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MatEval purchased by Rolls-Royce after going into receivership
ternationai news---Underwater N DE centre is opened in London The Underwater NDE Centre of University College London was formally opened at a ceremony on 25 February held at the City University. The aims of the centre, which uses the City University's facilities for its trials, are: • to research new and existing NDT techniques for use underwater • to research into the automation of underwater NDT • to develop software for the statistical analysis of reliability trials data • to improve the reliability of offshore NDT As 200 to 300 cracks are estimated to be necessary to produce statistically reliable results for inspection trials, the centre's Technical Director, Professor W.D. Dover, and its Manager, David Topp, decided that destructive sectioning of full size offshore samples would be too expensive. Consequently it was proposed that NDT would be used to characterize the defects. Thus a library of specimens could be built up and reused.
• underwater detection trial Diver trials are to be conducted in the centre's 5 m deep tank during library production, so that uncracked specimens can be presented to the divers to determine whether expectation of cracks affects performance. The aim is to produce probability of detection curves which will allow more cost effective inspection and perhaps indicate the need to develop MPI further. Probability of detection trials are also planned for eddy currents and ultrasonic creeping waves, followed by probability of sizing trials using ACPD and TOFD. The underwater centre comes out of the London Centre for Marine Technology which has been investigating the fatigue of offshore structures for some years, in conjunction with other British universities. Recent work on fatigue and defect assessment has developed a fracture mechanics analysis technique which can estimate remanent lives for offshore structures.
An industry forum held three years ago decided that a fitness-forpurpose inspection philosophy was now possible following the fatigue and fracture mechanics work already done, but that the reliability of inspection was holding such a development back. It was then that it was decided that inspection trials similar to those already carried out in the aerospace and nuclear industries should be conducted, and the establishment of the Underwater NDE Centre was begun. The fatigue programme is still underway with a third two-year phase expected to begin later this year. In this programme repair technology and low-cost design are to be considered, and an attempt will be made to produce a software package for remanent life calculations. For more details of any aspects of the centre's work contact:
Underwater hIDE Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WCI E 7JE UK
A research programme to see if this was possible has been completed; it showed that magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and alternating current potential drop (ACPD) techniques must both be used for crack detection and length measurement, while ultrasonic time-of-flight diffraction and ACPD are necessary for crack depth sizing and crack shape measu rement. The library of specimens is currently being built up, using Instron actuators to form fatigue cracks in tubular specimens. The specimens consist of short vertical sections with a number of welded joints in each. Also underway is the centre's first trial, on MPI. This is divided into three phases: • investigation into magnetic field strength distribution around tubular welded joints • air trial to determine the effect of field strength on detection of fatigue cracks in tubular joints
NDT International June 1987
Alick Buchanan-Smith, UK Energy Minister, speaks to Professor W.D. Dover (right) and Professor R.M. Franklin (centre) before opening the UCL Underwater NDE Centre
MatEval purchased by Rolls-Royce after going into receivership The assets of MatEval Ltd, the Warrington-based NDT company, have been purchased by RollsRoyce plc.
The receivers, from Cork Gully of Manchester, have set a date of 23 June for a creditors meeting for the old company.
The transaction, which took place on 11 May 1987, follows the insolvency of MatEval and the appointment of official receivers on 13 April.
The new firm, Rolls-Royce MatEval, was continuing to trade from the Warrington premises at the time of going to press.
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• underwater detection trial Diver trials are to be conducted in the centre's 5 m deep tank during library production, so that uncracked specimens can be presented to the divers to determine whether expectation of cracks affects performance. The aim is to produce probability of detection curves which will allow more cost effective inspection and perhaps indicate the need to develop MPI further. Probability of detection trials are also planned for eddy currents and ultrasonic creeping waves, followed by probability of sizing trials using ACPD and TOFD. The underwater centre comes out of the London Centre for Marine Technology which has been investigating the fatigue of offshore structures for some years, in conjunction with other British universities. Recent work on fatigue and defect assessment has developed a fracture mechanics analysis technique which can estimate remanent lives for offshore structures.
An industry forum held three years ago decided that a fitness-forpurpose inspection philosophy was now possible following the fatigue and fracture mechanics work already done, but that the reliability of inspection was holding such a development back. It was then that it was decided that inspection trials similar to those already carried out in the aerospace and nuclear industries should be conducted, and the establishment of the Underwater NDE Centre was begun. The fatigue programme is still underway with a third two-year phase expected to begin later this year. In this programme repair technology and low-cost design are to be considered, and an attempt will be made to produce a software package for remanent life calculations. For more details of any aspects of the centre's work contact:
Underwater hIDE Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WCI E 7JE UK
A research programme to see if this was possible has been completed; it showed that magnetic particle inspection (MPI) and alternating current potential drop (ACPD) techniques must both be used for crack detection and length measurement, while ultrasonic time-of-flight diffraction and ACPD are necessary for crack depth sizing and crack shape measu rement. The library of specimens is currently being built up, using Instron actuators to form fatigue cracks in tubular specimens. The specimens consist of short vertical sections with a number of welded joints in each. Also underway is the centre's first trial, on MPI. This is divided into three phases: • investigation into magnetic field strength distribution around tubular welded joints • air trial to determine the effect of field strength on detection of fatigue cracks in tubular joints
NDT International June 1987
Alick Buchanan-Smith, UK Energy Minister, speaks to Professor W.D. Dover (right) and Professor R.M. Franklin (centre) before opening the UCL Underwater NDE Centre
MatEval purchased by Rolls-Royce after going into receivership The assets of MatEval Ltd, the Warrington-based NDT company, have been purchased by RollsRoyce plc.
The receivers, from Cork Gully of Manchester, have set a date of 23 June for a creditors meeting for the old company.
The transaction, which took place on 11 May 1987, follows the insolvency of MatEval and the appointment of official receivers on 13 April.
The new firm, Rolls-Royce MatEval, was continuing to trade from the Warrington premises at the time of going to press.
183