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MECHATRONIC ENGINEERING PRACTICE II MONTHLY REPORT

FOR ATTENTION: Miss NM Ratlhogo NAME OF STUDENT STUDENT NUMBER NAME OF TRAINING PROVIDER DATE Department of Mechanical Engineering FAX NUMBER: (012) 382-5602 TWAAMBO CHIKOYE 208315030 SIGHTLINES PIPE SURVEYING SERVICES 15th NOVEMBER TO 15th DECEMBER

I arrived at Sightlines on the 15th of November and from the onset we were tasked with firstly doing research and understanding Sightlines and what pipe surveying is all about. The research included and required a good understanding the following major topics; Different companies that also offer the same service and the equipment most commonly used in this industry CCTV employed on the vehicles that inspect the pipes Laser profiler system Leak detection systems employed Pipes commonly used and installed in the various types of industries The geographic information system (GIS) software and data for capturing of all the information collected from the surveys. Modbus protocol and RS485 operation because thats the communication employed on the system being used by the companys inspection vehicles

The most important part of this research was to understand the fundamentals of how sonar technology works. This enabled me then to be able to understand the operations of sonar profilers in the pipe surveying industry which is the core of the P2 training. The P2 program required the implementation of an operational sonar profiler with CCTV and laser profiling to give a versatile system that will tackle the current problem of not being able to carry out pipe surveys in liquid filled pipes; they have to be drained before the inspection vehicle is sent in. To begin with we were tasked with making Ethernet cables to be used in the different offices to connect up the computers to the internet and this helped me personally to apply what I learned in networks and communications. The actual sonar head was to be purchased from Marine electronics but as a team of P2 Mechatronic students we were tasked with designing a floating power supply to power the sonar, CCTV, Laser profiler and videotronics.

This is the Adjustable voltage regulator circuit used to supply the Sonar with 26V operational voltage.

Below is the simplified diagram of my voltage regulator circuit design to supply the other power requirements of the Sonar project.

We were then tasked with first understanding how Sightlines present reports of their findings back to their clients because we needed to come up with a draft report for the sonar profiling in a way that is easy for the customer to see and understand all the information he needs to be able to take the necessary actions and precautions on the pipes inspected.

This concludes the 1st month at Sightlines and the tasks covered during the period stated above

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MECHATRONIC ENGINEERING PRACTICE II MONTHLY REPORT


FOR ATTENTION: Miss NM Ratlhogo NAME OF STUDENT STUDENT NUMBER NAME OF TRAINING PROVIDER DATE Department of Mechanical Engineering FAX NUMBER: (012) 382-5602 TWAAMBO CHIKOYE 208315030 SIGHTLINES PIPE SURVEYING SERVICES 3rd January to 3rd February

During this period i had to have built the different electronic components that we were designing before we left for Christams break. The first task we tackled was to work with the cable counting system in the operators veichles. This required us rolling out the cable then setting the system to wind it back in at a certain speed and then we record the voltage on a multimeter. When we had completed this task we then gave these voltage values over to be entered into the C program which is used for the cable counter. Each of the mechatronic students had to test their electronic components and then we decided on which components worked best so we could implement them into the sonar power box. A prototype float was available for us to starts intial test of the sonar profiler but we had to design and build a frame so we could attach the sonar onto the bottom of the float. Building the mount help me learn about MIG welding, practise my drilling and filling.

Picture of the float upside down and the mounting frame for the sonar We modified the aliminum box(IP 65) we had purchase to iclude switches for the sonar, inputs to charge the floating power supply(battery pack) of 36V and organise the layout of all the components in the power box. We also completed the communication cable which would run from the power box to the sonar and computer, this would enable the sonar to communicate with the sonar software which is supplied so the scans can be seen and its also carries power to the sonar unit.

We then went to CSIR to meet with the Sensor Sciences and Technology divison. We explained the sonar project to them and how we needed their assistance to develop a software so we can analyse the sonar profiling data by ourselves and from it be able to construct a 3D model of the pipe profile from the sonar inspection. The 3D model will enable us to help the client best view their pipe conditions and see the conditions of different parts of it. Our visits to CSIR also helped us understand more about how the sonar transducer works as we sought advice from the Head of the Sonar division. With the project picking up speed and CSIR to come back to us if they can successfully come up with the software needed we got together with Mr G. Van Wyk our mentor to see how different pipe diameters affect the traverse rate and the duration to complete a certain distance using the sonar inspection. This exercise helped give a rough idea of how the long different sonar inspections will take and also help the company come up with a rough idea of how to price the sonar inspection. We were then tasked with improving the draft report document we came up with earlier to see how we could come up with a grading system for the different problems encountered in the pipes but we first had to understand the current grading system employed by Sightlines at the moment.

