subject: The Importance of Materials and Ultrasonic Testing for Industries [print this page] No industry can run without the help of periodic testing. As a matter of fact it's only with a thorough materials testing that any component, sub system or system can be fabricated for use in any industry to begin with. This includes the turbine shaft and turbine blades of any industry that uses turbines such as Power Generation, Nuclear Industry or the Aerospace Industry. It also includes the pipeline in industries such as the Pipeline Industry, the Pulp & Paper Industry, the Chemical Industry or Petrochemical & Refining Industry.
A materials testing of the materials prior to their introduction in the industry is of paramount importance. Such a testing will rule out the likelihood of the failure of the turbine shaft or the turbine blades while in normal service. In this case, the material used would need to be a High Temperature Alloy that can withstand creep or thermal fatigue. Similarly, in the case of the pipeline being used in the Chemicals Industry the pipeline would have to be of a material with a specification that can withstand the high temperature and corrosive environment.
Materials testing uses a significant variety of facilities for metals, their alloys, plastics, ceramics, fiber and leather among other materials. These facilities could test mechanical properties such as tensile strength, impact strength, toughness, bendability or hardness. Metallurgical properties could be tested in a metallographic laboratory that may include a scanning electron microscope. Routine and periodic testing of any industry is carried out using non-destructive testing facilities that may include radiography, eddy current, visual, magnetic or ultrasonic testing.
Ultrasonic testing is one of the most important non-destructive testing methods in use in the modern industry. It can be used for measuring the thickness of various samples as well as in the detection of corrosion and other flaws. A welded specimen could be examined in applications such as plate, piping and vessels. Professional equipment used for ultrasonic testing includes Internal Rotating Inspection Systems, Tank Crawlers, Automated Pipe Scanners, Near Drum Scanners and the Guided Ultrasonic Wave. The Aerospace and Pipeline Industries use the Electromagnetic Acoustic Transmission or EMAT service.
The Importance of Materials and Ultrasonic Testing for Industries
