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Experience with CSWIP
Exl cim'
C 4VIP
In F e b r u a r y of t h i s y e a r The Welding Institute announced the a v a i l a b i l i t y of the new C e r t i f i c a t i o n Scheme for Weldment Inspection P e r s o n n e l (CSWIP). The t e c h n i c a l r e q u i r e m e n t s for the c e r t i f i c a t i o n of u l t r a s o n i c t e s t e r s w e r e p u b l i s h e d in Metal C o n s t r u c tion ( F e b r u a r y 1970) and in the B r i t i s h J o u r n a l of N o n - D e s t r u c t i v e T e s t i n g (March 1970). T e c h n i c a l r e q u i r e m e n t s for the c e r t i f i c a t i o n of r a d i o g r a p h i c p e r s o n n e l will have been announced by the t i m e this article appears.
The CSWIP s c h e m e had been under d i s c u s s i o n for o v e r two y e a r s in a working p a r t y , o p e r a t i n g under the a e g i s of The Welding Institute and the NonD e s t r u c t i v e T e s t i n g Society of G r e a t Britain, and in May 1969, following the d r a f t i n g of r e q u i r e m e n t s for the c e r t i f i c a t i o n of u l t r a s o n i c t e s t e r s , an independent Management B o a r d was constituted. The Constitution, T e r m s of R e f e r e n c e and Method of Working of this B o a r d w e r e p u b l i s h e d at the s a m e t i m e a s the technical r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r u l t r a s o n i c p e r s o n n e l . B r i e f l y , the function of the Board is to d e t e r m i n e g e n e r a l p o l i c y in the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n and execution of the s c h e m e , to d r a f t the t e c h n i c a l r e q u i r e m e n t s , and to a p p r o v e the f a c i l i t i e s and f e e s to be c h a r g e d by the o r g a n i s a t i o n o p e r a t i n g the s c h e m e . The Management B o a r d r e c o m m e n d e d that The Welding Institute be a s k e d to o p e r a t e the s c h e m e in D e c e m b e r 1969 and the f i r s t c a n d i d a t e s f o r u l t r a s o n i c c e r t i f i c a t i o n w e r e a c c e p t e d t o w a r d s the end of F e b r u a r y 1970.
RESULTS Up to the t i m e of writing, r e s u l t s for some 18 u l t r a sonic c a n d i d a t e s a r e a v a i l a b l e . Of t h e s e , 13 a t t e m p t e d o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a t i o n f o r the e x a m i n a t i o n of plate and pipe and had to r e p o r t on 6 weld s p e c i m e n s in addition to c a r r y i n g out w r i t t e n and o r a l t e s t s and c o m p u l s o r y c a l i b r a t i o n e x e r c i s e s and p a r e n t m e t a l checks. The other 5 a t t e m p t e d o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a t i o n in a c c o r d a n c e with Clause 3.6 of the r e q u i r e m e n t s ( C S W I P - U S T - I - 6 9 ) which involved 9 s p e c i m e n s i n cluding 3 nozzle or b r a n c h welds a s well a s the c o m p u l s o r y written, o r a l and other t e s t s . Two of the f i r s t 13 c a n d i d a t e s a c h i e v e d o v e r a l l qualification in plate and pipe and 2 f a i l e d to obtain a c e r t i f i c a t e , one due to f a i l u r e in the w r i t t e n and o r a l e x a m i n a t i o n and the other having p a s s e d e v e r y t h i n g but the six weld s p e c i m e n s . The r e m a i n i n g 9 c a n d i d a t e s seeking qualification in p l a t e and pipe a c h i e v e d p a r t i a l s u c c e s s . None of the 5 c a n d i d a t e s for o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a We a r e g r a t e f u l to Mr J. G. Young, S e c r e t a r y to CSWIP, Abington Hall, Abington, C a m b r i d g e CB1 6AL, UK for supplying the i n f o r m a t i o n on which t h i s a r t i c l e is based 408
n o n - d e s t r u c t i v e t e s t i n g D e c e m b e r 1970
