| Résumé : |
To take nondestructive testing (NDT) measurements at height, equipment such as aerial lifts, scaffolding, ladders, or other solutions are required to reach areas on ships, bridges, aboveground storage tanks, flare stacks, and other infrastructure and industrial sites. This is both dangerous, due to the possibility of falls, and time consuming. In certain instances, it may also require taking an asset, such as a flare stack, offline so it can be accessed to take NDT readings. Handheld digital testing devices are traditionally used to perform NDT inspections of material surfaces, with the inspector physically accessing all test sites to obtain a measurement.
Utilizing an aerial robotics platform for contact-based NDT measurements such as dry film thickness (DFT), surface profile (SP), or ultrasonic testing (UT) allows workers to remain safely on the ground while the device performs measurements at elevation. Figure 1 demonstrates how the pilot/inspector remains at ground level, while the aircraft approaches a ship for DFT measurements. In addition to being safer, the aerial robotic NDT measurement process can be faster due to the job no longer requiring access equipment and the manual intensity of a human measuring every inspection area.
The use of an aerial robotics platform is a novel application utilizing existing NDT devices and available drone technologies equipped with a system of complex integrations; custom sensor arrays, printed circuit boards (PCB) and software, that allows for a better application of science. The system has the potential to improve the inspection, testing, and data collection aspects of assets by making the NDT measurement process easier and safer. This allows for more frequent measurements and/or a larger quantity of measurement samples at a more efficient rate.
With an easier, faster, and safer method to collect NDT measurements from locations of height, we can expand the science of nondestructive testing by collecting data from locations where data was either inaccessible or difficult to obtain due to access issues, safety considerations, or other limitations. The patented aerial robotic system discussed in this article flies up to a structure, then under full autonomous software control, touches an NDT measurement probe (such as a DFT, SP, UT, etc.) to the target and records the measurement data compliant with SSPC, IMO PSPC, ISO, ASTM, API, or other standards. The goal of this article is to make readers aware of this new technology, specifically through DFT testing, as well as to provide information as to its efficacy, limitations, and operational requirements. |
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Contact-based nondestructive testing in COATINGS TECH, Vol. 15, N° 7 (07/2018)
