Introduction to NDT

techniques MOL-32246
Lecture 1
15.1.2015

MOL-32246 Introduction
to NDT techniques
The lectures start on Thursday 15th of January 9:1512:00 at K4441A (4th floor)
After the first time the lectures are held on Thursdays at
10:15-12
Course is in MOODLE2 (MOL-32246:2015)
Course key: nondest
Lecturers:
Minnamari Vippola
Suvi Santa-aho
Toivo Lepist
2

22.1.2
015

Course details
Lectures (weeks 3-9):
1: General
2: Visual inspection and liquid penetrant inspection
3: Ultrasonic inspection and acoustic emission
4: Thermal inspection methods
5: Magnetic methods
6: Radiographic inspection and residual stress measurements
7: Eddy current testing

Practical lesson at Inspecta (4.2.2015)+ Excursion

journal
In groups: Seminar work and seminar presentation
(5.3.2015), revise the fellow groups work, act as an
opponent, hand in contribution report (your group)
Final Examination
22.1.2015

NDT inspection practical lesson

Held at Inspecta (www.inspecta.com)
Company provides measurement services:
inspection, testing and certification in NDT
Hautalankatu 31, 33560 Tampere
Time : Wednesday 4th of February at 9:00 ->
Everyone should write Excursion journal (1 page
minimum) with theoretical background due to week 11
via Moodle
Eddy current and Barkhausen noise demonstration
held at Inspecta
4

22.1.2
015

Inspecta, Hautalankatu 31,

33560 Tampere
NDT Excursion at Inspecta (~2,5h); Address: Hautalankatu
31, 33560 Tampere

Inspecta

Tampere University of Tecnology

22.1.2
015

How to get there by bus?

1) Line number 38 from Hervanta to Atala

Line 38 leaves Tieteenkatu 7

At 8:05 or 08:35

Bus stop near Hautalankatu

Short walk from bus stop

to Hautalankatu 31

Oma nimi ja esityksen aihe vaihdettava

mastersivulla

22.1.2
015

How to get there by bus?

2) Bus lines 3V (From Hervanta, Insinrinkatu), to Sarvijaakonkatu,
change bus to line 17. Short walk to Hautalankatu 31 from bus stop.

22.1.2
015

Seminar groupwork
Work is done in groups of 4 persons
Compulsory to everyone in order to pass the course
Every group gets a topic according to their open letter
Group prepares a written report about their topic and
also gives a seminar presentation. It should be noticed
that each report will be checked also according to
plagiarism, and if such is observed the work will be
graded as failed.
Preparation starts by having a group and thinking about
the NDT method and material group (metals, ceramics,
polymers etc.) you are interested in Open letter

22.1.2015

Schedule:
Group is ready and knows its area of interest and sends open letter by
25.1.2015 to Moodle
Subjects to each group will be given before 29.1.2015
Written report should be sent to Moodle by 25.2.2015
Each group should review one of the other groups work, review report
sent to Moodle by 03.03.2015
-Instructions on who is reviewing who will be given later
Work will be presented (seminar presentations) on Thursday
05.03.2015 at 10:15-12:00 in lecture room K4441A
Each group should give a short contribution report on how the work
was divided within the group, report sent to Moodle by 08.03.2015

22.1.2015

Open letter includes:

Members of group and their contact information
Background of members (field of studies, earlier work
experience)
Members area of interest in the field of NDT and materials
science (metals, ceramic, polymers..)
What do you expect from this course?
Professional identity of the future (Where you see yourself
in future, where do you see yourself using knowledge from
NDT? How can you reflect it on this work assignment?)
Letter should be sent to Moodle by 25.01.2015 (by one
group member)
22.1.2015

10

Related literature
Lecture notes and related web links available
at Moodle 2
ASM Handbook online:
http://products.asminternational.org/hbk/do/highli
ght/content/V17/D02/A01/index.html
ASM Handbook Vol. 17: Nondestructive
Evaluation and Quality Control, 1987

11

Methodology
Destructive testing
E.g. hardness testing, tensile testing

Non-destructive testing (NDT)

http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/
JOM/9811/Kim/Kim9811.fig.1.lg.gif

Development and application of technical methods to examine

materials or components in ways that do not impair future
usefulness and serviceability in order to
detect, locate, measure and evaluate flaws
to assess integrity, properties, and composition
and to measure geometrical characteristics.

12

Term definitions

Indications in a material can be determined as false, relevant or nonrelevant indications.