tion achieved t h e i r goal, although 3 w e r e f a i r l y s u c c e s s f u l and will p r o b a b l y achieve o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a tion by r e - t a k i n g a few of the p r a c t i c a l weld s p e c i m e n s . One of t h e s e 5 c a n d i d a t e s did not obtain a c e r t i f i c a t e . Six of the f i r s t 13 c a n d i d a t e s had e i t h e r CEGB, AOTC or G a s Council A p p r o v a l s and t h e s e inc l u d e d the 2 who obtained the o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a t i o n . E x p e r i e n c e r a n g e d f r o m eight months to seven y e a r s . T h e r e was no p o s i t i v e c o r r e l a t i o n between e x p e r i ence and r e s u l t s , one of the b e t t e r r e s u l t s being obt a i n e d by the candidate with only twelve month e x p e r i e n c e , although he had a c o n s i d e r a b l e background in weld r a d i o g r a p h y . However, the c a n d i d a t e who p a s s e d the w r i t t e n e x a m i n a t i o n but f a i l e d a l l the p r a c t i c a l weld s p e c i m e n s only had eight mOnths e x p e r i ence. Most, but not all, the c a n d i d a t e s had r e c e n t l y taken an u l t r a s o n i c r e f r e s h e r c o u r s e at one of t h r e e e s t a b l i s h m e n t s but one of the highest s e t s of m a r k s was obtained by a candidate who had not been on such a course. The s t a n d a r d of r e p o r t i n g has been g e n e r a l l y low even though c a n d i d a t e s a r e i s s u e d with a s u g g e s t e d method of r e p o r t i n g s i m i l a r to that p u b l i s h e d in the Institute's 'Recommendations for Ultrasonic Testing of Butt Welds'. Many have been anxious to sentence a weldment of some a r b i t r a r y a c c e p t a n c e c r i t e r i o n i n stead of c o n c e n t r a t i n g on the p r o d u c t i o n of an a c c u r a t e r e p o r t on defect location, s i z e and type. A n u m b e r of c a n d i d a t e s w e r e only able to c a l i b r a t e for r e s t r i c t ed r a n g e s in s t e e l . All the r e q u i r e d c a l i b r a t i o n e x e r c i s e s for flaw d e t e c t o r s and p r o b e s only d e m a n d the r e p e t i t i o n of a n u m b e r of fundamental e x e r c i s e s . It is, t h e r e f o r e , difficult to u n d e r s t a n d why low m a r k s w e r e achieved for t h e s e v i t a l p r e r e q u i s i t e e x e r c i s e s .
AMENDMENT E x p e r i e n c e to date s u g g e s t s that to a t t e m p t o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a t i o n at one sitting i s r a t h e r a m b i t i o u s and c a n d i d a t e s m a y be b e t t e r a d v i s e d to a t t e m p t t h i s in two s t a g e s , p e r h a p s taking o v e r a l l p l a t e and pipe in the f i r s t sitting and a t t e m p t i n g p a r t i a l p e n e t r a t i o n and full p e n e t r a t i o n n o z z l e s at the second sitting. The S e c r e t a r y to CSWIP i n f o r m s us that a r r a n g e m e n t s
could be made for a single written examination to cover these two stages of p r a c t i c a l testing to avoid repetition. The original estimate that a candidate seeking overall qualification would need 21/2 days s e e m s to be on the low side, most candidates r e q u i r e three days and some have taken five. As a r e s u l t of the experience with the f i r s t candidates and other c o m m e n t s received, the Management Board has r e c e n t l y approved the issue of an amendment slip to the r e q u i r e m e n t s for ultrasonic certification and this was published in Metal Construction (August 1970). The principal point of the amendment is to make it possible for candidates who are only concerned with constructional steelwork to take a c e r t i fication m o r e specifically related to their needs. It is c l e a r l y u n n e c e s s a r y for a candidate who will only encounter plate fabrications to prove his proficiency in the examination of butt welds in pipe and welds in p r e s s u r e v e s s e l nozzles and branches. Another point covered in the amendment slip makes it c l e a r that the t e s t e r has a right of appeal to the Management Board on an equal footing to the rights of appeal of employing organisations in c a s e s of dispute c o n c e r n ing the proficiency of a certificated t e s t e r . Some clarification of c l a u s e s concerning overall c e r t i f i c a tion has also taken place. The Management Board policy is to continuously review the scheme and its r e s u l t s and to make such modifications as appear n e c e s s a r y in the light of experience. RADIOGRAPHY CERTIFICATION The approach to the certification of radiographic personnel is somewhat different in that three g r a d e s a r e recognised: Industrial Radiographer Grade II (Welds)--covering the man who is required to take and p r o c e s s radiographs, Industrial Radiographer Grade I (Welds)--for the