The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 23, 1992
Filed:
Dec. 27, 1990
Alain Netter, Villefontaine, FR;
Gabriel Leroy, Caluire et Cuire, FR;
Framatome, Courbevoie, FR;
Compagnie Generale des Matieres Nucleaires, Velizy Villacoublay, FR;
Abstract
The distance between substantially parallel metal tubes forming a flat sheet and the thicknesses of oxide layers covering the tubes are simultaneously measured. The tubes may particularly be sheaths of a nuclear fuel assembly. The method includes the step of moving an eddy current probe parallel to the sheet while maintaining said probe applied onto the successive tubes of the sheet; recording an electric signal delivered by the probe and representing impedance variations of said probe responsive to displacement of said probe; computing the distances between successive ones of said rods from measurement of the amounts of displacement of said probe between the extremum values of said electric signal which correspond to successive extrema of said impedance; and deriving the thickness of the oxide layers on successive ones of said tubes from successive comparisons between the value of the respective extremum and values obtained by measurement of the impedance value on standard tubes carrying predetermined known thickneses of said oxide.