NDTech Newsletter #10

Certain aluminum gas cylinders, e.g. SCUBA and SCBA tanks, are susceptible to cracks that can result in leaks or ruptures. The cracking occurs in cylinders made from aluminum alloy AA6351-T6. Cylinders made of aluminum alloy 6351 have a greater probability of cracking and failure than other aluminum cylinders. The DOT estimates that millions of these tanks were constructed prior to 1990 when all US manufactures changed to alloys that are less susceptible to sustained load cracking (SLC). The failures have led dive shops to inspect 6351 tanks for SLC.

On October 30, 1998, the U.S. Transportation Department's Research and Special Programs Administration issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making to modify the compressed gas cylinder regulations (49 CFR Part 107). The proposal includes changes in design, construction, and testing of gas cylinders. The proposed rule making addresses regulations for:

1) Ultrasonic re-testing of steel and aluminum cylinders, and

2) Inspection of aluminum cylinders for SLC.

The current inspection methods for gas cylinders are hydrostatic pressure test for volumetric expansion measurements and internal and external visual inspection. These methods are not sufficient for finding small cracks. The hydrostatic test detects leaks and areas of thinning in cylinder walls. The visual inspection can detect large defects in the sidewall and in the neck and shoulder area of the cylinder. The visual method is subject to inspector attentiveness and experience.

There are [currently under development] eddy current and ultrasonic tests for crack detection in aluminum compressed gas cylinders. They have never been fully certified for use by the DOT. The DOT's Office of Hazardous Materials Technology is currently researching NDE methods for qualifying the safety of aluminum gas cylinders.

If you have any questions or comments about testing of compressed gas cylinders, please contact:

Russell Austin, NTIAC

Phone: 800.684.2239 or 512.263.2106

Fax: 512.263.3530

Email: austin@ntiac.com

Nondestructive Examination Task Group

The NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) is organizing a Nondestructive Examination (NDE) Task Group for its Second International Steam Generator Tube Integrity Research Program (ISG-TIP-2). The participants in the ISG-TIP-2 are each contributing a portion of the research to the international program. The NRC's portion of the research program is being conducted at the Argonne National Laboratory. Each participant in the program may nominate representatives to the Task Group.

The NRC wishes to broaden the membership of the Task Group by nominating additional experts from the United States. Members must be experts in NDE methods, practices, planning, and data analyses used for in service inspection of steam generator tubes in operating pressurized water reactors. Data derived from the ISG-TIP-2 will be received and processed and will provide information to the program. The Task Group will be active throughout the course of the program, which is currently scheduled to be completed December 31, 2001 and will meet on an as-needed basis and no more frequently than twice per year. Members will not receive compensation from the NRC or ANL for the work they provide.

Persons who have the necessary expertise and are interested in participating in the Task Group are invited to contact:

Dr. Joseph Muscara of NRC/RES.

Phone: 301.415.5844

Fax: 301.415.5074

Email: jxm8@nrc.gov

Publications

Advanced Ultrasonic Flaw Sizing - J. Mark Davis.

This handbook provides guidelines and techniques for ultrasonic sizing of planar flaws which originate at the inside diameter (ID) or the outside diameter (OD) of the component. These techniques are applicable to depth sizing of mechanical and thermal fatigue, stress corrosion cracking, or other planar type flaws. Contents: Wave Physics for Sizing Methods, ID Creeping Wave Method Calibration, Refracted Longitudinal Wave Method Calibration, and Advanced Ultrasonic Flaw Sizing Procedure. 38 pages, 1998. $19.25 for ASNT members. $24.00 for non-members. (Prices do not include shipping and handling.) Obtain orders from ASNT's Book Department, Order #330.

Phone: 800.222.2768 or 614.274.6003 ext. 214 or 215

Fax: 614.274.6899

Applied Spectroscopy: A Compact Reference for Practitioners - Jerry Workman and Art W. Springsteen.

The purpose of this book is to delineate practical, tested general spectroscopic methods (for ultraviolet, visible, near infrared, and infrared spectrometry) in basic terms for novice users and to provide a reference resource for advanced spectroscopists. The editors have sought to make the test practical - containing important information and equations that will be referred to on a continuing basis by practicing spectroscopists. 539 pages, 1998. $89.00 from Amazon.com.

Calendar of events

May 2-7, IEST 45th Annual Technical Meeting and Exposition, Ontario, CA. IEST.

