Industries are the backbone of any economy. The degree of development of any nation is measured by the extent of its industrialization. To ensure the smooth running of these industries Destructive and Non Destructive Industrial Testing is used. This is essential to keep the cost of repairs and replacements at lowest possible levels. The repair and replacement costs in large industries such as Nuclear or Power Generation Industries, Automobile industry, Refining & Petrochemical industry, Pulp & Paper industry or Aerospace industry runs into billions of dollars.

Magnetic testing

A common NDT method is Magnetic Testing . Magnetic Testing methods are used to examine faults in pipelines welding and cracks in turbine blades. The prominent techniques of this testing are Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) and the Portable Yoke or the Alternating Current Field Measurement (ACFM) techniques. The ACFM technique can be effectively used to test both ferrous and non-ferrous samples and their alloys. In this technique, samples are analyzed through their coatings and no direct contact is required. Magnetic Flux Leakage is ideal for steel structures only. It creates powerful magnetic field in the steel structure. This results in emergence of flux lines, the absence of which in certain areas, indicate the corroded and pitted areas and cracks. An advanced version of this equipment called the Inline Inspection Tool or the MFL-ILI is also available in which the tool travels inside the pipeline and cleans and collects the information. Other magnetic testing methods involve multiple sensors for better resolution and accuracy of the detection and repairs.

Materials testing

However, many a times it becomes essential to carry out destructive tests to ensure that the manufactured component will perform flawlessly and will not fail. This testing is known as materials testing . Sometimes, it becomes imperative to go deeper into the structure of the material so as to define its constituents, the standard of alloying or heat treatment and stress corrosion, extent of fatigue among others. Materials’ testing is done in a metallurgical laboratory with the aid of sophisticated test equipment. The types of materials that could be tested include metals and their alloys, both ferrous and non-ferrous, ceramics and polymers. Such testing is destructive in nature and the results are compared with anticipated values. Similarly, materials testing could be carried out to assess the material’s properties of stress, impact, tensile strength, ductility, durability, luster, proof load values hardness etc.

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The article is contributed by a professional article writer, having experiences of working in different industries. For further information on pipeline inspection, Ultrasonic testing and failure analysis please visit http://www.acuren.com/

The engines of the world economy are driven on the power of industrialization. These industries manufacture products ranging from a pin to a fighter jet, or still better, to a spacecraft. However, we often witness accidents, system failures, hard disk crashes or space shuttles blowing out in the outer space. The malfunction may be due to a number of causes. One such cause that can surely be avoided is poor quality or wrong choice of material used for manufacturing a product. This can be ensured by proper materials testing. In order to ensure durability, reliability, longevity and guaranteed performance the manufacturer must ensure that they use quality material for their product and that this quality is maintained throughout the manufacturing process. A number of non destructive tests and material testing procedures can be employed to achieve this end.

Materials testing:

A material may have any number of defects such as cracks, cavities, gas holes, slag inclusions, incomplete fusion, incomplete penetration, lack of bond, laminations, surface flaws, poor ductility, poor resistance, susceptibility to corrode, inconsistent wall thickness etcetera.

A number of testing methods such as Radiographic testing, Magnetic testing, Liquid penetrant testing, Visual testing, Bend Testing, Tensile Testing and Charpy Impact Testing, Hardness Testing, Positive material identification, Salt Spray Testing, magnetic particle testing and ultrasonic testing are used to determine the quality and specific characteristics of a particular material.

To check out the mechanical properties, microscopic and subsurface flaws, material composition, corrosion susceptibility etcetera different methods of material analysis such as mechanical testing, chemical analysis and metallography are used.

