Patents by Inventor Masaki Yamano

Masaki Yamano has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120067127
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method which allows simply, easily and accurately evaluating the fastening state of shoulder parts of a threaded joint for use as a joint of pipes or tubes, such as OCTG, during fastening or after fastening. The fastening state evaluation method for a threaded joint 100 of pipes or tubes according to the present invention is characterized in that it transmits ultrasonic surface waves from the internal surface of either one of the pin 1 and the box 2 toward the internal surface of the other one of the pin 1 and the box 2 through the shoulder parts 13, 23 of the pin 1 and the box 2, and on the basis of the transmitted wave intensity or the reflected wave intensity thereof, determines whether or not the fastening state of the threaded joint 100 is satisfactory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: SUMITOMO METAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ikuji HOSHINO, Masaki YAMANO, Makoto SAKAMOTO, Keiichi NAKAMURA, Jun MASUBUCHI, Kenta SAKAI
  • Patent number: 8113055
    Abstract: There is provided a method capable of evaluating a fastening state of a threaded joint that is used as a joint of pipes or tubes such as OCTG with a high degree of accuracy even after being fastened and a method for fastening a threaded joint of pipes or tubes using the evaluating method. The present invention provides a method for evaluating a fastening state of a threaded joint of pipes or tubes including a pin having an external thread part, a metal seal part, and a shoulder part on an outer peripheral surface, and a box having an internal thread part, a metal seal part, and a shoulder part corresponding to each part of the pin on an inner peripheral surface and being fastened with the pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignees: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd., Vallourec Mannesmann Oil & Gas France
    Inventors: Ikuji Hoshino, Masaki Yamano, Shigeo Nagasaku
  • Patent number: 8091425
    Abstract: An ultrasonic testing method relates to a threaded joint of pipes including a pin having an external thread part, a metal seal part, and a shoulder part on an outer peripheral surface, and a box having an internal thread part, a metal seal part, and a shoulder part with the box and pin being fastened together using a lubricant. The method includes transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a plurality of locations along an axial direction of the threaded joint in at least one of the internal thread part, the metal seal part, and the shoulder part of the box; detecting echo intensities and reception times of echoes for the plurality of locations; and detecting an abnormal portion in the threaded joint based on a longitudinal axial directional distribution of the echo intensities and longitudinal axial directional distribution of reception times of the echoes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignees: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd., Vallourec Mannesmann Oil & Gas France
    Inventors: Ikuji Hoshino, Masaki Yamano, Shigeo Nagasaku
  • Publication number: 20110283798
    Abstract: An ultrasonic testing apparatus 100 comprises an ultrasonic probe 1 including n (n?2) number of transducers arranged along a predetermined direction, disposed so as to face a test object P, and a transmission/reception control device 2 for selecting m (n>m?1) number of transducers from among the n number of transducers, transmitting ultrasonic waves from the selected m number of transducers toward the test object, receiving the ultrasonic waves therefrom, and switched m number of transducers to b selected successively. If an angle that the arrangement direction of the transducers makes with the surface of the test object which ultrasonic waves enter is ?, and the effective beam width of each selected m number of transducers with respect to a target flaw is W1, the transmission/reception control device switches m number of transducers to be selected successively by a switching pitch length P satisfying the formula: P?W1·cos?.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2009
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicant: SUMITOMO METAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Yamano, Masami Ikeda, Kenji Fujiwara, Hiroshi Kubota
  • Publication number: 20110239770
    Abstract: Provided are an ultrasonic testing method and an ultrasonic testing apparatus capable of accurately detecting flaws present in a weld zone of a test object, such as a welded pipe, regardless of the position of the flaws. An ultrasonic testing apparatus 100 includes an ultrasonic probe 1 which is provided with n (n?2) transducers 11 arranged along a direction orthogonal to the weld line of a weld zone P1 of a test object P and is arranged so as to face the weld zone, and transmission/reception control means 2 which selects m (n>m?1) transducers from the n transducers, causes the selected transducers to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to and from the weld zone, and switches the selected transducers one after another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2009
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd
    Inventors: Masaki Yamano, Hiroyuki Okubo, Takumi Horikiri
  • Publication number: 20110113885
    Abstract: An ultrasonic testing equipment includes a linear array ultrasonic probe in which a plurality of transducers are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the rolling direction of a test object and a signal processing unit. The signal processing unit executes following (1) to (6). (1) Generating an aperture synthetic image of testing signals of each section of the test object. (2) Generating a maximum value distribution of testing signals in the arrangement direction of transducers. (3) Calculating the width of a defect in each section based on the maximum value distribution. (4) Generating a maximum value distribution of the testing signals in the rolling direction based on the maximum value distribution of a plurality of sections of the test object. (5) Calculating the length of the defect based on the maximum value distribution of the testing signals in the rolling direction. (6) Calculating the area of the defect based on the calculated defect length and the calculated defect width of each section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: SUMITOMO METAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshio Ueda, Masaki Yamano, Masami Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20110088476