Contact: Joan Harpham

IEST 940 Northwest Highway

Mount Prospect, IL 60056

Phone: 847.255.1561

Fax: 847.255.1699

Email: iest@iest.org

May 9-11, International Thermography Association 4th Annual Symposium and Meeting, Phoenix, AZ.

Contact: Symposium Coordinator

2955 Westsyde Road

Kamloops, BC Canada V2B 7E7

Phone: 250.579.5522

Fax: 250.579.5390

Email: ita@ita-site.net

May 10-12, MARCON '99, Maintenance and Reliability Conference '99, Gatlinburg TN.

Contact: Thomas V. Byerley

Technical Program Chairman

103 Estabrook Hall, University of Tennessee

Knoxville, TN 37996-2351.

Phone: 423.974.9625

Fax: 423.974.4995

Email: tbyerley@utk.edu

May 17-21, Sixth World Conference on Neutron Radiography, Osaka, Japan. ISNR, AESJ, JAERI.

Contact: S. Fujine

Fax: 81.724.51.2603

Email: sfujine@kuca.rri.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Jun 7-10, International Chemical and Petroleum Industry Inspection Technology (ICPIIT) Topical VI, Wyndham Greenspoint Hotel, Houston, TX.

Sponsored by ASNT.

Contact: ASNT

Jun 15-17, Acoustic Emission Working Group 40th Meeting, Princeton, NJ.

Contact: Sotirios Vahaviolos, Physical Acoustics Corp.

PO Box 3135

Princeton, NJ 08543

Phone: 609.716.4000

Fax: 609.716.0706

Email: sotirios@pacndt.com

Jun 21-23, EPRI Plant Maintenance Conference, Atlanta, GA.

EPRI.

Contact: Cindy Layman, Conference Manager

PO Box 10412

Palo Alto, CA 94043-9964

Phone: 650.855.8763

Jun 21-25, Second Japan-US Symposium on Advances in NDT, Turtle Bay Hilton, Kahuku, Oahu, HI.

Cosponsored by ASNT.

Contact: ASNT

Jun 23-25, EPRI Piping and Bolting NDE Conference, San Antonio, TX.

Contact: EPRI

3412 Hillview Avenue

Palo Alto, CA 94043-9964

Phone: 415.855.2000

Jun 27-Jul 1, ASTM Committee E-7 Symposium on Nondestructive Testing, Seattle, WA.

Contact: George Luciw, ASTM

100 Barr Harbour Drive

West Conshohoken, PA 19428-2959

Phone: 610.832.9710

Fax: 610.832.9555

Email: gluciw@astm.org

Jun 28-Jul 2, Ninth International Symposium on Nondestructive Characterization of Materials, Sydney, Australia.

Cosponsored by ASNT and John Hopkins CNDE.

Contact: Robert E. Green, Jr.

Center for Nondestructive Evaluation

John Hopkins University

Maryland Hall, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-2689

Phone: 410.516.6115

Fax: 410.516.7249

Email: cnde@jhuvms.hcf.hjhu.edu

Jul 6-9, COMADEM '99, Annual Meeting, 12th International Conference on Condition Monitoring and Diagnostic Engineering Management, Sunderland, England

Contact: University of Sunderland Centre for Adaptive Systems.

Phone: 44.191.515.3296

Fax: 44.191.515.2781

Email: cs0mhi@cis.sunderland.ac.uk

Website: http://www.comadem99.sunderland.ac.uk/

Jul 25-30, 26th Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, Montreal, PQ, Canada.

Cosponsored by ASNT and Iowa State CNDE

Contact: Linda Poore

1915 Scholl Road

111 Applied Sciences Complex II, Ames IA

Phone: 515.294.6770

Fax: 515.294.7771

Email: lpoore@cnde.iastate.edu

NDE Technical Papers

Technical Reports and papers given below are available from the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia 22151, USA. Phone (703) 487-4600. Fax (703) 321-8547.

Email address: For information, info@ntis.fedworld.org

To order, orders@ntis.fedworld.org

#General

1) A distributed and intelligent system approach for the automatic inspection of steam-generator tubes in nuclear power plants - Kang, S.J. and others

IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, v. 45(3), (Jun 1998), p. 1713-1722

2) Developments for the nondestructive evaluation of highway bridges in the USA - Washer, G.A.

