Extendable pipe crawler
Abstract
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.
- Inventors:
-
- North Augusta, SC
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- E I DUPONT DE NEMOURS & CO INC
- OSTI Identifier:
- 867832
- Patent Number(s):
- 5018451
- Assignee:
- United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
F - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING F16 - ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS F16L - PIPES
F - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING F17 - STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS F17D - PIPE-LINE SYSTEMS
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-76SR00001
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- extendable; pipe; crawler; front; leg; assembly; connected; air; cylinders; legs; pair; actuators; sliding; radially; outward; increase; range; enters; section; larger; diameter; crawls; inchworm; -like; motion; alternately; engaging; disengaging; wall; hold; advance; bring; rear; parallel; adjacent; opposing; acting; slides; assembly connected; air cylinders; pipe crawler; rear leg; front leg; leg assembly; air cylinder; radially outward; larger diameter; extendable legs; /104/
Citation Formats
Hapstack, Mark. Extendable pipe crawler. United States: N. p., 1991.
Web.
Hapstack, Mark. Extendable pipe crawler. United States.
Hapstack, Mark. Tue .
"Extendable pipe crawler". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/867832.
@article{osti_867832,
title = {Extendable pipe crawler},
author = {Hapstack, Mark},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991}
}