Abstract
This letter presents algorithms and considerations for the applicability of millimeter wave radar systems as monitoring sensors in the field of plastic pipe extrusion. Since a constant wall thickness of the pipe is a major quality factor of the product, monitoring systems that in-line measure the thickness during the extrusion process are commonly used. Modern ultrawideband radar systems achieve target resolutions in the range of millimeters, allowing competition with well-established methods, such as ultrasound sensors, and even expensive photonic Terahertz devices. The authors describe a novel accurate and efficient method to measure the pipe-wall's thickness based on frequency domain evaluation of the material reflection. The general feasibility of W-band radar sensors, as well as the accuracy of the proposed method, is demonstrated by measurements using a moderate size polyvinyl chloride pipe.
Highlights
Plastic extrusion is the largest production process in plastic industry, covering a worldwide volume of approximately 114 million tons of different plastic types
Pipe extrusion is of major importance and is strongly growing, due to the increasing demand for plastic pipes in the construction of infrastructure in emerging countries
Due to their long lifetime and generally high robustness, plastic pipes are often preferred over concrete pipes [1]
Summary
Plastic extrusion is the largest production process in plastic industry, covering a worldwide volume of approximately 114 million tons of different plastic types. The most relevant polymers that are processed are polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene based materials Within this huge market, pipe extrusion is of major importance and is strongly growing, due to the increasing demand for plastic pipes in the construction of infrastructure in emerging countries. Due to gravitation and inhomogeneous mass flows, an elliptical deformation of the pipe may occur Both effects can be monitored by wall thickness and position measurements. Highest precision is obtained by X-ray tomography measurement devices, which comes with high cost and strict security demands. In this contribution, we propose novel signal processing algorithms to estimate the wall thickness and geometries of pipes and tubes in an in-line production scenario.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