man who is also required to int e r p r e t r a d i o g r a p h s and Industrial Radiologist (Welded Construction)--for the man of much m o r e experience and with m a n a g e r i a l responsibilities. In Phase 2, radiography by x- a n d / o r g a m m a r a y s is covered for wrought and cast f e r r o u s and n o n - f e r r o u s m a t e r i als in thicknesses which can be tackled by x - r a y s up to 400kVp and conventional g a m m a r a y sources. Each grade of personnel can take a qualification test in one or any combination of four metal groups, namely f e r r i t i c steels, anstenitic steels and nickel alloys, aluminium and its alloys and copper base alloys. Certification r e q u i r e m e n t s include written and oral tests, p r a c t i c a l work in the taking and p r o c e s s i n g of r a d i o g r a p h s and, where appropriate, interpretation e x e r c i s e s . It is anticipated that by the time this article appears this phase of the scheme will have c o m m e n c e d for f e r r i t i c steels and possibly for aluminium alloys. It is expected that specimens for the other two m a t e r i a l s groups will be available by 1st J a n u a r y 1971 when the whole scheme will be in o p e r a tion. To c a t e r for organisations using high voltage r a d i o graphic equipment and high activity Cobalt 60 g a m m a r a y sources, a third phase of the scheme will be introduced which will not be published until 1971. It is anticipaied, however, that p e r s o n s seeking quaUfication for such radiography will be required to take a P h a s e 2 certification in the appropriate grade and m a t e r i a l group and a supplementary written examination and, where appropriate, they will be required to interpret additional radiographs.
Candidates for o v e r a l l certification in u l t r a s o n i c s have to tackle 9 s p e c i m e n s of which 6 a r e shown h e r e
The Management Board is conscious of the fact that at p r e s e n t its responsibilities are confined to the certification of personnel engaged in the inspection of welded s t r u c t u r e s . It has, however, discussed the need for the certification of personnel engaged in the examination of wrought and cast unwelded products, such as steel plate, castings and forgings. With the encouragement of the Ministry of Technology the Board is taking steps to consult the appropriate bodies with a view to drafting r e q u i r e m e n t s for the certification of such personnel in r e s p e c t of both u l t r a s o n i c s and radiography. NEW RADIOGRAPHY LAB CSWIP is fortunate that The Welding Institute, due to the operations of the School of Applied N o n - D e s t r u c tive Testing, has the n e c e s s a r y buildings and equipment to operate CSWIP, without the heavy capital expenditure which would otherwise be involved. The buildings include a new radiographic laboratory with three exposure r o o m s , three dark rooms, a viewing room and an additional room suitable for CSWIP ultrasonic certification tests. Equipment includes 300kVp and 150kVp (Beryllium window) x - r a y equipment, dual container g a m m a ray equipment housing 5 c u r i e s (max) of Cobalt 60, 30 c u r i e s (max) of Iridium 192 s o u r c e s and a pipe unit housing 20 c u r i e s (max) of Iridium 192. Manual p r o cessing is employed and a rapid film d r y e r is p r o v i d e d . Ultrasonic equipment includes s e v e r a l Sonatest TESs, one K r a u t k r a m e r USK5 MR and one Krautk r a m e r USIP 10W flaw detector, and a c o m p r e h e n sive range of p r o b e s and calibration blocks. Candidates for ultrasonic certification can, if they wish (and most do) bring their own flaw detectors, leads and probes. One of the most important features of such a certification scheme is the quality and v a r i e t y of the welded test specimens which are used. Here the unique facilities of The Welding Institute have been employed to produce a range of almost 200 specimens covering both the ultrasonic and radiographic phases of the scheme. The ultrasonic specimens have been independently a s s e s s e d by a panel of experts and only approved specimens are used for the scheme. n o n - d e s t r u c t i v e testing D e c e m b e r 1970
409
Candidates also benefit from the fact that The Welding Institute is able, in most cases, to offer r e s i d e n tial accommodation and meals on the site.
