
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enters
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front
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inchworm
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larger diameter
leg
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radially
radially outward
range
rear
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