Magnetic testing:

Magnetic testing methods are mostly used to detect corrosion and pitting in steel structures. Since there is no direct contact with the material to be tested therefore, these methods are much preferred. The material to be tested is magnetized and then those areas are detected which do not show flux lines indicating corrosion. Another magnetic test method is the In-line Inspection Tool or ILI. The ILI moves inside a pipeline and detects corrosion and pitting. Alternating Current Field Measurement or the ACFM can be used on both ferrous and non-ferrous materials.
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The article is contributed by a professional article writer, having experiences of working in different industries. For further information on failure analysis, pipeline inspection and Ultrasonic testing visit http://www.acuren.com

Todays industries work 365 days round the clock. All systems are checked periodically to avoid the failures, as they could prove to be extremely costly. Non-destructive testing or NDT methods invariably carry out such checks so that there are no stoppages for accommodating these tests. This is true whether the industry in question is Nuclear or Aerospace and Power Generation or Pharmaceutical. Such NDT could utilize services such as Visual Testing, Radiography, Magnetic Testing, Eddy Current or Ultrasonic Testing.

Magnetic Testing utilizes different tools depending on the type of industry. Thus while the Pipeline Industry uses the Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) and the Portable Yoke, the Pulp & Paper Industry uses the Alternating Current Field Measurement Method or the ACFM. In the MFL method, which is used for the detection of pitting or corrosion in storage tanks, pipelines and other steel structures, a very powerful magnetic field is created for magnetizing the sample under test. The detector detects the gaps in the flux lines and analyzes them to assess the amount of missing metal as well as its dimensions. In an advanced version of this method, called the Magnetic Flux Leakage Inline Inspection Tool (MFL-ILI), the tool travels inside the pipeline and cleans the inner walls while detecting the corroded portions in the pipe wall. The ACFM method of magnetic testing can detect surface cracks as well as size them. The method applies to all metals and needs no direct contact, thereby making it possible to use it through coatings besides on surface temperatures up to 500 c.

Ultrasonic testing methods can not only detect flaws, cracks and corrosion in welded specimen such as piping, vessel and plate but it can also be used to measure the thickness of specimen. The professional equipment used could be Tank Crawlers, Near Drum Scanners, Internal Rotating Inspection Systems, Guided Ultrasonic Wave and Automated Pipe Scanners. Time Of Flight Diffraction (TOFD) method is used for both the Aerospace and Pulp & Paper Industries while the Aerospace and the Pipeline Industries use the Electromagnetic Acoustic Transmission (EMAT) method. The Petrochemical Industry uses Phased Array form of ultrasonic testing.

Industrial testing and maintenance are inescapable. This is essentially to keep the cost of repairs at an affordable level. Imagine the repair costs in large industries such as Pulp & Paper, Refining & Petrochemical, Automotive or Aerospace and Nuclear or Power Generation Industries. Such testing is non destructive in nature so that the wheels of the industry can keep rolling without any hindrance. The services for such non-destructive testing (NDT) are Eddy Current, Dye Penetrant Testing, Radiography and Visual Testing besides Magnetic Testing and Ultrasonic Testing.

Magnetic Testing methods are generally used for the examination of faults in welds of pipelines and cracks in blades for turbines among others. This form of testing utilizes the magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL), the Portable Yoke or the Alternating Current Field Measurement (ACFM) techniques. The ACFM is effective equally in ferrous and non-ferrous samples as well as their alloys. The ACFM can analyze samples through their coatings, as no direct contact is necessary. On the other hand, the MFL is a tool suited to steel structures only and involves the creation of a powerful magnetic field in the steel structure. The flux lines are next studied so as to detect likely pitted areas and those that may have cracks. There is an advanced version of this equipment called the Inline Inspection Tool or the MFL-ILI in which the tool travels inside the pipeline and cleans and collects the information. Other magnetic testing methods use multiple sensors to increase the resolution and hence the accuracy of the results.

Ultrasonic testing methods used in the industry relate to measuring of the thickness of the samples besides more importantly corrosion monitoring and the assessment of the oxide that may have built up. Some of the services in use are the Electromagnetic Acoustic Transmission or EMAT, the Phased Array or PA and the Time of Flight Diffraction or TOFD. The TOFD is used to evaluate cracks in welds accurately. It uses a set of probes that are mounted on a buggy that travels along the weld inspecting and records the data while it’s on the move. This technique is totally automated.

