Patents Examined by Oetavia Davis
  • Patent number: 6311565
    Abstract: Techniques and equipment for evaluating structural integrity of buried anchor rods in situ are disclosed. The techniques avoid excavation of soil and avoid, or at least reduce, the possibility of damage to the rods or the concrete in which they may be embedded when evaluations are conducted. Instead, ultrasonic energy is transmitted through the rod from a portable transducer, and returned energy (in either or both of direct and mode-converted states) may be analyzed to assist in detecting flaws, corrosion, wastage, or other degradation of the rod. Data from a field evaluation may be compared with baseline data maintained either for a specific rod or for rods of similar composition and length (or both), and periodic field evaluations of a rod may be used to analyze trends in its structure over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: Westinghouse Savannah River Company
    Inventors: William R. Hinz, Matthew J. Parker