Phased Array ultrasonic examination 5

Olympus-ims have made downloadable their books on Phased Array Ultrasonic testing on their website:

http://www.olympus-ims.com/en/pdf-library/

6 months ago I paid GBP 120 for the advanced book now its free. Fill yer boots!

 

[Mr168]

Thank you very much! We're starting to get in a lot of debates for/against its use in a number of applications, but it's still a bit of a mystery to many of the participants in those discussions. Those will certainly help sort that out!

 

[dbooker630]

Thanks, ndeguy.

We are using phased array on a welding project right now where we have limited space to use numerous wedges. The biggest problem right now is not enough people at our NDT source know how to use the equipment yet, but I am sure that will change over time.

 

[ndeguy]

The free books are a bonus but no replacement for PA technicians and supervisors whose training has gone beyond the basic "collect data from a flat plate on a bench top" to realistic challenges to the their ingenuity. Well-founded confidence is highly important to all concerned.

Olympus marketing strategy has been very effective in pushing forward the concept of replacing conventional NDT with advanced NDT to service providers, but perhaps they are receiving feedback that its the powerful service procurers who are cautious in adopting the new technology due to various issues, e.g. (Codes just beginning to include PA, loss of control without suitably knowledgeable personnel). The people who are prepared to spend a hundred dollars or more on a text book are not necessarily the same people who can introduce PA services on a braod scale.

NDT equipment manufacturers live and breathe multiple quantity purchases. I think at present companies are buying ione or two units to test the waters and if the return on the investment is not there then they will not purchase further units leaving Olympus sales grounded. This could be an attempt to get things moving again.

 

[Guest102023]

Indeed, 'suitably knowledgeable personnel' is the big qualifier. I might also add 'suitably trained and certified'. (Does certification, beyond manufacturer seminars, exist yet for PA?)

This may be a problem (and not the method itself) that discredits PA and other advanced technologies in the eyes of customers. Inspection companies regularly push technicians to do work they are not fully qualified or experienced to do (and the bigger the inspection company, the greater the tendency).

It also seems the more advanced the methods and the analytical demands on the technician, the more disagreements and the more totally incorrect evaluations result. I see that a lot with eddy current; I don't know if it is the same with PA (refer to para. 2 above).

 

[ndeguy]

brimstoner

CP 189, SNT-TC-1A allow employer certification for both PA and TOFD. I dont know about ACCP.

Both CSWIP and PCN in the UK certfy up to Level III in PA and TOFD.

The "suitably knowledgable personnel" I was referring to are those employed by the end user. Many end users either do not employ NDT Specialists or, if few will have sufficient hands-on experience with advanced UT. Often NDT control is left to the welding engineer!

I am not certain about your last paragraph, i have not witnessed either disagreements or totally incorrect evaluations (really?). I work to Code Case rules which requires Performance Demonstration on a suitably flawed job representative mockup. If I dont find and report the flaws or mis-evaluate then I dont get the job - simple as that

 

[Guest102023]

ndeguy, I gather you are a competent and professional practitioner.

I won't mention the name of my previous employer (for whom I did not perform inspection), but I had to bite my tongue on numerous occasions when $$ trumped responsibility. One problem is, a half-trained tech often does not know what he may be doing wrong. One principle I try to keep in mind is 'you don't know what you don't know'.

To be fair, this company is not the only one. High-end NDE methods also bring higher rate$, with the added advantage of the customer frequently not being knowledgable enough to dispute a result or even the appropriateness of a proposed method.

Anyway, I'll stop here because its Friday, and because dark thoughts about my previous place of employment are creeping in ...

 

[dbooker630]

I am still refining the sensitivity with our first PA sort at our NDT source but am very encouraged as to its capability. The first sort was setup for verifying weld depth, but I was able to note microstructural changes as well. Not necessary for my current task but something to keep in mind in the future.

 

[ndeguy]

A postscript: Encoded data-recorded PA and ToFD is improved by post data acquisition signal processing and should be mandatory. Whilst an egregious signal may be interpreeted, evaluated and rejected for immediate repair and re-test using just the data acquisition unit (an advantage of UT over RT, the weld should not be released for further fabricatio processes until such time as the data has been investigated, signal processed and fully reviewed using appropriate software. Then alternative evaluation or further scan recommendations may result prior to full acceptance.

However I dont believe this is standard practice yet.