12 y e a r s he has been closely associated with the work of the welding p r o c e s s departments. CHARGES
STAFF
The m e m b e r of the Institute staff c a r r y i n g overall responsibility for the administration of CSWIP is Mr J. G. Young, Manager Standards & Quality Control, who acts as S e c r e t a r y to the Management Board. It is Mr Young who decides whether or not a certificate should be issued on the basis of the evidence and r e sults supplied by the staff conducting the CSWIP examination. Each examination paper is p r e p a r e d along lines laid down by the Management Board, by the Institute's Head of Non-Destructive Testing, Mr F. W. Green, who also normally conducts the oral examinations. P r a c t i c a l e x e r c i s e s and weld specimen examinations are c a r r i e d out under the supervision of Mr M.W. Frost, Approvals Engineer, who has a thorough knowledge of each specimen since he supervised its manufacture and has been responsible for c a r r y i n g out radiographic and ultrasonic check tests on the defects present. Mr Young has been with the Institute since early 1957, initially as Head of the N o n - F e r r o u s Metallurgy s e c tion, later Chief Metallurgist N o n - F e r r o u s and then Head of P r o c e s s Applications Department, before taking up his p r e s e n t position in March 1969. Mr Green has been with the Institute since August 1969. He was responsible for pioneering the establishment of non-destructive testing in the Royal Air F o r c e and later f o r m e d their Non-Destructive T e s t ing Training School. Immediately p r i o r to joining the institute he was, for four y e a r s , Principal of Ilford L i m i t e d ' s Non-Destructive Testing Centre, where he was responsible for training c o u r s e s in both radiography and u l t r a s o n i c s and for industrial advisory s e r v i c e s on all aspects of ndt. Mr F r o s t has been with the Institute for 16 y e a r s . His experience in ndt dates f r o m 1958 when an NDT Service Department was formed at the f o r m e r BWRA. Mr F r o s t ' s f o r m a l introduction to u l t r a s o n i c s came in 1960 and '61 when he took the basic and advanced ultrasonic c o u r s e s run by the f o r m e r Institute of Welding. This has been augmented by p r a c t i c a l experience over s e v e r a l y e a r s , in p a r t i c u l a r on specimens containing weld defects for r e s e a r c h on the significance of defects in fatigue and in the c o u r s e of
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non-destructive testing D e c e m b e r 1970
The fees charged by The Welding Institute have to be approved by the Management B o a r d and are based on the capacity of the test house for accepting candidates. They range f r o m £ 15 for ultrasonic c e r t i f i c a tion in plate to £ 36 for an overall ultrasonic certificate involving 9 specimens; and from £ 16 for an Industrial Radiographer Grade II (Welds) taking a c e r tification for one metal group and one type of r a d i a tion, to £70 for an Industrial Radiologist (Welded Construction) seeking certification in all metal groups. Reductions may be made if m o r e than one candidate is submittted at the same time for a similar test.
CURRENT
CSWIP DOCUMENTS
MB 14 'Constitution, T e r m s of Reference and Method of Working of the Management B o a r d ' CSWIP-UST-1-69 'Requirements for the certification of personnel engaged in the ultrasonic testing of fusion welded f e r r i t i c steels in thicknesses of 6mm and abov e ' Amendment No 1 to CSWIP-UST-1-69 CSWIP-RAD-2-70 'Requirements for the c e r t i f i c a tion of personnel engaged in the radiographic examination of fusion welded joints in f e r r o u s and nonf e r r o u s wrought and cast m a t e r i a l s by x - r a d i o g r a p h y up to 400kVp and with conventional 7 - r a y s o u r c e s ' Syllabus (Ultrasonics) Syllabus (Radiography) Specimen Examination Questions (Ultrasonics) Specimen Examination Questions (Radiography) List of Specimens (Ultrasonics) List of Specimens (Radiography) Application F o r m and Scale of Charges (Ultrasonics) Application F o r m and Scale of Charges (Radiography) Further information on the scheme and all documents can be obtained by writing to the S e c r e t a r y to CSWIP, The Welding Institute, Abington, Cambridge.
