A sensing device for a centrifugal slurry pump having an impeller which rotates about an axis, the centrifugal slurry pump including a side liner and a main liner housed within an outer casing of the pump, the sensing device comprising; a body portion arranged to pass through the outer casing, wherein the body portion includes a sensor biased towards contact with either the side liner or the main liner of the pump.

A method of inspection or maintenance of a curved ferromagnetic surface using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a releasable crawler is provided. The method includes: flying the UAV from an initial position to a pre-perching position in a vicinity of the ferromagnetic surface; autonomously perching the UAV on the ferromagnetic surface; maintaining magnetic attachment of the perched UAV to the ferromagnetic surface; releasing the crawler from the magnetically attached UAV onto the ferromagnetic surface; moving the crawler over the curved ferromagnetic surface while maintaining magnetic attachment of the released crawler to the ferromagnetic surface; inspecting or maintaining the ferromagnetic surface using the magnetically attached crawler; and re-docking the released crawler with the perched UAV.

A system for analyzing layer thickness of a multilayer component is provided. The system includes: an opening forming device configured to create an opening having a predefined geometry partially into the multilayer component at a selected location on a surface of the multilayer component, where the multilayer component includes a plurality of material layers including a substrate and a bond coat and the opening exposes each of the plurality of material layers, and an imaging device configured to create an image of the exposed plurality of material layers in the opening. The system is configured to calculate at least a thickness of the bond coat of the exposed plurality of material layers from the image and based on the predefined geometry of the opening. The system may also include a repairing device configured to repair the opening, allowing the multilayer component to be used for an intended purpose.

A method of detecting corrosion in a conduit or container comprises measuring the thickness of a wall of the conduit or container with one or more pulse-echo ultrasound devices, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (i) receiving signals indicative of A-scan data from the one or more pulse-echo ultrasound devices, wherein the A-scan data comprises a plurality of A-scan spectra; (ii) determining which of the A-scan spectra have a distorted waveform such that a reliable wall thickness measurement cannot be determined; (iii) analysing the A-scan spectra identified in step (ii) as having a distorted waveform to determine one or more A-scan spectral characteristics of each spectrum that are causing the distortion; (iv) resolving the waveform characteristics based on the determined spectral characteristics causing the waveform distortion so as to produce modified A-scan spectra; (v) determining thickness measurements of the wall based on the modified A-scan spectra; and (vi) determining the extent to which the wall has been corroded based on the thickness measurements determined in step (v) and additional thickness determined from A-scan spectra.

Disclosed herein is a method for depth-profiling of samples including a target region including a lateral structural feature. The method includes projecting an optical pump pulse on a semiconductor device comprising a target region, such as to produce an acoustic pulse which propagates within the target region of the semiconductor device, wherein a wavelength of the pump pulse is at least two times greater than a lateral extent of a lateral structural feature of the semiconductor device along at least one lateral direction, projecting an optical probe pulse on the semiconductor device, such that the probe pulse undergoes Brillouin scattering off the acoustic pulse within the target region, detecting a scattered component of the probe pulse to obtain a measured signal, and analyzing the measured signal to obtain a depth-dependence of at least one parameter characterizing the lateral structural feature.

Inspection robots with swappable drive modules are described. An example inspect robot may include a first removeable interface plate on the side of a robot chassis. The first removable interface plate may couple a first drive module to an electronic board, within the chassis, where the electronic board includes a drive module interface circuit communicatively coupled to the first drive module. The example inspect robot may also include a second removeable interface plate on a side of a robot chassis. The second removable interface plate may couple a second drive module to an electronic board, within the chassis, where the electronic board includes a drive module interface circuit communicatively coupled to the second drive module.

The invention relates to an ultrasonic measuring unit for attaching to a measuring instrument. The measuring instrument is designed in such a way that the measuring instrument can be arranged on a movement axis of a machine. When the ultrasonic measuring unit is arranged on the measuring instrument, an ultrasonic measurement can be carried out by means of the ultrasonic measuring unit. The ultrasonic measuring unit comprises a tubular sleeve and an elastic carrier element. The tubular sleeve surrounds the elastic carrier element. The elastic carrier element consists of a material that conducts ultrasonic waves. At a first end of the tubular sleeve, the elastic carrier element protrudes beyond an outer edge of the tubular sleeve. The tubular sleeve and the elastic carrier element are intended to contact, in particular directly, the surface to be measured, during a probing process of the measuring instrument.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) a fixed frame and a rotating arm pivotably coupled to the fixed frame at a central axis. The fixed frame includes peripheral propellers and corresponding motors for flying the UAV, and a central electronics enclosure for housing electronics used to control the UAV. The rotating arm is between the propellers and configured to rotate with respect to the fixed frame about the central axis. The rotating arm includes magnetic feet at a first end of the rotating arm and configured to perch and magnetically attach the UAV to a ferromagnetic surface, a docking station at the first end and configured to release and dock a releasable crawler, and a battery at a second end of the rotating arm opposite the first end and configured to supply power to the motors and the housed electronics, and to counterbalance the first end about the central axis.

Inspection robots and methods for inspection of curved surfaces with sensors at selected horizontal distances are described. An example of such an inspection robot includes a housing; a drive module with a wheel and a motor operatively linked to the housing, a plurality of sensor sleds, and a payload. The payload, which is coupled to the housing, may include a first and a second rail component, each with at least one connector, where the rail components are connectable at a first selected position of a plurality of discrete engagement positions. Each of the rail components may be structured to support at least one of the plurality of sleds where each of the plurality of sleds is coupled to the payload at a respective selected horizontal position such that the plurality of sleds are at selected horizontal distances from each other.

An acoustic inspection system can be used to generate a surface profile of a component under inspection, and then can be used to perform the inspection on the component. The acoustic inspection system can obtain acoustic imaging data, e.g., FMC data, of the component. Then, the acoustic inspection system can apply a previously trained machine learning model to an encoded acoustic image, such as a TFM image, to generate a representation of the profile of one or more surfaces of the component. In this manner, no additional equipment is needed, which is more convenient and efficient than implementations that utilize additional components that are external to the acoustic inspection system.