What would you consider First Quality Solutions' primary or signature inspection type?

Answered by: Kevin Kissig

 

 

There is no one type of inspection that we perform more than any other type; we perform magnetic particle inspections on pumps and gears on an almost daily basis, and several times each year we routinely inspect headers, piping, fans and tanks, but if there is an inspection we've really perfected over the years, it would be boiler waterwall ultrasonic thickness inspections.

 

 





Waterwall inspections are generally the first inspection we perform during a power plant maintenance outage, and the results usually precede waterwall panel replacements.  Therefore, the faster we can provide the results of this inspection, the faster our customers can begin panel replacements.  As such, we've always looked for ways to improve the efficiency of this inspection. 

 

Over the years, we've upgraded our equipment and experimented with different transducer types to provide the best results possible.  We've also done extensive tests on different couplant mediums and application methods.  We've transitioned from manually applied grease (messy and timely to clean), to mechanically applied oil-based couplants (prone to equipment failures and also requires post-inspection cleaning), and finally began using a manually applied water-based couplant that simply evaporates off the tubes after the inspection (no clean-up time required).

 

Our reports have also evolved over the years to provide the most detailed and well-organized information possible.  Details and formatting have been adjusted over time, and the final reports are an invaluable tool for our customers to make informed decision at the moment as well as for planning future repair areas.

 

   

 

2002 Waterwall Survey (Upper) & 2012 Waterwall Survey (Lower)

 

 

Finally, our inspection team is extremely experienced in regards to this inspection.  The waterwall inspection team has been working together for years, and each member of the team is well-aware of his or her responsibilities and duties during a boiler waterwall inspection.  The team performs as a well-oiled machine, and what used to take several days in prep, inspection, and reporting time, has been reduced to a couple of shifts.  It is an inspection that is extremely familiar to us and one that we are exceptional at performing, and it is an inspection that we continue to improve on every time we perform it.







I enjoyed the history of liquid penetrant, can you explain the origins of magnetic-particle (MT) inspection?

Answered by: Dane Ross

Most people in the non-destructive testing field know what magnetic particle inspection is, but few know where it originated from.  For those of you who don't know what magnetic particle inspection is, it is a non-destructive testing process used to detect surface and slight subsurface discontinuities in ferrous materials, which are materials easily susceptible to magnetism.  A part made out of such a material is magnetized and magnetic particles are applied to the part.  Any discontinuities on or close to the surface of the part will create a break in the magnetic field, which will attract the magnetic particles.  An area of accumulated particles form an indication, and reveal a discontinuity.  Sounds exciting, doesn't it?  But the real question is where did all of this start?  It's not like on the 8th day God created the Magnaflux yoke...so how did magnetic particle inspection evolve to where it is today?

This is where the real intrigue starts because the first observations of magnetism date back more than 2500 years and this is where the history of our modern magnetic particle inspection begins.  The Chinese observed that a "lodestone" or a naturally magnetized piece of magnetite had the power to attract pieces of iron to it.  Around 1088 A.D. they found that if a needle that had been magnetized by stroking it across a lodestone was suspended it would point north and south.  It could therefore be used to improve the accuracy of navigation, thus inventing the compass.  Fast forward to 1868 when it was observed that a compass needle jumped when passed over a crack in a magnetized cannon barrel, and could therefore be used to inspect for cracks.  In the 1930's, by observing iron filings on magnetized parts, patterns in the filings allowed for the first visualization of the magnetic field or "magnetic lines of flux."  These patterns were able to reveal discontinuities on the surface of the parts, thus creating magnetic particle inspection.








 

From that point forward, ways to improve on these principles have been developed.  Now AC or DC current can be used to establish a magnetic field in parts being inspected.  Improvements in how to properly identify discontinuities have evolved from compass needles and iron filings to detection media such as iron powders and iron particles suspended in various liquids.  Color coding these types of media also improved visibility and contrasting on test parts to make identification of discontinuities easier.  The introduction of florescent iron particles and UV light increased sensitivity and further advanced these principles, thus creating another variable in aiding to identify discontinuities.  Although it has been thousands of years since the first observations of magnetism, the basic principles remain the same but every year brings new innovations in the ever evolving field of non-destructive testing.