The article is contributed by a professional article writer, having experiences of working in different industries. For further information on rope access and failure analysis please visit http://www.acuren.com/

Heavy industries such as Aerospace, Nuclear, Petrochemical, Power and Paper besides Pharmaceutical, Automotive and Pipeline all need to be inspected from time to time. Such inspections are necessary in order to prevent failures from occurring since failures may not only be costly to rectify but could also bring the manufacturing process to a grinding halt. These inspections have to be carried out in a way as not to disrupt the industry’s functions. This, therefore, necessitates the use of nondestructive testing (NDT) processes. The various types of NDT commonly used are Eddy Current Testing, Penetrant Testing, Radiographic Testing, Specialized Testing, Magnetic testing, Visual Testing, and Ultrasonic Testing.

Magnetic testing methods are generally used for the examination of pipelines, welds, turbine blades and various structures. The various services that are used could be the Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL), the Alternating Current Field Measurement (ACFM) and the Portable Yoke. The MFL is generally used for detecting pitting and corrosion in steel structures. In this technique, the structure is initially magnetized and thereafter an analysis is carried out of the areas that do not show flux lines. There is an advanced MFL technique that uses a tool called the In-line Inspection Tool (ILI) that travels inside the pipeline being inspected. The collected data is analyzed to yield defects pertaining to corrosion and pitting. Further improvement to the resolution is achieved by using multiple sensors. The ACFM technique, on the other hand, can be used on either ferrous or nonferrous materials with equal ease. No direct contact being necessary, this technique is effective through coatings as well.

The various ultrasonic testing methods being used relate to the detection and monitoring of the oxide that’s built up and corrosion. Thickness of samples is also measured. Different services in use include Phased Array or PA, the Electromagnetic Acoustic Transmission or EMAT and Automated Ultrasonic Testing or AUT besides Time of Flight Diffraction or TOFD. The PA reveals structural defects that are hidden by the use of a number of probes. These probes create a high-resolution beam that can be swept in order to produce the object’s internal structure.
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The article is contributed by a professional article writer, having experiences of working in different industries. For further information on rope access and materials analysis please visit http://www.acuren.com/

Non-destructive testing utilizes test methods that can examine equipment or any material without causing any damage resulting in an impairment preventing its further usage. These methods are non invasive and include ultrasound, radiography and endoscopy besides eddy current, visual testing and magnetic testing.

There are service providers who can offer magnetic testing facilities with respect to aerospace and the automotive industry besides nuclear, refining and petrochemical, pharmaceutical, power generation, pipeline and pulp and paper industries. These facilities have certified and qualified technicians. Their procedures are standardized and fully updated. All equipment is duly calibrated and all laboratories are audited annually to ensure the strictest compliance.

The applications in this form of testing include an examination of the integrity of welding or the component examination of a turbine. Casting materials as well as pipelines can be examined as well as engine parts and production parts of different sizes. Typically the aerospace and the automotive industries would utilize the portable yoke and the wet horizontal techniques whereas the refining and petrochemical industry would use the portable yoke, the magnetic flux or induction method or the Alternating Current Field Measurement (ACFM) service.

The ACFM is an electromagnetic technique, used for both detection as well as the sizing of cracks. It’s equally adaptable to various metals and can work through coatings. Developed in the early 1990s ACFM can be used both on shore and off shore for the detection of cracks in welded components and vessels. Use is made of mathematical modeling in the estimation of the size of cracks both in length and depth. The materials should be electrically conducting and the crack at least 5 mm long. The piece under examination can be at up to 500 c.

The magnetic flux leakage (MFL) is used for detection of pitting and corrosion in structures of steel. This service’s common applications are for storage tanks and pipelines. It uses a very powerful magnetic field that magnetizes the steel structure or pipeline. The gaps in flux lines are due to broken or cracked metal and can be detected by magnetic detectors and the anomaly analyzed.

Author Info :-

The article is contributed by a professional article writer, having experiences of working in different industries. For further information on rope access and Ultrasonic testing please visit http://www.acuren.com/