Keywords
Citation
(2001), "Speeding on-site testing", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 48 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2001.12848bad.007
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited
Speeding on-site testing
Speeding on-site testing
Keywords: Indentec, Hardness testing, Non-destructive testing, Steel
Tarmac Alawi's metallurgical laboratory in Oman is reported to be saving time and trouble in checking materials hardnesses on-site with a new pocket-sized multi-scale digital tester.
Supplied by Indentec, the handheld instrument is used mainly for non-destructively testing metals, welds and heat-affected areas in pipelines, boiler tubing, crankshafts, turbine blading, etc., often at locations remote from the laboratory.
The system is said to speed and simplify the inspection process by eliminating the need to cut out metallurgical specimens for testing on a laboratory machine. Large, heavy and immovable components can be tested in situ, with immediate on-the-spot readings of hardness.
Importantly for in situ testing, the portable can reportedly be applied from any direction, including upside-down, permitting tests to be made without having to manhandle or manoeuvre bulky components. Its compactness also allows many awkwardly located areas to be reached for testing.
The materials tested are principally carbon steel, alloy steel and stainless steel. Although all the popular hardness scales are provided, the laboratory uses the instrument mainly to display Vickers conversions with some tests indicating Rockwell and Brinell values.
The laboratory says that it has proved very easy to use, ensuring consistently repeatable results without special operator training.
According to Indentec the instrument calculates hardnesses automatically to ± 0.5 per cent scale accuracies. The reading appears on a built-in digital display, which also registers test scale, material tested, number of tests, running average hardness, test direction, and ultimate tensile strength.
The laboratory (TALD) expects to make increasing use of it as workloads build up from customers in the oil, gas, engineering and maritime sectors in Oman and the Middle East generally.
Details available from: Indentec Hardness Testing Machines Ltd. Tel: +44 (0)1384 896949.