Drone Mountable Ultrasonic


Thickness Gauge Drone Probe Holder


1. Introduction


Checking for corrosion has always been necessary on all metal structures, with the marine industry being no exception. Over the years, various methods have been utilised for this purpose and technology has meant that hand held gauges are now much smaller and lighter than they used to be. Inspection times are becoming shorter because time is money. Another advancement in technology is in the drone industry, which is growing extremely fast with more and more applications being identified whereby drones can save money and operate more safely than traditional techniques. There is also an increasing number of different types of equipment


82 | The Report • March 2020 • Issue 91


and sensors that can be mounted onto drones, and some of these can be used in the marine industry. The next logical step is to therefore combine these two technologies to produce a ‘flying thickness gauge’.


It is obviously important to prevent corrosion occurring in the first place and therefore essential that good coatings are used. However, the problem then arises when there is a requirement to measure the metal thickness, or to check for corrosion, without disturbing or damaging the protective coatings.


Dorchester based, Tritex NDT are a leading manufacturer of ultrasonic thickness gauges used to measure metal thickness to determine corrosion rates over


time, without removing any coatings as long as they are solidly adhered to the metal. It doesn’t matter whether the coating is paint, epoxy or bitumen, it is completely ignored. This has huge advantages over having to remove coatings, both in time and money. Thickness gauges are a useful tool in aiding surveyors to assess the condition of hulls, quickly and efficiently with minimum disruption. The metal thickness can be measured from one side only and corrosion levels checked to build up a good understanding of the overall condition of the boat. Measurements are often taken at a number of points over the hull, at set intervals, but this is dependent on the size and type of boat being surveyed.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104