Non Destructive Testing –Visual, Dye pentrant, MPI and Ultrasonic

Our service for NDT can be planned to ensure smooth workflow to site prior to assembly. In the event of those unforeseen situations or circumstances where a building inspection or client requests a test certificate of compliance to a standard we can offer rapid response. The role of NDT may appear puzzling but some of the reasons for its use are highlighted below.

Quality assurance plays an important role in steelwork manufacture and fabrication. Steel producers deliver high quality stock to their customers who in turn produce a fabricated assembly or structure to a designed and engineered drawing. The fabrication will almost certainly be made to a steelwork specification.

UK Building regulations require structural fabrications to be made to the National Structural Steelwork Specification latest edition. Other Standards are available from The British Standards Institute to cover different fabricated structures.

To ensure the capabilities of the welding operators and common to most fabrication standards, welding qualifications are required in the form of a certificate of approval from an independent inspection body to the relevant coding or standard- currently EN 287 in Europe.

Similarly, to ensure the mechanical strength of the joint, a welding procedure- currently EN 15614 should also be approved by the fabricator and witnessed by an independent body.

Fabricated structural welds are then normally subject to non destructive testing and visual inspection by a third party inspector qualified to PCN level 2 or CSWIP.

Usually 100% of the welds are inspected visually. Non destructive tests are conducted on 10-20% of each welders work and a certificate of compliance to the standard is issued on approval. Fillet welds are normally tested by magnetic particle inspection for ferrous materials and dye penetrant for non ferrous material.

Butt welds are preferably subject to the ultrasonic testing for H&S reasons in addition to surface NDT methods and a certificate of compliance issued against the relevant standard.

It is important that the relevant standard for fabrication and inspection is sought and reviewed.