 

Dry Magnetic Particle Inspection

 

Wet Florescent Magnetic Particle Inspection

 



















Can you briefly describe the origins of liquid penetant (PT) inspection?

Answered by: Michael C. Schantz

The history of liquid penetrant testing can be traced back to the “oil and whiting” method. From the late 1800’s until the 1940’s, this technique was commonly used by railroad companies for finding cracks on steel locomotive parts such as rods, axles, crank pins, etc.   The advent of magnetic particle inspection in the 1940’s proved the “oil & whiting” method to be unreliable.  Until that time the “penetrant” that was used was typically a heavy lubricating oil diluted with kerosene.  The imprecise nature of the “penetrant” solutions, coupled with a lack of set procedures resulted in too many variables to provide consistency, and magnetic particle inspection was considered a more reliable alternative for testing magnetic iron and steels.

 

                The advent of World War II brought a new challenge to the inspection world when the extensive use of non-magnetic materials such as aluminum, magnesium and stainless steels in the aircraft industry.  At the time, radiography and magnetic particle testing was the only truly non-destructive methods available. Radiography was reliable for finding internal flaws in castings and forgings but was much less reliable for finding surface discontinuities. A new method had to be developed.

                Many methods were tested, but proved to be impractical or unreliable until Robert C. Switzer of Switzer Brothers, Inc. (now the Day-Glo Corp. of Cleveland) began working with colored dyes, in particular fluorescents, to locate defects in materials. He was successful in creating a method using fluorescent dyes and a black light which provided a high contrast on the part being tested. In February 1942 an exclusive license was given to the Magaflux Corp. to develop and perfect the method. By July 1942 Magnaflux introduced “Zyglo” the first commercially available product for liquid penetrant testing. Seventy years later, through numerous advancements in techniques and materials, fluorescent liquid penetrant inspection with Zyglo is still a consistently reliable and trusted inspection method that we utilize on a daily basis.

 



 

Welcome to the FQS Blog!

 

 

At First Quality Solutions, we get to work in a number of unique and interesting industries, and we're exposed to a wide range of challenges and opportunities.  As a result, our customers rely on us for advise and insights on everything from different inspection methods and techniques to failure mechanisms and common practices.  We spend a lot of time as a company conferring with each other regarding our own expereinces, as well as researching topics and questions for our customers.

 

The purpose of this blog is to share the insights we provide to many of our customers in the hopes that others with the same questions may find these entries interesting, informative, and hopefully entertaining.  We plan to post new entries at least twice each week, so please check back often for new posts. 

 

We welcome everyone to comment on posts, provide additional insights, or ask new questions.  We would like this blog to become an ongoing forum for sharing thoughts, questions, or concerns on many different topics and inspection disciplines.  We're currently working on entries for a number of common questions, so check back soon, and by all means...enjoy!

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When clients look to you for a quality product or service, and your employees deserve nothing less than a fully operational workplace...

There’s only one choice… First Quality Solutions!

For nearly a decade, First Quality Solutions has performed NDE inspection services for structural integrity, reliability, and safety in an extensive range of industries, specializing in turbines and boilers, pressure piping and vessels, pumps, and gears.

Our services include traditional non-destructive test methods such as magnetic particle, liquid penetrant, visual and CWI services, as well as technology-based methods such as ultrasonics, phased array, thermal imaging, and X-Ray fluorescent analysis.

Upon prompt & thorough completion of your inspection, we issue an unbiased report detailing all of our findings. If defects are detected, or compliance has not been met, we welcome the opportunity to guide you through a comprehensive repairs process.


Contact First Quality Solutions today.  It’s More Than an Inspection…It’s Peace of Mind!