A method for calibrating an ultrasonic sensor including a transducer, a reflector spaced a known distance from the transducer, and a memory. A water bath is heated to approximately fifty centigrade and the ultrasonic sensor is at least partially submerged in the water bath. When submerged, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted through a portion of the water bath from the transducer. The ultrasonic wave is transmitted toward the reflector and a reflected ultrasonic wave is received back at the transducer. A time of flight of the ultrasonic wave is measured. A calibration coefficient is determined based on the time of flight of the ultrasonic wave and an expected time of flight of the ultrasonic wave. The calibration coefficient is loaded into the memory of the ultrasonic sensor.

Methods and systems for determining a change in condition of a rock bolt. Some methods may comprise, at a first point in time, propagating shear and longitudinal ultrasonic waves along the rock bolt to measure a first time of flight for each of the shear and longitudinal waves, at a second point in time after the first point in time, propagating shear and longitudinal ultrasonic waves along the rock bolt to measure a second time of flight for each of the shear and longitudinal waves, and using the relative changes of the first and second time of flights, determining the change in condition of the rock bolt section.

An inspection robot incudes a robot body, at least two sensors, a drive module, a stability assist device and an actuator. The at least two sensors are positioned to interrogate an inspection surface and are communicatively coupled to the robot body. The drive module includes at least two wheels that engage the inspection surface. The drive module is coupled to the robot body. The stability assist device is coupled to at least one of the robot body or the drive module. The actuator is coupled to the stability assist device at a first end, and coupled to one of the drive module or the robot body at a second end. The actuator is structured to selectively move the stability assist device between a first position and a second position. The first position includes a stored position. The second position includes a deployed position.

An apparatus for inspecting a well having nested multi-tubular structure, includes: an acoustic transducer conveyed in an inner-most tubular in the structure and configured to receive a return acoustic signal having a plurality of resonances due to the structure; an acoustic impedance matching material disposed on a sensing face of the acoustic transducer; a signal generator that generates a signal having a plurality of frequencies to drive the acoustic transducer; a signal shaper that modifies the signal to provide a drive signal to the acoustic transducer; and a processor configured to determine an annulus distance of any tubular in the structure with respect to an adjacent tubular using a time of flight of a transmitted acoustic signal, an acoustic speed in a component in the nested multi-tubular structure using the annulus distance and the plurality of resonances, and a characteristic of the component that corresponds with the acoustic speed.

A sensor for ultrasonically measuring a portion of a structure having a temperature significantly above room-temperature, the sensor comprising: a high-temperature portion for intimate contact with the structure, the high-temperature portion comprising at least: at least one transducer for converting a first signal to an ultrasonic transmit signal, and for converting an ultrasonic reflected signal to a second signal; a low-temperature portion comprising at least: at least one digital sensor interface (DSI) to which the transducer is electrically connected, the DSI being configured to transmit the first electrical signal and receive the second electrical signal, and to generate an A-scan signal based on the first and second electrical signals; a wireless interface for transmitting a digital signal based directly or indirectly on at least said A-scan signal; and a battery for powering the DSI and the wireless interface; and an elongated member containing one or more electrical conductors for conducting the first and second signals between the transducer and the DSI, the elongated member being configured to offset the low-temperature portion a sufficient distance away from the high-temperature portion such that the low-temperature portion is subjected to significantly less heat from the structure compared to the high-temperature portion.

An electronic device including an array of ultrasonic transducers, a temperature sensor for determining a temperature of the array of ultrasonic transducers, and a control module communicatively coupled to the array of ultrasonic devices and the temperature sensor. The control module is for receiving the temperature and for controlling operation of the array of ultrasonic transducers based at least in part on the temperature.

A system for determining one or more properties of one or more gases. The system comprises sensors configured to measure thermal conductivity and exothermic responses of a sample at multiple temperatures. Sensor responses to exposure to a gas sample at two or more temperatures are compensated and analyzed by a subsystem. The subsystem is configured to determine a thermal conductivity of the gas sample at each of the two or more temperatures and determine at least one component of the gas sample based at least in part on the thermal conductivity value of the sample at each of the two or more temperatures. Related systems and methods of determining one or more properties of a sample are also disclosed.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to determining liquid-water concentration in a cloud atmosphere based on a frequency of resonance of a magnetostrictive resonator and/or a temporal variation of the resonant frequency of the magnetostrictive resonator. The magnetostrictive resonator is configured to resonate at a resonant frequency indicative of a measure of ice accumulation upon an exterior surface of the magnetostrictive resonator. When in liquid-water ambient, however, the magnetostrictive resonator has a resonant frequency less than a baseline resonant frequency. When in the liquid-water ambient, the magnetostrictive resonator also has temporal variations in resonant frequency that exceed one part in ten thousand. Using one or both of these resonant-frequency responses to liquid-water ambient, a signal indicative of liquid-water content can be generated.

The invention relates to a solution for how to measure the strain in a washer mounted in a bolt assembly comprising a bolt, nut and washer. The invention concerns a strain measuring washer assembly comprising a plate shaped washer body, sound emitting means and sound detecting means, and a method for using such.

A system includes an inspection robot having an input sensor comprising a laser profiler and a plurality of wheels structured to engage a curved portion of an inspection surface, wherein the laser profiler is configured to provide laser profiler data of the inspection surface; a controller, comprising: a profiler data circuit structured to interpret the laser profiler data; determine a feature of interest is present at a location of the inspection surface in response to the laser profiler data; and wherein the feature of interest comprises a shape description of the inspection surface at the location of the feature of interest.