Advanced NDT Inspection for Construction of Buildings

Construction of buildings and skyscrapers in Singapore, Malaysia and other Middle East and South Asian nations is one of the most difficult jobs for construction site engineers. They need to check every aspect starting from the ground level to the highest point of the building, ensuring that all the raw materials as well as the finished products used to create a building are of great quality, and the building will not fall down under any circumstances. Therefore, various testing techniques are used by construction site engineers to ensure the strength and durability of the materials used. As these methods of testing do not damage or destroy the core product in any way and also are cost effective, these testing and inspection methods are known as Nondestructive Testing or in short NDT.

Nowadays, advanced NDT inspection techniques are used by engineers in Singapore, Malaysia and other regions for testing the quality and durability of materials. This is a very safe technique and it also ensures that the materials are not damaged in any way. Nondestructive testing is performed to check the durability of the materials used and also find out whether there are any internal flaws like cracks or leaks present in the material without destroying them while inspecting.

Some of the commonly used NDT techniques for testing buildings and other constructions are:

• Rebound Hammer Testing
• Penetration and Pullout Testing
• Radiographic Testing
• Ultrasonic Testing
• Liquid Penetrant Testing
• Visual Testing
• Windsor Probe Testing
• Ground Penetrating Radar

In building and construction field, NDT is used not just when a new building is constructed, but also to test the integrity of materials present in existing constructions too, thereby preventing probable damages of the building as well as saving human lives. Therefore, it is well advised to perform regular inspections of buildings and constructions through nondestructive methods and repair the internal defects when they arise.

Advanced Inspection Techniques Used for Non-Destructive Testing

NDT or Non destructive testing is the process of inspecting and testing different components for change in characteristics or problems without destroying the component itself. This is the safest way of testing critical materials. There are various advanced NDT inspection techniques used for testing different materials. These are listed below:

Inspection of Pipelines

For pipeline and offshore industries where huge pipes of different diameter and thickness are used, it is of utmost importance to do a proper inspection of girth welds and long seam welds through advanced non destructive testing procedures. Application of PAUT and ToFD is required for inspection of flange joints, elbows, etc., present in the piping welds.

Inspection of Pressure Containers

A pressure vessel is a container built to keep gases and liquids at a pressure that is different from outer pressure. Therefore, a proper inspection using non destructive testing methods on the pressure vessel welds is necessary to prevent any accidents and make the pressure vessel leak proof. Advanced techniques are used for testing dish welds and T-Sections as well as nozzle welds.

Inspection and Monitoring of Corrosion

Non destructive testing is an important aspect when it comes to inspection of critical components like pressure vessels, storage tanks, etc., that are used in heavy industries, plants, and oil & gas industries for any signs of corrosion. A corrosion identifying system identifies any sort of non-conforming alloy components as these are usually susceptible to increased level of corrosion.

Tube Inspection Technique

Assessing the durability of the component is one of the important aspects of tube inspection. Eddy current testing, internal rotation inspection system and magnetic flux leakage are some of the inspection tests used for non ferrous alloy tubes, ferrous tubes in heat exchangers, condensers, and chillers.

Flange Inspection Technique

The flange inspection technique is one of the non destructive testing methods that deals with detection of damage or depreciation of the bore walls in the sealing area of pipes. Flanges can be inspected without the need of dismantling and that helps a lot in reducing cost.