Corrosion is a dangerous and extremely costly problem. This problem affects all industries including the aircraft industry. Because of corrosion, certain machine parts and objects can degrade and fail to perform as they should. For example, corroded electrical contacts can cause fires and other problems, corroded medical implants may lead to blood poisoning, etc.
What is Corrosion?
The most common kind of corrosion comes about as a result of electrochemical reactions. It occurs when the atoms of the surface of a metal surface becomes oxidized. This can damage the entire surface of any object. Unfortunately, most metals are easily oxidized which mean they must be protected from this process or must be able to be tested. This is where Non-destructive testing comes into the picture.
Detection
Of course, ultrasonic machines can be used to detect the presence and severity of corrosion where it exists in a machine part or piece of material. The uses of nondestructive testing equipment and a real time radiography system can be broken into several categories. These categories are:
- Material property measurements
- Process design for materials manufacturing
- Online process control
- Quality control as various stages of manufacturing are completed
Natural Protection
Not all metals are as susceptible to corrosion. Some metals acquire a natural passivity, or resistance to corrosion. This can happen when the metal reacts with, or corrodes in, the oxygen in air. Electrical currents can produce passive films on metals that do not normally have them. Non metal coatings to metal surfaces can also serve as a protectant against corrosion if they themselves do not become damaged or compromised.
Reliability of NDT for Corrosion Detection
For engineers, it is a matter of which method of corrosion detection is the most viable and the most accurate. This is known as the Probability of Detection (POD). Ultrasonic inspection of welds in aluminum for cracks, for example, has a high POD. Of course this is not where the usefulness of NDT ends. Non destructive testing can also detect cracks or other natural discontinuities with a high degree of accuracy.
We provide the latest and most accurate nondestructive testing equipment in the business. Our systems and machines are highly sensitive and will ensure the integrity of your fleets as long as they are handled by people who have the proper training and background. This will prevent your assets from failing at a critical time.