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A sampling tool is used to collect a sample from the surface of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions. The sampling tool comprises a sampling head mounted to one end of a hot stick. Sampling cartridges are interchangeably mountable to a pivoted block on the sampling head. The block is biased by a spring to urge the cartridge into contact with the surface of the insulator when a trigger on the sampling head comes into contact with the insulator. One cartridge includes a planing blade for collecting a sliver of material from the insulator surface. An alternative cartridge has a swab and an abrasive pad interchangeably insertable thereon for collecting a material sample from the insulator surface.

Inventors: Gregory Anthony Cash, Graeme Allan George, Andrej Krivda, Frank George Deabill, Paul Blackmore, David Birtwhistle
Original Assignee: Queensland University of Technology
Primary Examiner: C D Garber
Current U.S. Classification: 73/864.41; 83/919
International Classification: G01N 104

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Citations

Cited PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US3599297Jun 18, 1970Aug 7, 1971INVENXIXOL<. HEN HENRY
US3606470Jan 24, 1967Sep 20, 1971ROCK SAMPLING
US3617473Feb 27, 1970Nov 2, 1971XSOLVENT E EXTRACTION
US4236402Apr 19, 1979Dec 2, 1980Dresser Industries, Inc.Method and apparatus for testing rock tenacity
US4269507Oct 4, 1979May 26, 1981Aerochem Research Laboratories, Inc.Method and apparatus for pulverizing solid materials with a grindstone and injecting particles thereof into a flame for analysis
US4845896Feb 24, 1987Jul 11, 1989Failure Analysis AssociatesSurface sampling device
US4866995Sep 19, 1988Sep 19, 1989General Motors CorporationDevice for taking samples from a catalyst block of a catalytic converter
US4965930Aug 11, 1989Oct 30, 1990Insulator installation tool
US5299464Nov 22, 1991Apr 5, 1994Hot stick transformer sampler
US5823592Jun 28, 1996Oct 20, 1998Flexible swabbing tool

Referenced by

Citing PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US7737371Jun 14, 2004Jun 15, 2010Safety devices for insulative tools

Claims

1. Apparatus for obtaining a sample of material of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions, the apparatus including

a sampling head mounted to one end of a hot stick, and
a sampling device mounted to the sampling head for collecting a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator, upon manipulation of the hot stick by a user remote from the sampling device,
wherein the sampling device has a planing blade adapted to cut a sliver from the surface of the insulator upon movement of the sampling device across the surface of the insulator.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sampling device is a sampling cartridge removably mounted to the sampling head.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sampling device has a receptacle adapted to collect the sliver cut from the surface of the insulator.

4. Apparatus for obtaining a sample of material of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions, the apparatus including

a sampling head mounted to one end of a hot stick, and
a sampling device mounted to the sampling head for collecting a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator, upon manipulation of the hot stick by a user remote from the sampling device,
wherein the sampling device includes a swab impregnated with a polymer solvent for collecting insulator material at the surface of the insulator.

5. Apparatus for obtaining a sample of material of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions, the apparatus including

a sampling head mounted to one end of a hot stick, and
a sampling device mounted to the sampling head for collecting a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator, upon manipulation of the hot stick by a user remote from the sampling device,
further comprising bias means on the sampling head for urging the sampling device against the surface of the insulator.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a trigger mechanism operable by contact of the sampling head with the insulator, the bias means being actuated by the trigger mechanism.

7. Apparatus for obtaining a sample of material of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions, the apparatus including

a sampling head mounted to one end of a hot stick, and
a sampling device mounted to the sampling head for collecting a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator, upon manipulation of the hot stick by a user remote from the sampling device,
wherein the sampling head has a pair of spaced finger portions adapted to receive part of the insulator therebetween in use, to thereby position the sampling head relative to the insulator.

8. A sampling tool for obtaining a sample of material of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions, the sampling tool including

a hot stick,
a sampling head mounted to one end of the hot stick,
a sampling device removably mounted to the sampling head, the sampling device having means thereon for collecting a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator,
bias means on the sampling head for urging the sampling device against the surface of the insulator,
whereby in use, by manipulation of the hot stick by the user, the sampling device can be moved across the surface of the insulator while being urged thereagainst by the bias means to thereby collect said sample of the insulator material, and
wherein said insulator is a solid polymeric material.

9. A method of taking a sample of material of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions using apparatus including

a sampling head mounted to one end of a hot stick, and
a sampling device mounted to the sampling head for collecting a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator, upon manipulation of the hot stick by a user remote from the sampling device,
the method including the step of manipulating the hot stick at a position remote from the sampling device to cause the sampling device mounted on the sampling head at the end of the hot stick to move across the surface of the insulator and collect a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator,
wherein the sampling device includes a planing blade, and the sample is obtained in the form of a sliver from the surface of the insulator.

10. A method of taking a sample of material of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions using apparatus including

a sampling head mounted to one end of a hot stick, and
a sampling device mounted to the sampling head for collecting a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator, upon manipulation of the hot stick by a user remote from the sampling device,
the method including the step of manipulating the hot stick at a position remote from the sampling device to cause the sampling device mounted on the sampling head at the end of the hot stick to move across the surface of the insulator and collect a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator,
wherein the sampling device includes a swab impregnated with a polymer solvent, and the sample is obtained as a swab sample of the surface of the insulator.

11. A method of taking a sample of material of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions using apparatus including

a sampling head mounted to one end of a hot stick, and
a sampling device mounted to the sampling head for collecting a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator, upon manipulation of the hot stick by a user remote from the sampling device,
the method including the step of manipulating the hot stick at a position remote from the sampling device to cause the sampling device mounted on the sampling head at the end of the hot stick to move across the surface of the insulator and collect a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator,
wherein the sampling head has bias means for urging the sampling device against the surface of the insulator, the method including the step of actuating the bias means to urge the sampling device against the surface prior to collecting a sample therefrom.

12. Apparatus for obtaining a sample of material of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions, the apparatus including

a sampling head mounted to one end of a hot stick, and
a sampling device mounted to the sampling head for collecting a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator, upon manipulation of the hot stick by a user remote from the sampling device,
wherein said insulator material is a solid polymeric material.

13. A method of taking a sample of material of an insulator in a high voltage installation during live line conditions using apparatus including

a sampling head mounted to one end of a hot stick, and
a sampling device mounted to the sampling head for collecting a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator, upon manipulation of the hot stick by a user remote from the sampling device,
the method including the step of manipulating the hot stick at a position remote from the sampling device to cause the sampling device mounted on the sampling head at the end of the hot stick to move across the surface of the insulator and collect a sample of the insulator material at the surface of the insulator,
wherein said insulator material is a solid polymeric material.

Drawings