> Evaluation of the product: accept or reject

Defect: a flaw that do not meet acceptance criteria

defect one or more aws whose aggregate size, shape, orientation,

location, or properties do not meet specied acceptance criteria and are
rejectable
aw an imperfection or discontinuity that may be detectable by
nondestructive testing and is not necessarily rejectable
Non-destructive evaluation (NDE)
evaluation a review, following interpretation of the indications noted,
to determine whether they meet specied acceptance criteria

22.1.2015

13

Non-destructive testing (NDT)

Examination of an object with technology that doesnt affect
the future usefulness of the inspected component.
Tested component can be used normally (assembled)
Qualitative information e.g. visualization of the flaw but not exact
dimensions while destructive testing e.g. hardness testing
produces quantitative information

http://www.infraredvision.co.uk/pulse-active-irtinspections/

http://www.matsuzawaht.com/us/support/guide.htm

14

History

1854: Boiler explosion at Connecticut

After this: law requiring annual inspection (visual inspection) of
boilers
1880-1920: Crack detection of railroads
early liquid penetrant inspection
1895: W.C. Rntgen discovers X-rays
1924: radiography to test castings for steam pressure power
plant
1920s: Magnetic particle inspection, First eddy current instrument
1930-1940s: Liquid penetrant testing
1940s: Ultrasonic testing

22.1.2015

15

Different uses of non-destructive testing

methods

Testing of raw materials prior production

Different material groups: metals, composites, ceramic..

Testing of products/items
NDT: Assistant tool in manufacturing processes

Testing of devices
Condition monitoring of e.g. harbour crane, aircrafts
Final inspection, scheduled inspections during operation

Testing of structures
Structural heath monitoring (SHM) of e.g. bridges, water towers
Tool for scheduling of reparation work

Research
At universities (TUT: eddy current, Barkhausen noise, ultrasonics..)

Development of measurements/processes
Signal processing

Failure analysis
Medicine (radiography, magnetic resonance, ultrasonics)
22.1.2015

16

NDT inspection in general

Proper equipment
Calibration
Maintenance
Qualification (Personnel operating the devices)
NDT inspector needs a qualification which ensure that they have
competence to do the inspection (demonstration of knowledge, skill,
training and experience to properly perform NDT)
Different levels of certification (Level 1, 2, 3)
Standards of methods (How to operate)
E.g. Weld testing, search of weld defects (lack of fusion of the weld,
cracks, porosity inside the weld..)
Measurement procedures
Certification (Procedure, used by the certification body to confirm that
the qualification requirements for a method, level and sector have
been fulfilled, leading to the issuing of a certificate)
Documentation: Written procedure for the inspection method +
inspected component
17

Calibration

The comparison of an instrument with, or

the adjustment of an instrument to, a known
reference (ASTM E 1316-95b)
To evaluate and adjust the precision and
accuracy of the measuring equipment
To verify consistency and reproducibility of
measurements
Certain calibration procedures
Usage of reference standards

http://www.fidgeon.co.uk/product.php?id=499

http://www.ndted.org/EducationResources/CommunityC
ollege/Ultrasonics/CalibrationMeth/calibra
tionmethods.htm

Calibration
Quality of data must be known and established beyond a
reasonable doubt before it can be used logically in any
application
Quality: comparison of its uncertainty with acceptable
uncertainties (limits of uncertainty, because absolute
certainty can never be achieved)
Accuracy= closeness of a measured value to the true
value, unknown or inaccurate data ->little appeal to most
users
Precision= variability of the individual results to replicate
measurements, use of data? Very precise in some case
is not precise enough for some other use. Large number
of measurements
Constant conditions=> random errors (scatter)
22.1.2015

19

Determination of correct inspection

method
Resolution capabilities of different techniques
Threshold detectability of the method

Physical restrictions vs. methods available

Conductive material, magnetic material..
The component must be testable (proper size, surface roughness..)

http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9811/Ki
m/Kim-9811.html

20

Determination of correct
inspection method
Definition of objectives of the inspection
Potential defect types (Position, orientation, size)
Procedure (standard?), documentation

On the surface or in the interior, volumetrical?

Combination of NDT methods will give the best possible harvest of
information, a thorough examination requires a minimum of two different
methods

Who carries out the inspections:

Use of measurement services (certified personnel)
Certified personnel at factories
Understanding the process in which the component is used

If the part has been inspected its not necessarily sound!

