Structural Integrity has been specializing in ultrasonic testing methods since our inception in 1983.  The Focused Array Transducer System (FATS) was the beginning of our expertise in phased array ultrasonics (PAUT).  Today we remain on the leading edge of technology and regularly employ numerous UT techniques, including:

• conventional UT (low frequency and high frequency)
• phased array UT (linear array, annular array, matrix array, and FMC/TFM)
• immersion UT testing
• guided wave UT (short-range, long-range, and EMAT)
• Time of Flight Diffraction (ToFD)
• and numerous manual, semi-automated, and fully automated scanning systems.

Ultrasonic guided waves have become a viable option for the rapid inspection of buried, insulated, or otherwise inaccessible piping in the nuclear, fossil, and oil & gas industries. The primary advantage of Guided Wave Testing (GWT) is its ability to remotely detect and locate corrosion, so we can provide reductions in both inspection time and cost.

We complete GWT by placing a collar array of transducers on the pipe and exciting a low-frequency ultrasonic wave that is guided by the boundaries of the structure and propagates along the axial direction of the pipe. When the guided wave impinges upon a reflector, such as a weld, flange, or corrosion, some of the energy is reflected back toward the transducer array where it is received and analyzed. Depending on the application, the length of pipe inspected is commonly within the 50ft to 500ft range.

Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMATs) are a type of electromagnetic sensor used to generate ultrasound in conductive materials, such as carbon and stainless steels. EMATs can be used in similar applications as traditional ultrasonic (UT) sensors, such as for thickness measurement and weld inspection, without the use of a liquid couplant.

EMATs can also be used for the remote inspection of inaccessible areas with guided waves (SR-GWT).

Advantages

• Remote inspection of inaccessible locations
• No liquid couplant required
• Non-contact
• Will work on rough/corroded surfaces
• Can work through thin coatings
• Can be used for hi-temperature applications

Applications

• Inspection for Corrosion and Cracking Under Supports
• Rapid scanning of above-ground piping
• Penstock Lap-joint Inspections
• Inspection of Wall and Ground Penetrations
• Nuclear Containment Structure Liner Inspections

Innovation has been among Structural Integrity’s core values since its inception in 1983. Often times, off-the-shelf scanners or solutions won’t work for your specific needs, therefore SI has the capability of designing and manufacturing custom solutions.  SI has many examples of successful custom Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) solutions, such as the SI Inside Vessel Automated Scanner (SIIVAS), which was created to provide vessel inspection without confined space access.

The SIIVAS can provide fully encoded phased array ultrasonic (PAUT) and eddy current array (ECA) inspection in tanks and vessels of varying sizes (typical 16 inch to 6 foot diameter and up to 24 foot in length).  Automated and encoded 4-axis motion allows for precise probe placement, movement, and scanning coverage. Other examples include SI’s custom scanner for phased array UT (PAUT) inspections of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) fusion joints and SI’s LATITUDE™ non-mechanized encoding technology.

In addition to advanced Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods, Structural Integrity provides efficient and reliable services in support of most traditional methods, including surface eddy current testing, surface dry or wet magnetic particle examinations, liquid dye penetrant testing (contrast color or fluorescent methods), rubber medium contrast magnetic particle examinations, ultrasonic thickness/FAC testing, conventional UT shear and longitudinal wave examinations,

and materials testing services (hardness testing, surface replication, material composition testing).  Be it advanced ultrasonic solutions or traditional NDE needs, SI has the expertise.

Conventional pit gauge measurement of external corrosion on pipe surfaces can be a time-consuming and inaccurate process. To address this problem, Structural Integrity uses the Creaform HandyScan 3D™ laser scanner and accompanying Pipecheck® software to perform surface modeling and analysis.  The surface information is collected by measuring the variation of a laser crosshair projected onto the exterior of the scanned part.

The scanner has a resolution of 0.004 in. (0.1 mm) and an accuracy of 0.002 in. (0.05 mm).  It is very portable and can operate on battery power for field use. Overall, the 3D laser scanner improves accuracy, greatly reduces the amount of time spent gathering data for external corrosion on piping and creates accurate 3D models of difficult-to-measure parts.

Advantages

• Digital data record allows third party verification and routine monitoring
• Can be inspected on-line, even at elevated temperatures
• High-resolution, high-accuracy results
• Rapid data capture
• On-site analysis of pipe operability

Applications

• External corrosion mapping of vessels/piping
• Ovality characterization for pipes
• Generating 3D CAD models of complex components
• Modeling NDE/component interaction