C 4VIP
In F e b r u a r y of t h i s y e a r The Welding Institute announced the a v a i l a b i l i t y of the new C e r t i f i c a t i o n Scheme for Weldment Inspection P e r s o n n e l (CSWIP). The t e c h n i c a l r e q u i r e m e n t s for the c e r t i f i c a t i o n of u l t r a s o n i c t e s t e r s w e r e p u b l i s h e d in Metal C o n s t r u c tion ( F e b r u a r y 1970) and in the B r i t i s h J o u r n a l of N o n - D e s t r u c t i v e T e s t i n g (March 1970). T e c h n i c a l r e q u i r e m e n t s for the c e r t i f i c a t i o n of r a d i o g r a p h i c p e r s o n n e l will have been announced by the t i m e this article appears.
The CSWIP s c h e m e had been under d i s c u s s i o n for o v e r two y e a r s in a working p a r t y , o p e r a t i n g under the a e g i s of The Welding Institute and the NonD e s t r u c t i v e T e s t i n g Society of G r e a t Britain, and in May 1969, following the d r a f t i n g of r e q u i r e m e n t s for the c e r t i f i c a t i o n of u l t r a s o n i c t e s t e r s , an independent Management B o a r d was constituted. The Constitution, T e r m s of R e f e r e n c e and Method of Working of this B o a r d w e r e p u b l i s h e d at the s a m e t i m e a s the technical r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r u l t r a s o n i c p e r s o n n e l . B r i e f l y , the function of the Board is to d e t e r m i n e g e n e r a l p o l i c y in the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n and execution of the s c h e m e , to d r a f t the t e c h n i c a l r e q u i r e m e n t s , and to a p p r o v e the f a c i l i t i e s and f e e s to be c h a r g e d by the o r g a n i s a t i o n o p e r a t i n g the s c h e m e . The Management B o a r d r e c o m m e n d e d that The Welding Institute be a s k e d to o p e r a t e the s c h e m e in D e c e m b e r 1969 and the f i r s t c a n d i d a t e s f o r u l t r a s o n i c c e r t i f i c a t i o n w e r e a c c e p t e d t o w a r d s the end of F e b r u a r y 1970.
RESULTS Up to the t i m e of writing, r e s u l t s for some 18 u l t r a sonic c a n d i d a t e s a r e a v a i l a b l e . Of t h e s e , 13 a t t e m p t e d o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a t i o n f o r the e x a m i n a t i o n of plate and pipe and had to r e p o r t on 6 weld s p e c i m e n s in addition to c a r r y i n g out w r i t t e n and o r a l t e s t s and c o m p u l s o r y c a l i b r a t i o n e x e r c i s e s and p a r e n t m e t a l checks. The other 5 a t t e m p t e d o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a t i o n in a c c o r d a n c e with Clause 3.6 of the r e q u i r e m e n t s ( C S W I P - U S T - I - 6 9 ) which involved 9 s p e c i m e n s i n cluding 3 nozzle or b r a n c h welds a s well a s the c o m p u l s o r y written, o r a l and other t e s t s . Two of the f i r s t 13 c a n d i d a t e s a c h i e v e d o v e r a l l qualification in plate and pipe and 2 f a i l e d to obtain a c e r t i f i c a t e , one due to f a i l u r e in the w r i t t e n and o r a l e x a m i n a t i o n and the other having p a s s e d e v e r y t h i n g but the six weld s p e c i m e n s . The r e m a i n i n g 9 c a n d i d a t e s seeking qualification in p l a t e and pipe a c h i e v e d p a r t i a l s u c c e s s . None of the 5 c a n d i d a t e s for o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a We a r e g r a t e f u l to Mr J. G. Young, S e c r e t a r y to CSWIP, Abington Hall, Abington, C a m b r i d g e CB1 6AL, UK for supplying the i n f o r m a t i o n on which t h i s a r t i c l e is based 408
n o n - d e s t r u c t i v e t e s t i n g D e c e m b e r 1970
