[en] Acoustic emission offers the possibility of inspecting the whole volume of large structure from a limited number of access points. The paper discusses the historical development of the technique and describes the instrumentation and analytical methods used for interpretation. Experience has shown that acoustic emission is not a universal inspection tool and the latter portion of the paper describes applications where the technique does have some chance of success. (author)

[en] Short communication

[en] The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) funded Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to fabricate and functionally test phased array transducers and an electronic control system with the intent of evaluating the phased array technology for use in the inspection of turbine disks. During this program a 13-element annular array and associated phased array electronics were fabricated and tested and the results of the tests compared to those predicted by theory. The prototype system performed well within the expected limits, and EPRI funded further work to fabricate and test a production unit. The production system consisted of a 25-element annular array and a 25-channel electronics system that had both pulser and receiver delay circuitry. In addition, during the program it was determined that miniaturized hybrid pulser/preamps would be needed to allow the phased array to work over distances exceeding 9.1 meters (30 feet) from the electronics. A circuit developed by SwRI was utilized and found to produce good pulsing capability that did not suffer from impedance mismatch. EPRI also funded (under a separate contract) the fabrication of a small scale static turbine test bed and a full scale dynamic test bed that contained full scale turbine geometries. These test beds were fabricated to enable the production phased array system to be evaluated on turbine disk surfaces. 26 figs

[en] One of the components of the tube inspection system for flan detection and dimension measurement is a computer which controls a sorting plant, so that control may be fully automatic. This contribution describes the experiences and improvements which during the last few years have led to a system which is stable and sufficiently accurate so as to meet the rigid specification requirements in dimension and flan control of precision tubes. In standard inspection of cladding tubes this means that the whole control process, for flaws as well as dimensions may be carried out at a velocity of 6 m tube/min. (orig.)

[en] The paper describes SAFT, synthetic aperture focusing technique, a defect sizing method. The system is portable and the high resolution ultrasonic techniques can be applied on site. The SAFT processing, as well as the software, hardware and displays in the system are explained. Results obtained with the system on laboratory specimens and on site inspection are briefly described. (U.K.)

No abstract available

[en] NDT plays a very important role in the power industry involving four conventional methods (UT, PY, MT, RT) that can be classified into four areas such as: inspection of incoming raw materials and spare parts, to repair fabrication and power plant inspection. But the most vital of all is the NDT requirement during the preventive maintenance shutdown and the results of such testing can spell the difference between an orderly scheduled and an emergency unscheduled shutdown of power plants. (IMA). 3 figs

[en] Non-destructive testing has a variety of application in the power industry ranging from inspection of raw materials to the testing of parts being repaired or fabricated. Inspection requirements include ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle testing, dye penetrant testing, hardness testing and replication. The efforts of the Maintenance Engineering Center (MEC) of the National Power Corporation in the field of NDT application are concentrated on the equipment used to perform special field services such as reblading and dynamic balancing. (ISD)

[en] Performance of a testing apparatus, from the sensor to the recorder is defined by a certain number of qualities: sensitivity, accuracy, limit of detection, maximum testing speed which are used to compare the results obtained with two different apparatus Benches for ultrasonic testing of tubing for the cladding of nuclear fuels are studied as an example

[en] Ultrasonic NDT is used extensively in the CEGB and, in recent years, demands for its wider application and for higher quality inspections have prompted considerable developments. Traditional ultrasonic inspection equipment can now be complemented by sophisticated analogue and digital devices which take advantage of modern electronics and computer technology. Developments in both data collection and data processing for ultrasonic NDT are reviewed and illustrated by a variety of systems and their uses. (author)