Non-destructive testing Collaborative Projects
We are involved in a suite of projects worth in total around £30m, more than £8m of which directly funds work at TWI. This programme is constantly growing. For information on how your company may benefit from the work, please contact ndt@twi.co.uk
Find out more about TWI's Collaborative Research programme.
RIMINI
Development of a robotic inspection system for reactor nozzle inspection.
- Developments in Ultrasonic Phased array inspection, incorporating 2D TRL phased array probes, Flexible array eddy-current and ACFM.
- Development of a 128 parallel channel phased array instrument manufactured by Peak NDT.
- ACFM instrument by TSC.
- 2D TRL phased array probe manufactured by Vermon.
- Total budget
2m
Robair
Development of a robotic system for the inspection of aircraft wings and fuselage.
- Multi-tasking robot platform that crawls over surfaces, including vertically and overhead
- Acoustic camera, eddy current and phased array detection
- Prototype has been demonstrated
- Total budget £1.39m
Qualistir
Development of novel non-destructive testing techniques and integrated in-line process monitoring for robotic and flexible friction stir welding systems.
- NDT techniques specifically for defects anticipated in FSW, e.g. entrapped oxide
- Phased array ultrasonic testing
- Algorithm developed for treating noise ratio from different parts of the joint
- Method of combining weld control and NDT information to yield a fully integrated quality control system
- Total budget £1.41m
Rail-Inspect
Train-mounted sensors and systems for the inspection of rails.
- Automated NDT to cover whole of rail head and web
- Scanning with test vehicle travelling at 80km/h
- Ultrasonic, eddy current and magnetic flux leakage being evaluated
- Total budget £1.13m
MMFSC
Manufacturing and modelling of fabricated structural components.
- Aero engine components
- Ultrasonic and eddy current methods
- TIG and laser welded parts
- Total budget £6.6m
Magcast
Production line integrated sensor system for porosity quality control of magnesium castings.
- Digital X-ray
- Establishment of limits of detection for real-time operation
- Manipulator to mechanise the system
- Total budget £1.25m
Robot Inspector
Development of a robotic system for the inspection of large steel and aluminium plates in industrial plants.
- Crawler for tank floors
- Use of ACFM, EMATs and phased array
- Obstacle avoidance
- Total budget £1.4m
Piezodiagnostics
Smart structural diagnostics using piezo-generated elastic waves.
- Use of piezo-actuators for long-range ultrasonic monitoring
- Supervision via PC and a network
- Wave propagation over suitable distances has been demonstrated
- Total budget £2.04m
TOFD proof
Effective application of TOFD method for weld inspection at the manufacturing stage of pressure vessels.
- Round-robin exercise
- Comparison with other NDT techniques
- Aiming to propose European Standard
- Total budget £1.22m
Nanoscan
Development of new and novel inspection systems for composite aircraft non-destructive testing.
- Air-coupled ultrasonics, laser shearography, digital radiography, phased array, thermography, resonance
- Testing for composite specific defects such as delamination, bondline integrity, etc.
- Development of a suite of sensors to cope with a range of aerospace applications
- Total budget £1.41m
Cris
Corrosion reliability inspection scheduling.
- Risk-based inspection approach
- Determination of the probability of detection
- Assessment of techniques
- Total budget £0.36m
Long-range guided waves
The development of the next generation long-range guided wave testing systems.
- Testing of rail
- Modelling
- Wave propagation in irregular cross section material
- Total budget £0.38m
FSW kissing bond detection
Development of non-destructive techniques for the detection of flaws in friction stir welds.
- Ultrasonics, eddy current, magnetometer and digital X-ray
- Aluminium alloys
- Quantitative evaluation of reliability
- Total budget £0.24m
Digital X-ray
Development of computed radiography procedures to replace film-based radiography for defect detection in welds and castings.
- Computed radiography from phosphor screens
- Evaluation against film systems
- Economic and safety benefit definition
- Total budget £0.24m
Microscan
Development of comprehensive in-line control system for printed circuit board assemblies.
- Range of complementary techniques combined to a comprehensive NDT system
- Application to lead-free and conventional soldering
- Integrated in-line quality system
- Total budget £1.39m
FPSO-Inspect
Non-intrusive in-service inspection robotic system for condition monitoring of welds inside floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels.
- Autonomous underwater vehicle
- Combination of array techniques
- Checking for corrosion, weld defects and fatigue simultaneously
- Total budget £1.4m
ReNEWit
Development of new and novel automated inspection technology for GRP wind turbine blades.
- Techniques for total inspection requirements
- Detection of disbonds, impact damage and lightning strike damage
- Reduced downtime from rapid automated process
- Total budget £1.4m
Tank-Inspect
Condition monitoring of large oil and chemical storage tanks using ultrasonic guided wave tomography without the need to empty and clean tanks.
- Ultrasonic guided waves
- Inspection of tank floor up to 100m diameter
- Checking corrosion and defects with tanks still filled
- Total budget £1.4m
Pipescan
Development of inspection systems for the inspection of metal pipelines buried underground, in concrete, in water or covered with coatings.
- Screening for up to 100m of pipeline from a single point
- Use of guided ultrasonic waves for qualitative assessment
- Development of defect sizing techniques with other NDT techniques
- Total budget £1.4m
Polytec Systems
Development and validation of non-destructive testing techniques for electrofusion joints in polyethylene pipes.
- Ultrasonic phased array and thermography
- Determine limits of detection
- Produce prototype NDT equipment
- Total budget £1.27m
Girth Welds
Inspection of single-sided girth welds.
- Fatigue performance of riser pipes
- Automated ultrasonic inspection reliability
- Establish a library of standard specimens
- Total budget £0.16m
Safe Ray
Development of digital radiographic techniques, sensors and systems.
- Safer, faster, more economical
- In-situ operation
- Reduced operator exposure
- Total budget £1.55m
Sure2Grip
Quality Assurance and structural evaluation of GRP pipes.
- NDT techniques developed specifically for GRP
- Detection of characteristic defects (e.g. kissing bonds)
- Automation reducing operator subjectivity
- Total budget
2m.