tion achieved t h e i r goal, although 3 w e r e f a i r l y s u c c e s s f u l and will p r o b a b l y achieve o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a tion by r e - t a k i n g a few of the p r a c t i c a l weld s p e c i m e n s . One of t h e s e 5 c a n d i d a t e s did not obtain a c e r t i f i c a t e . Six of the f i r s t 13 c a n d i d a t e s had e i t h e r CEGB, AOTC or G a s Council A p p r o v a l s and t h e s e inc l u d e d the 2 who obtained the o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a t i o n . E x p e r i e n c e r a n g e d f r o m eight months to seven y e a r s . T h e r e was no p o s i t i v e c o r r e l a t i o n between e x p e r i ence and r e s u l t s , one of the b e t t e r r e s u l t s being obt a i n e d by the candidate with only twelve month e x p e r i e n c e , although he had a c o n s i d e r a b l e background in weld r a d i o g r a p h y . However, the c a n d i d a t e who p a s s e d the w r i t t e n e x a m i n a t i o n but f a i l e d a l l the p r a c t i c a l weld s p e c i m e n s only had eight mOnths e x p e r i ence. Most, but not all, the c a n d i d a t e s had r e c e n t l y taken an u l t r a s o n i c r e f r e s h e r c o u r s e at one of t h r e e e s t a b l i s h m e n t s but one of the highest s e t s of m a r k s was obtained by a candidate who had not been on such a course. The s t a n d a r d of r e p o r t i n g has been g e n e r a l l y low even though c a n d i d a t e s a r e i s s u e d with a s u g g e s t e d method of r e p o r t i n g s i m i l a r to that p u b l i s h e d in the Institute's 'Recommendations for Ultrasonic Testing of Butt Welds'. Many have been anxious to sentence a weldment of some a r b i t r a r y a c c e p t a n c e c r i t e r i o n i n stead of c o n c e n t r a t i n g on the p r o d u c t i o n of an a c c u r a t e r e p o r t on defect location, s i z e and type. A n u m b e r of c a n d i d a t e s w e r e only able to c a l i b r a t e for r e s t r i c t ed r a n g e s in s t e e l . All the r e q u i r e d c a l i b r a t i o n e x e r c i s e s for flaw d e t e c t o r s and p r o b e s only d e m a n d the r e p e t i t i o n of a n u m b e r of fundamental e x e r c i s e s . It is, t h e r e f o r e , difficult to u n d e r s t a n d why low m a r k s w e r e achieved for t h e s e v i t a l p r e r e q u i s i t e e x e r c i s e s .
AMENDMENT E x p e r i e n c e to date s u g g e s t s that to a t t e m p t o v e r a l l c e r t i f i c a t i o n at one sitting i s r a t h e r a m b i t i o u s and c a n d i d a t e s m a y be b e t t e r a d v i s e d to a t t e m p t t h i s in two s t a g e s , p e r h a p s taking o v e r a l l p l a t e and pipe in the f i r s t sitting and a t t e m p t i n g p a r t i a l p e n e t r a t i o n and full p e n e t r a t i o n n o z z l e s at the second sitting. The S e c r e t a r y to CSWIP i n f o r m s us that a r r a n g e m e n t s
could be made for a single written examination to cover these two stages of p r a c t i c a l testing to avoid repetition. The original estimate that a candidate seeking overall qualification would need 21/2 days s e e m s to be on the low side, most candidates r e q u i r e three days and some have taken five. As a r e s u l t of the experience with the f i r s t candidates and other c o m m e n t s received, the Management Board has r e c e n t l y approved the issue of an amendment slip to the r e q u i r e m e n t s for ultrasonic certification and this was published in Metal Construction (August 1970). The principal point of the amendment is to make it possible for candidates who are only concerned with constructional steelwork to take a c e r t i fication m o r e specifically related to their needs. It is c l e a r l y u n n e c e s s a r y for a candidate who will only encounter plate fabrications to prove his proficiency in the examination of butt welds in pipe and welds in p r e s s u r e v e s s e l nozzles and branches. Another point covered in the amendment slip makes it c l e a r that the t e s t e r has a right of appeal to the Management Board on an equal footing to the rights of appeal of employing organisations in c a s e s of dispute c o n c e r n ing the proficiency of a certificated t e s t e r . Some clarification of c l a u s e s concerning overall c e r t i f i c a tion has also taken place. The Management Board policy is to continuously review the scheme and its r e s u l t s and to make such modifications as appear n e c e s s a r y in the light of experience. RADIOGRAPHY CERTIFICATION The approach to the certification of radiographic personnel is somewhat different in that three g r a d e s a r e recognised: Industrial Radiographer Grade II (Welds)--covering the man who is required to take and p r o c e s s radiographs, Industrial Radiographer Grade I (Welds)--for the man who is also required to int e r p r e t r a d i o g r a p h s and