This concludes the 2st month at Sightlines and the tasks covered during the period stated above

TRAINING PROVIDER SIGNATURE

MECHATRONIC ENGINEERING PRACTICE II MONTHLY REPORT


FOR ATTENTION: Miss NM Ratlhogo NAME OF STUDENT STUDENT NUMBER NAME OF TRAINING PROVIDER DATE Department of Mechanical Engineering FAX NUMBER: (012) 382-5602 TWAAMBO CHIKOYE 208315030 SIGHTLINES PIPE SURVEYING SERVICES 3rd March to 3rd April

During this month i started off with coming up with ways in which we were going to test the sonar system using the PVC float we had found at Sightlines. We looked into utilising various options from designing our own test tank using perspex to using to purchasing a large plastic container. We then decided on cutting 3 metal drums in half and joining them together using riverts then making it water tight by sealing the joints with silicone and pond seal. This worked well giving us a platform to see how the scans differ as the sonar moves instead of being stationary. To accomplish this i had to construct the the circuit for the cable counter system and then caliberate this with the pipe profiling software so that as the float moves down the pipe it automatically records the images and at what distance along the pipe. We tested this system by putting different objects and then finally putting a layer of sand in the test pipe and seeing how the sonar picks up the images. I was then tasked with taking the text files that the sonar records each scan in and using excel to come up with a 2D graph representing the pipe profile from one end of the test tank to the other and also a cross sectional graph of each scan file. We then decided to design a 2nd prototype float that would work better than the first. To achieve this we agreed on using the same PVC pipes as our pontoons but our main frame would be made of aluminium. This would make the float lighter, give the advantage of being resistant to rust but still have considerable strength. We got two quotations from two aluminium trading companies and decided to choose NFM (non ferrous metals) due to the availability and reasonable price of the type of aluminium we wanted.

Float Prototype

We made progress on the sonar design by making drawings of how the frame would hold the two PVC pontoons, how we would mount the sonar holder, how the power box will be placed and in this prototype we started to look at how we could add skids on the side that will help the sonar float stay in the middle as it moves down the pipe. We also had to recalculate and check if the buoyancy of the pontoons will still meet the required buoyancy because we had shortened the length of the pontoons.

In this 2nd prototype we designed holder for the sonar unit to position it further out in front of the float so as to avoid the float obstructing the signal transmission. The holder was manufactured out of round aluminium tube on which we welded holders to be able to attach it to the frame and also to attach the sonar protection plate later on. Sonar Holder We were tasked with the some electrial and electronic work by being assigned to change the electronic boxes of the vactor cleaning trucks. This required us to remove the old box containing all the wiring for the electronic switches and replacing it with a smaller box and newer switches using the wiring diagrams. One of the inspection vehicles had a problem with its videotronic system and we were given the task of studying the wiring diagram of the power source which consisted of the units supplying power to the various components. The challenge was to to only use two power units and still get the system working. We also had to include potientiometers with new resistors across each power source so as to enable the system volatge to be varied. The electrical wiring at the back also needed to be replaced and wired in a much neater way from the previous wiring. We started by taking out the all the three power units and testing them to see if they were still operational. We found we had to replace them because some of the units had stopped working. We then tackled the wiring and changed old and flimsy looking cables and put new connectors at the ends. We then calculated the various resistors needed as according to the wiring diagram and connected them in with the potentiometers across the power sources for the tractor power, video signals, tractor motor and the communication. I then replaced the cable counter circuit board. After many problems and troubleshooting we managed to get the system working. The vehicle then came back because the cable counting system had a problem and the video feed ws exeprencing noise which made it difficult to inspect. We found that the rotary Cables neatly arranged switch for the cable counter wasnt turning so i replaced the switch and for the video signal we had to replace the tv monitor, video cable and change some of the settings because the signal was too strong hence all the noise that was being experienced.

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MECHATRONIC ENGINEERING PRACTICE II MONTHLY REPORT


FOR ATTENTION: Miss NM Ratlhogo NAME OF STUDENT STUDENT NUMBER NAME OF TRAINING PROVIDER DATE Department of Mechanical Engineering FAX NUMBER: (012) 382-5602 TWAAMBO CHIKOYE 208315030 SIGHTLINES PIPE SURVEYING SERVICES 3rd April to 3rd May

