Non-Destructive Testing and evaluation has gained huge popularity in various sectors industries, ranging from the energy sector, transport industry and health sector. The increasing application of this form of machine and system testing is due its ability to assess the integrity of a machine or system without impairing its subsequent usefulness.
Here are some of the incredible places where non-destructive testing is done:
- Bridges
- Oil Rigs
- Art Installations
No. 1 | Incredible Places for NDT: Bridges
A significant number of bridges are made of reinforced concrete, a highly durable material that’s used for the construction of other strong structures like flyovers and buildings. Although reinforced concrete bridges are usually durable and demonstrate great long-term performance, due to the steel reinforcement parts that are susceptible to premature corrosion. The corrosion might cause a remarkable cross-section loss. The corrosion in the confined spaces within the bridge structure creates stress, consequently cracks that make the adjacent concrete cover to spall.
Difficulties
Detecting corrosion which can cause further bridge damages is not easy, as some vulnerable parts are concealed or not easy to reach. Besides, some bridges experience heavy and regular user traffic, and so, thorough inspection may not be possible when done the traditional way.
Infrared thermography for Bridge NDT
Infrared thermography, one of the non-destructive testing (NDT), is an approach that has been very instrumental for regular, safe, comprehensive and cost effective bridge integrity tests. It is used to show temperature changes that can be indications of defects such as corrosion in a bridge structure.
Example
Infrared thermography is used to detect bridge defects such as broken structural assemblies, liquid/water ingress.
Pro
One of the advantages of infrared thermography is that it can assess large areas, thus saving time. Besides, unlike other testing techniques that only allow snapshots, the current infrared testing technology enables real-time recording.
Contra
Despite all the aforementioned advantages, infrared technology has one key drawback- it can give inaccurate reading. However, the inaccuracy is likely to occur only when temperature variations are extremely small.
No. 2 | Incredible Places for NDT: Oil Rigs
Non-destructive testing is also crucial in the oil and gas industry. Oil rigs, also called oil platforms, require high level of integrity, thus regular checks and maintenance to ensure environmental conservation as well as efficient and safe oil mining.
Difficulty
Considering that petroleum is highly flammable, oil rig inspection can be a hazardous task. Even worse, too much oil build-up might create too much pressure in the oil rigs, and this may cause an explosion. Therefore, the testing and maintenance of the oil rigs requires utmost care, ensuring no damages occur as a result of the testing and nobody is exposed to the possible hazards. This is where liquid penetrant inspection come in handy.
Liquid penetrant inspection
Liquid penetrant inspection is a non-destructive testing that can be used to detect flaws like cracks, porosity and laps in oil rigs. The inspection involves drawing liquid penetrant into an oil rig surface and removing the excess surface penetrant.
Example
When oil rig drill pipe is being inspected, a liquid penetrant is drawn into the pipe’s surface, and the excess surface penetrant is removed and an indicator is produced. As a result, cracks that are even as narrow as 150 nanometers can be detected.
Pros
Liquid penetrant inspection is fast and simple to use, besides being cost-efficient.
Contra
The technique is only effective in detecting surface-breaking flaws.
No. 3 | Incredibles Place for NDT: Art Installations
Various pieces of art are treated as valuable assets for communicating particular messages or rekindling particular memories. However, if not properly maintained, even the most valuable art installation might lose its glory if not well maintained.
Difficulty
The inspection of an art installation to identify the necessary maintenance is not always easy, as some defects are deep inside the art structure. In such a case, an inspector might be tempted to remove the art’s paint and cut deep into the surface of the art piece to find out the areas of concern. The approach might compromise the integrity of the art, besides being laborious.
Ultrasonic Testing for art installation NDT
Ultrasonic Testing, another form of non-destructive testing, is among the safest and efficient way of detecting flaws in an art installation. It accurately detects fatigue or stress-caused cracks in an art piece.
Example
The art installation located at Nash St in the CBD of Perth City was recently inspected using Ultrasonic Testing, that utilized rope access. The inspection was not only less expensive than the preciously used traditional inspection methods, but also took less time.
Pros
Ultrasonic Testing inspection is cost-effective and efficient.
Contra
Further Links:
Other methods can also discover and analyze paintings by inspecting the chemical attributes of the paint used. Read mor about it here: BAM – Testing of Art Pictures or check out the video to the right.
How to speed up?
What is the sentin EXPLORER?
Special and Incredible Places need the most efficient testing methods. For example Infrared thermography, Liquid penetrant inspection and Ultrasonic Testing can be used in places with special requirements and that are hard to reach. Companies have to choose the right testing method for their buildings, constructions, parts etc. and have to be accurate to avoid disasters.
When it comes to testing a human inspector needs to evaluate the results of images and parts. The sentin EXPLORER supports this process with optimized display tools. It can also be used to automate the evaluation process, so that you can focus on the important inspections and tasks. It makes testing reliable, precise and efficient.
The sentin EXPLORER is a tool to automate such inspection or image evaluation tasks. Our customers sometimes produce thousands of images per week, all of which have to be reliably checked. Therefore we give you the power to perform evaluations with the help of artificial intelligence and to find defects more reliably or gain new insights.
If you want to learn more: The 5 Types – What is Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)?