Industrial Radiologist (Welded Construction)--for the man of much m o r e experience and with m a n a g e r i a l responsibilities. In Phase 2, radiography by x- a n d / o r g a m m a r a y s is covered for wrought and cast f e r r o u s and n o n - f e r r o u s m a t e r i als in thicknesses which can be tackled by x - r a y s up to 400kVp and conventional g a m m a r a y sources. Each grade of personnel can take a qualification test in one or any combination of four metal groups, namely f e r r i t i c steels, anstenitic steels and nickel alloys, aluminium and its alloys and copper base alloys. Certification r e q u i r e m e n t s include written and oral tests, p r a c t i c a l work in the taking and p r o c e s s i n g of r a d i o g r a p h s and, where appropriate, interpretation e x e r c i s e s . It is anticipated that by the time this article appears this phase of the scheme will have c o m m e n c e d for f e r r i t i c steels and possibly for aluminium alloys. It is expected that specimens for the other two m a t e r i a l s groups will be available by 1st J a n u a r y 1971 when the whole scheme will be in o p e r a tion. To c a t e r for organisations using high voltage r a d i o graphic equipment and high activity Cobalt 60 g a m m a r a y sources, a third phase of the scheme will be introduced which will not be published until 1971. It is anticipaied, however, that p e r s o n s seeking quaUfication for such radiography will be required to take a P h a s e 2 certification in the appropriate grade and m a t e r i a l group and a supplementary written examination and, where appropriate, they will be required to interpret additional radiographs.
Candidates for o v e r a l l certification in u l t r a s o n i c s have to tackle 9 s p e c i m e n s of which 6 a r e shown h e r e
The Management Board is conscious of the fact that at p r e s e n t its responsibilities are confined to the certification of personnel engaged in the inspection of welded s t r u c t u r e s . It has, however, discussed the need for the certification of personnel engaged in the examination of wrought and cast unwelded products, such as steel plate, castings and forgings. With the encouragement of the Ministry of Technology the Board is taking steps to consult the appropriate bodies with a view to drafting r e q u i r e m e n t s for the certification of such personnel in r e s p e c t of both u l t r a s o n i c s and radiography. NEW RADIOGRAPHY LAB CSWIP is fortunate that The Welding Institute, due to the operations of the School of Applied N o n - D e s t r u c tive Testing, has the n e c e s s a r y buildings and equipment to operate CSWIP, without the heavy capital expenditure which would otherwise be involved. The buildings include a new radiographic laboratory with three exposure r o o m s , three dark rooms, a viewing room and an additional room suitable for CSWIP ultrasonic certification tests. Equipment includes 300kVp and 150kVp (Beryllium window) x - r a y equipment, dual container g a m m a ray equipment housing 5 c u r i e s (max) of Cobalt 60, 30 c u r i e s (max) of Iridium 192 s o u r c e s and a pipe unit housing 20 c u r i e s (max) of Iridium 192. Manual p r o cessing is employed and a rapid film d r y e r is p r o v i d e d . Ultrasonic equipment includes s e v e r a l Sonatest TESs, one K r a u t k r a m e r USK5 MR and one Krautk r a m e r USIP 10W flaw detector, and a c o m p r e h e n sive range of p r o b e s and calibration blocks. Candidates for ultrasonic certification can, if they wish (and most do) bring their own flaw detectors, leads and probes. One of the most important features of such a certification scheme is the quality and v a r i e t y of the welded test specimens which are used. Here the unique facilities of The Welding Institute have been employed to produce a range of almost 200 specimens covering both the ultrasonic and radiographic phases of the scheme. The ultrasonic specimens have been independently a s s e s s e d by a panel of experts and only approved specimens are used for the scheme. n o n - d e s t r u c t i v e testing D e c e m b e r 1970
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Candidates also benefit from the fact that The Welding Institute is able, in most cases, to offer r e s i d e n tial accommodation and meals on the site.