    Abstract: A ultrasound flaw probing device (100) is provided with a ultrasonic probe (1) with a plurality of vibrators (11) arranged along a predetermined circular curved surface, a transmission and reception control means (2) that selects at least two or more pieces of the vibrators to carry out the transmission and reception of a ultrasonic wave for inspecting a tubular subject member (P) to be probed, and a probing waveform display means (3) that radially displays a probing waveform received by the selected pieces of the vibrators arranged in accordance with propagation directions of the ultrasonic transmitted and received from the vibrators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Applicant: SUMITOMO METAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Yamano, Hiroshi Shikada, Kenji Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 7874212
    Abstract: An ultrasonic probe performs flaw detection of a high (t/D) metal pipe. The front end portion of a transducer has at least a portion with an asymmetrically curved shape having a radius of curvature which progressively increases from one end towards the other end of the front end portion. The probe is disposed with respect to the pipe with its end having the smaller radius of curvature positioned on the side away from the direction of propagation of refracted waves, the end having a larger radius of curvature thereof positioned on the side in the direction of propagation of refracted waves. Angle beam flaw detection is carried out such that incident waves are generated which generate refracted longitudinal waves which do not reach the inner surface of the metal pipe and refracted transverse waves which are focused on the inner surface of the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaki Yamano
  • Publication number: 20100107766
    Abstract: There is provided a method for detecting an abnormal portion (defect, non-adhering portion, and seized portion) lying at a contact region between each part of a pin and each part of a box forming a threaded joint to be used as a joint of pipe or tubes such as OCTG. This invention provides an ultrasonic testing method of a threaded joint of pipes or tubes including a pin having an external thread part, a metal seal part, and a shoulder part on an outer peripheral surface, and a box having an internal thread part, a metal seal part, and a shoulder part corresponding to each part of the pin on an inner peripheral surface and being fastened with the pin by way of a lubricant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventors: Ikuji Hoshino, Masaki Yamano, Shigeo Nagasaku
  • Publication number: 20100005846
    Abstract: A circumferential angle of incidence ?i of an ultrasonic wave transmitted from an ultrasonic probe 1 upon a tubular test object P and an axial angle of incidence ?i of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 1 upon the tubular test object P are set based on a ratio of thickness to outer diameter t/D of the tubular test object P so that an internal refraction angle ?k calculated from the circumferential angle of incidence ?i, the axial angle of incidence ?i, and the ratio of thickness to outer diameter t/D of the tubular test object may be not less than 35° and not more than 60°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Publication date: January 14, 2010
    Inventor: Masaki Yamano
  • Publication number: 20090282921
    Abstract: There is provided a method capable of evaluating a fastening state of a threaded joint that is used as a joint of pipes or tubes such as OCTG with a high degree of accuracy even after being fastened and a method for fastening a threaded joint of pipes or tubes using the evaluating method. The present invention provides a method for evaluating a fastening state of a threaded joint of pipes or tubes including a pin having an external thread part, a metal seal part, and a shoulder part on an outer peripheral surface, and a box having an internal thread part, a metal seal part, and a shoulder part corresponding to each part of the pin on an inner peripheral surface and being fastened with the pin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Inventors: Ikuji Hoshino, Masaki Yamano, Shigeo Nagasaku
  • Publication number: 20090217763
    Abstract: The ultrasonic testing method according to the invention includes the steps of arranging an ultrasonic probe 1 having a plurality of transducers 11 so as to face a tubular test object P, and causing the transducers appropriately selected from the plurality of transducers to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves so that the ultrasonic waves are propagated in the tubular test object in a plurality of different propagation directions, wherein a ultrasonic testing condition by the ultrasonic probe is set so that respective external refraction angles ?r of the ultrasonic waves in the plurality of propagation directions are approximately equivalent and/or respective internal refraction angles ?k of the ultrasonic waves in the plurality of propagation directions are approximately equivalent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Inventor: Masaki Yamano
  • Publication number: 20090095087
    Abstract: Minute flaws present on the interior of a high (t/D) metal pipe having a ratio (t/D) of the wall thickness t to the outer diameter D of greater than 15% is carried out with high accuracy and certainty by angle beam flaw detection without an accompanying decrease in detection efficiency or cost increase. This is an ultrasonic probe which, as viewed from the center of a high (t/D) metal pipe, performs flaw detection of the metal pipe by obliquely impinging ultrasonic waves from a transducer on the metal pipe and generating refracted longitudinal waves and refracted transverse waves which are propagated inside the metal pipe. The front end portion of the transducer has at least a portion with an asymmetrically curved shape having a radius of curvature which progressively increases from one end towards the other end of the front end portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Inventor: Masaki Yamano