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2006
Conference Paper
Titel
Nondestructive testing of pressurized components - a quantitative approach
Abstract
The development of physical measurement and testing technology allows for advancements of quantitative NDT (Nondestructive Testing) techniques that promise valuable, quantifiable contributions to component safety using various probabilistic fracture mechanics methods. Essential prerequisites for these methods include proven and validated statistics applied to potential discontinuities and material properties in the component and their detectability using nondestructive testing methods. Enhanced, hands-on nondestructive testing techniques, capable of determining flaw type and size, are currently available. These technological advancements are achieved through the complete imaging of inspected components using tomography reconstruction techniques, which also clearly define physical flaw detection limits. These capabilities are demonstrated using examples from ultrasonic and radiography methods. The ability to inspect components in strict accordance with standard rules and regulations is often limited by the design and/or material characteristics of the component. Phased Array Technology is an example of a recent development that demonstrates the ability to inspect anisotropic materials via reverse phase-matching technique, which also promises improvements for the inspection of dissimilar welds. Pipe penetrations can adequately be inspected with the help of electromagnetically driven transducer arrays. Another example describes the inspection of stainless steel cladding and ferritic base material interface using eddy current techniques.