NDT & E international, v. 31(4), (Aug 1998), p. 245-250

3) In-service inspection of safety critical plant - Harrison, R.P.

Nondestructive Testing - Australia, v. 35(2), (Mar-Apr 1998), p. 38-45

4) NDT methods for in-situ evaluation of pavements in the USA - Popvics, S. and others.

INSIGHT. Nondestructive Testing and Condition Monitoring, v. 40(7), (Jul 1998), p. 496-500

5) Key to success for vision system users - Graves, C.

Sensor Review, v. 18(3), (1998), p. 178-182

6) Non-contact measurement provides six of the best - Clarke, T.

Quality Today, (Jul 1998), p. S46-S48

7) Risk-informed inservice inspection - Ali, S.A. and others

Nuclear Engineering and Design, v. 182(2), (1998), p. 221-224

8) Accuracy of NDE in bridge management - Martin, J. and others

Engineering Structures, v. 20(11), (1998), p. 979-984

#Miscellaneous Techniques

9) ISO 3057: (Edition 2): Nondestructive testing - Metallographic replica techniques of surface examination. 2nd Edition - International Organization for Standardization

(1998) 5 pp.

10) Structual integrity assessment for a flawed titanium pipe - Wu, H.S. and others

International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping, v. 75(2), (1998), p. 151-154

11) Nondestructive inspection using Compton scatter tomography - Evans, B.L. and others

IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, v. 45(3. Pt4), (1998), p. 950-956

12) Flaw characterization in wheel dovetail regions of turbine discs - Attaar, M. and others

Nuclear Plant Journal, v. 15(3), (May-Jun 1997), p. 31-33

13) Vibration analysis: a new ASNT NDT method - Pagliaro, L. and others

Materials Evaluation, v. 56(7), (Jul 1998), p. 4294-4299

#Ultrasonic and Acoustic

14) Ultrasonic weld inspection, analog vs digital A-scan presentation - Hayward, P.

Nondestructive Testing - Australia, v. 35(1), (Jan-Feb 1998), p. 12-15

15) Ultrasonic monitoring of the accumulation of aging damage and recovery of the useful lifetime of industrial parts - Zuev, L.B. and others

Techincal Physics, v. 42(9), (1997), p. 1094-1096

16) Visual and ultrasonic inspection of cranes - Bagarry, A.

Materials Evaluation, v. 56(7), (Jul 1998), p. 827-829

17) A simplified ultrasonic immersion technique for materials evaluation - Xiang, D. and others

Materials Evaluation, v. 56(7), (Jul 1998), p. 854-859

#Electrical

18) Methods for sizing of 3D surface breaking flaws by leakage flux - Minkov, D. and others

NDT & E International, v. 31(5), (Oct 1998), p. 317-324

Computer Tomography - websites

The BMFT-Project on 3D CT carried out at the Universitat des Saarlandes, described at http://www.num.uni-sb.de/proj/bmft/e_bmft.html, also includes algorithms for 3D image reconstruction. This site makes full use of multimedia facilities by showing videos, in an MPEG format, of reconstruction of a cracked ceramic part.

An article entitled "Neutron computer tomography of a pre-stressed concrete cube" (http://www.uni-stuttgart.de/UNIuser/fmpa/grosse/papers/NeutronenCT/n-ct1.htm) offers the possibility to download an AVI movie which gives a 3D impression of a neutron CT image of a steel concrete cube.

The online back-to-basics article proposed by the ASNT at http://www.asnt.org/techinfo/basics/jul97basics/jul97bas.htm reveals the mathematical basics of CT. This publication, complete with useful figures and diagrams is a "must read" for those involved in CT or willing to learn the principle of image reconstruction.

UCL reports on the use of tomographic images to provide information on the phase distributions within process vessels and to control mixing processes (http://www.chemeng.ucl.ac.uk/research/tomography/mixing.html).

Additional Websites of Interest

E&P, Gas, and Refining Connection

http://epconnect.ihost.com/

http://gas.ihost.com/

http://refining.ihost.com/

A handy search feature allows finding information on E & P, natural gas, and refining processes quickly. These sites cover current events as well as research, prices, publications, and other areas of interest.

The Year 2000 Information Center

http://www.year2000.com/

A site featuring information on the year 2000. This site features books, white papers, user groups, and just about anything else relating to the Y2K problem.