New projects

Project news, November - December 2008

For a full list of proposed, active and closed projects see here

Improving the ultrasonic inspectability of dissimilar metal welds and austenitic materials using phased array method

To be launched at
TWI Wales: 19 November 2008
Cost per Sponsor: £20, 000 per annum
Duration: two years

Welded austenitic stainless steels, clad dissimilar metals and nickel alloy materials are extensively used in process plants, power plants and oil refineries due to their ease of fabrication, impact and corrosion resistance. Theyare mainly used for safety critical components such as process vessels and high pressure pipe-work. For these engineering assets safety is paramount and therefore significant effort is made to ensure the structural integrity duringconstruction and operation.

Over one third of all inspections of these safety critical components are undertaken using industrial radiography. The application of industrial site radiography is a costly and disruptive process, requiring large areas of plant tobe closed off for the duration of the inspection.

Radiographic inspections of certain types of weld material exhibit limitations due to the quality of the image and the defect sensitivity, particularly on tight cracks.