12 y e a r s he has been closely associated with the work of the welding p r o c e s s departments. CHARGES
STAFF
The m e m b e r of the Institute staff c a r r y i n g overall responsibility for the administration of CSWIP is Mr J. G. Young, Manager Standards & Quality Control, who acts as S e c r e t a r y to the Management Board. It is Mr Young who decides whether or not a certificate should be issued on the basis of the evidence and r e sults supplied by the staff conducting the CSWIP examination. Each examination paper is p r e p a r e d along lines laid down by the Management Board, by the Institute's Head of Non-Destructive Testing, Mr F. W. Green, who also normally conducts the oral examinations. P r a c t i c a l e x e r c i s e s and weld specimen examinations are c a r r i e d out under the supervision of Mr M.W. Frost, Approvals Engineer, who has a thorough knowledge of each specimen since he supervised its manufacture and has been responsible for c a r r y i n g out radiographic and ultrasonic check tests on the defects present. Mr Young has been with the Institute since early 1957, initially as Head of the N o n - F e r r o u s Metallurgy s e c tion, later Chief Metallurgist N o n - F e r r o u s and then Head of P r o c e s s Applications Department, before taking up his p r e s e n t position in March 1969. Mr Green has been with the Institute since August 1969. He was responsible for pioneering the establishment of non-destructive testing in the Royal Air F o r c e and later f o r m e d their Non-Destructive T e s t ing Training School. Immediately p r i o r to joining the institute he was, for four y e a r s , Principal of Ilford L i m i t e d ' s Non-Destructive Testing Centre, where he was responsible for training c o u r s e s in both radiography and u l t r a s o n i c s and for industrial advisory s e r v i c e s on all aspects of ndt. Mr F r o s t has been with the Institute for 16 y e a r s . His experience in ndt dates f r o m 1958 when an NDT Service Department was formed at the f o r m e r BWRA. Mr F r o s t ' s f o r m a l introduction to u l t r a s o n i c s came in 1960 and '61 when he took the basic and advanced ultrasonic c o u r s e s run by the f o r m e r Institute of Welding. This has been augmented by p r a c t i c a l experience over s e v e r a l y e a r s , in p a r t i c u l a r on specimens containing weld defects for r e s e a r c h on the significance of defects in fatigue and in the c o u r s e of
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The fees charged by The Welding Institute have to be approved by the Management B o a r d and are based on the capacity of the test house for accepting candidates. They range f r o m £ 15 for ultrasonic c e r t i f i c a tion in plate to £ 36 for an overall ultrasonic certificate involving 9 specimens; and from £ 16 for an Industrial Radiographer Grade II (Welds) taking a c e r tification for one metal group and one type of r a d i a tion, to £70 for an Industrial Radiologist (Welded Construction) seeking certification in all metal groups. Reductions may be made if m o r e than one candidate is submittted at the same time for a similar test.
CURRENT
CSWIP DOCUMENTS
MB 14 'Constitution, T e r m s of Reference and Method of Working of the Management B o a r d ' CSWIP-UST-1-69 'Requirements for the certification of personnel engaged in the ultrasonic testing of fusion welded f e r r i t i c steels in thicknesses of 6mm and abov e ' Amendment No 1 to CSWIP-UST-1-69 CSWIP-RAD-2-70 'Requirements for the c e r t i f i c a tion of personnel engaged in the radiographic examination of fusion welded joints in f e r r o u s and nonf e r r o u s wrought and cast m a t e r i a l s by x - r a d i o g r a p h y up to 400kVp and with conventional 7 - r a y s o u r c e s ' Syllabus (Ultrasonics) Syllabus (Radiography) Specimen Examination Questions (Ultrasonics) Specimen Examination Questions (Radiography) List of Specimens (Ultrasonics) List of Specimens (Radiography) Application F o r m and Scale of Charges (Ultrasonics) Application F o r m and Scale of Charges (Radiography) Further information on the scheme and all documents can be obtained by writing to the S e c r e t a r y to CSWIP, The Welding Institute, Abington, Cambridge.