During the period 3rd April to 3rd May 2011 we continued with the development of the sonar system. The results we were obtainting from the current sonar test were not accurate because as we pulled the sonar down our test pipe it experience horizontal movement. This movement would distrupt the data compilation when it came to placing each scan one next to the other on the software which in effect made our software developer struggle to give an accurate image of the pipe scanned. Our 1st attempt in rectifying this horizontal movement we were encountering was to cut strips of plastic from unused plastic drums. We fastned these strips on the side of the aluminium frame so that they formed an arc and would be in constant contact with the side of the test pipe as the float was dragged along. This helped to give less horizontal movement at the sonar head but we encoutered problems with the plastic guides getting stuck along rough areas in the pipe and the flexural strength of the strips varied due to inconsistent thickness which in turn meant one side of the float pushed the side of the tank harder than the other. This also gave an added problem of the float not moving centrally along the pipe We brainstormed other ideas and thought of using bearings on the end of guide arms to help with smoother movement. With much consultation from one of the mechanical engineers in the company we came up with a second design which was to invlove manufacturing aluminium arm guides, three on each side and using springs and hinges attaching them to the side of the aluminium frame. We quickly got on to manufacturing these guides, fixed them on and started testing. This idea stablised the sonar scans significantly and the software developer confirmed this from the new set of data we sent through.

We also decided to build an intial sonar protector. This was a round plate drilled with holes almost like a sieve which would be attached at the front of the sonar head by threaded rod. The aim behind this intiative was so that the plate would serve as the 1st line of defence incase theres an obstruction infront of the sonar. We got to practise our electronics when we were given 2 Sight Lines PCB boards. The task involved diagnosis of the boards from making a list of all the componenets which were missing from the boards or were faulty, then finding all the required componenets and then soldering them on.

During this period i was also tasked with setting up 5 computers from connecting the monitors, keyboard and mouse, and the cpu to be used for the companys training purposes.

TRAINING PROVIDER SIGNATURE

MECHATRONIC ENGINEERING PRACTICE II MONTHLY REPORT


FOR ATTENTION: Miss NM Ratlhogo NAME OF STUDENT STUDENT NUMBER NAME OF TRAINING PROVIDER DATE Department of Mechanical Engineering FAX NUMBER: (012) 382-5602 TWAAMBO CHIKOYE 208315030 SIGHTLINES PIPE SURVEYING SERVICES 3rd May to 3rd June

During this period all efforts and focus was on the sonar project. The priority being finalising the float prototype. With the experience of the previous float prototypes we set about designing a new float. The main focus we kept in mind as we designed was that the advatange of this float design was the flexibility of being able to scan different pipe diameters by extension arms that we were going to incoporate in the design. We had to do research on the different sonar pipe profiling float used by other service providers and seeing the pros and cons of their systems design our own float. We settled on a building our float around a triangular frame. The frame would provide horizontal and vertical adjustment.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Extendable arm 1 with hinge Extendable arm 2 Extendable arm 3 with hinge Pontoon 1 Bottom stabilizer tube with sonar holder Horizontal extendable arm 1 with permanent joint to pontoon Horizontal extendable arm 2 TRAINING PROVIDER SIGNATURE

MECHATRONIC ENGINEERING PRACTICE II MONTHLY REPORT


Department of Mechanical Engineering FAX NUMBER: (012) 382-5602 NAME OF STUDENT TWAAMBO CHIKOYE STUDENT NUMBER 208315030 NAME OF TRAINING PROVIDER SIGHTLINES PIPE SURVEYING SERVICES DATE 3rd June to 3rd July The float design was finallised and the bouyancy and extension calculations having been completed, we set about looking at various suppliers of the different materials we needed. To achieve the bouyancy we required and bearing in mind the structural strength for the float to whithstand high pressure pipe inspections we decided on making the whole structure out of aluminum. We set about to look for the most cost effective aluminum suppliers and we encountered some problems with some of the materials we needed due to lack of availiability. From this exercise i learnt to not always trust the suppliers catalogue while designing and to check if the material required is available. We did finally get quotations for all the required material and got it all purchased. We decided to get the rounded ends of each pontoon made through a process called spinning by a company called Medspin. When all the material was aquired we had to cut out the parts to the dimensions as specified in each drawing document in preparation before sending all the parts to be assembled using aluminium welding due to the lack of such facilities in our workshop. When the float had been assembled we experinced problems with fitting it in a 500mm diameter pipe which meant we had to remove the extension that allowed for vertical movement and attach the sonar drectly to the bottom of the float. We also had to add a plate for the power box which ended up affecting our extensions for the horizontal movement of the pontoons. FOR ATTENTION: Miss NM Ratlhogo

Using this float with the final adjustments we prepared for the final day of presentation to Tshwane Muncipality. We did this by identifying a pipe were we performed tests to see how the sonar, CCTV and laser systems performed. This helped us to identify the performance of the float in high pressure pipe. The float was very stable but we had to add weights in the front to counter the weight that it was experiencing from the on rushing water at the backend. We also added three bolts to fasten the biggest laser on the front end as it cant be fastened on the camera like the Clean Flow Systems Clearline laser. TRAINING PROVIDER SIGNATURE

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