22.1.2015

21

NDT methods

http://agnihotrindt.com/service
s_readMore.aspx?id=17

http://www.vidisco.com/XrayImages.asp

Methods classified according to what physical phenomena they are related to:
E.g. Liquid penetrant inspection is based on a capillary action of the fluid and
radiography is based on an x-ray penetration and imagination.
Magnetic particle inspection is based on magnetic leakage fields and ultrasonic
measurements are based on ultrasonic wave attenuation inside the material.
22

NDT methods
http://www.directindustry.com/prod/linkinstruments/ultrasonic-thickness-gauges53019-353125.html

http://www.coulsonnde.com/services_magnetic_particles.php

http://www.ndted.org/EducationResources/C
ommunityCollege/EddyCurren
ts/Applications/thicknessmeas
23
urements.htm

23

Inspection for
in-service damage
Cracking
Corrosion
Erosion/wear
Heat damage
etc.

Wire rope inspection

Electromagnetic devices and
visual inspections are used to
find broken wires and other
damage in the wire rope that is
used in chairlifts, cranes and
other lifting devices

Aircraft Inspection
NDT is used
extensively during the
manufacturing of
aircraft
Also used to find
cracks and corrosion
damage during
operation
A fatigue crack that
started at the site of a
lightning strike

Rail Inspection

The heavy loads on the railroad tracks can result in the formation of cracks in the
rail. If these cracks are not detected, they can lead to a derailment. Special rail
cars equipped with NDT equipment are used to detect rail defects before they are
big enough to cause serious problems.
Examples of inspections carried out for rail tracks: ultrasound inspection, eddy
current inspection, magnetic methods..

Machine/automated inspection
of rail brake system
Checking the brake system
functionality with machine vision
inspection system
Image capture at 60 km/h

Machine/automated
inspection of rail tracks
System located in hi-rail vehicle
or inspection train with machine
vision automatically detects
flaws/defects such as akes,
cracks, grooves, or break-offs
by digital image processing.

22.1.2015

29

NDT in food industry

Online
radiography
Detection of
foreign particles
in food
containers
Detection of
container sealent
process

1: Steel
2: Rock
3: Aluminium
4: Glass

22.1.2015

30

Wind turbine NDT + condition monitoring

NDT during production: gear grinding burn detection
(Magnetic Barkhausen noise), finished part testing (MPI:
cracks)
Condition monitoring during use (remote, off-shore
locations): vibration analysis, hydraulic oil temperature
measurements, gearbox oil temperature measurements..

22.1.2015

31

Condition monitoring vs. NDT

testing/inspection
With condition monitoring, measurements are
generally recorded on a continuous manner or
frequent basis looking for changes in levels over
time, with accuracy and precision of
measurements being of secondary importance
(Note: NDT methods provide tools for condition monitoring..)

NDT inspection is usually performed at a fixed

periodicity and typically requires precise
measurement or assessment against a
calibrated gauge, with limits that provide
sufficient confidence the item will remain
acceptable until the next inspection

NDT vs. structural health

monitoring (SHM)

SHM is the process of determining the utility, serviceability, and/or limit-state

safety of a structure at a specic time.
Civil structures: how they perform their functions, now and in the future, (e.g.
bridges carrying a particular volume of trafc)

Continuous remote monitoring of civil structures -> fully automated and

autonomous process of monitoring
Data gathering, processing done automatically, sensors permanently in place

Civil infrastructures (degrade significally -> continuous monitoring is carried

out until repairs can be done)
Evaluation and monitoring of cracks in steel bridges

By discovering problems in their early stages before they become serious

and by responding quickly and effectively structural lifetimes can be
extended

SHM vs. NDT

In aviation industry: i.e. strain, temperature sensors,
reduce maintenance costs, quality control
Comparison of NDT inspection to SHM outcome

22.1.2015

34

Structural health monitoring

Leak detection from containers
Car sensors
Space shuttle monitoring
Temperature monitoring
Wing leading edge impact detection

22.1.2015

35

Structural health monitoring

of a bridge in Pomarkku
Utilisation of optical fibre
monitoring of an old rock bridge
(1913)
Optical fibre sensors are
measuring the static motion of the
bridge and the effects of dynamic
loading due to traffic
Method: active sensing
Preventative maintenance work
system, embedded
can be carried out if the changes
sensors, wireless
are anomalous
monitoring

22.1.2015

36

Getting familiar with NDT

methods for group work
Students form 8 groups groups discuss
and write down questions, ideas and
thoughts which arise from the method
Similar round is repeated ~6 times all the
methods will have a guidebook with what to
start to do the literature survey

22.1.2015

37

Selection of group and topic

Form your group and discuss
about topic in Moodle forum after
the first lecture.
Write the open letter and
download it to Moodle

22.1.2015

38

 How much do you already know about the

subject/method?
What new do you want to know about the
subject/method?
What kind of background information is
needed/wanted (theory, practice)?
Do you have good hints for the topic?
Is there some specific aspects which
should/could be taken into account?
Where/to what kind of components could
the method be used?
22.1.2015

39