Patent Number: 051006103
Section: abstract

System for inspecting the interior of tube plugs, particularly tube plugs of the type having expander elements disposed therein. The system includes a probe assembly connectable to the tube plug, the probe assembly having a rotatable and translatable probe carrier housing for housing a sensor probe capable of inspecting the tube plug. The probe assembly also includes a leaf spring extending through the probe carrier housing and attached to the sensor probe for radially outwardly biasing the sensor probe into sensing contact with the interior of the tube plug, particularly the interior of the tube plug located between the top of the tube plug and the expander element. A tangle-free flexible hose is connected at one end thereof to the probe carrier housing for transversely rotating and longitudinally translating the probe carrier housing. The flexible hose is also connected at the other end thereof to a probe driver assembly that rotates the flexible hose which in turn rotates the probe carrier housing. Rotation of the probe carrier housing rotatably translates the probe carrier housing into the tube plug for inspecting the tube plug in a helical scanning pattern.