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Turnkey NDT company bought out
-International newsUK and US companies sign marketing agreement A marketing agreement has been signed between Qualcorp Inc of Connecticut, USA, and Hocking NDT of St Albans, UK. Hocking will sell Qualcorp's products, which include Automation Industries and Automation/Sperry equipment, in the UK, Europe and the Middle East while Qualcorp will purchase Hocking Inc, the U K firm's US subsidiary, in order to market Hocking equipment in the USA. Hocking currently concentrates on eddy current testing equipment and ultrasonic systems, particularly for the aerospace industry.Qualcorp's specialities are scanning tanks and
Helicopter tested Flight testing of theAnglo/Italian EH 101 helicopter is to be simulated by Westland Helicopters using a 25-channel airframe test system. The computer-controlled servohydraulic activators will be located at points along the test specimen, which will consist of the complete cabin structure, forward and rear fuselages and dummy tail boom. Multichannel test routines will be run 24 hours a day to simulate 25 years' service in 2Y2 years. A 300-channel data logger will monitor and record dynamic measurements from strain gauges mounted on the airframe. The £ 4 5 0 000 test system is to be supplied by Schenck and will be commissioned over the next year.
programmed ultrasonic systems, radiographic equipment, and laser scanning and dimensional checking units. Don Hocking, managing director of the U K firm, said that he expects one-half of the company's sales revenue to come from Qualcorp products in 18 months time, with a 50-60% revenue increase each year for the next 3-4 years.
• Hocking hasalsoannounced the formation of a joint venture company in Japan, Nippon Hocking KK. The agreement was signed in early October.
Hocking NDT Ltd, Inspec House, 129-135 Camp Road, St AIbans, HertsAL 1 5HP, UK,"Qualcorp Inc, Shelter Rock Road, Danbury, CT 06810, USA
Helicopter blades tested by thermal analysis Inspection of composite helicopter blades using thermal analysis is being undertaken byWestland Helicopters at Yeovil, U K. The glass and carbon fibre reinforced composite blades are inspected to detect bonding defects between the thin reinforced plastic skin and the composite spar section. The blade is held securely in a test rig and is heated bya hot air blower, moving at constant speed along its length, to about 20°C above the ambient temperature. Mounted next to the blower is an infrared thermal imager which records the cooling surface image on video tape. The surface lens distance is 0.5 m; a resolution of 1:100 is claimed, allowing defects of 5 mm across to be detected. The slower rate of cooling of unbonded areas results in their showing up as hot spots on the viewing screen.
One side of the rotor blade can be scanned in three scans, taking one hour. Previously inspection was done using a Fokker Bond Tester which took around eight hours to cover the same area. Currently each blade is turned to complete the inspection but another Agema Thermovision 782 detector is being considered to view both sides of the blade at the same time.
Hardness tester gives readings on flat or cylindrical material samples A portable electronic hardness tester which can give readings from flat or cylindrical materials and full statistical process control facilities is available from Tesa Metrology.
Tesa Metrology Ltd, PO Box 418, Halesfield 8, Telford, Shropshire TF7 4QN, UK
Schenck Ltd, Station Approach, Bicester, Oxon OX6 7BZ, UK
Turnkey NDT company bought out SI (System and Instrumentation) Ltd has been acquired by Lloyds British Testing. The Worcestershire-based company currently specializes in turnkey N DT systems for the aerospace, engineering, nuclear, steel and medical engineering industries. New managing director is Jim Purdy of Lloyds British Testing Group, Atlas
House, 4 / 6 Be/well Lane, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B 74 4AB, UK
NDT International December 1987
Hot air blower and thermal imager, used to test composite helicopter blade
363
Helicopter tested Flight testing of theAnglo/Italian EH 101 helicopter is to be simulated by Westland Helicopters using a 25-channel airframe test system. The computer-controlled servohydraulic activators will be located at points along the test specimen, which will consist of the complete cabin structure, forward and rear fuselages and dummy tail boom. Multichannel test routines will be run 24 hours a day to simulate 25 years' service in 2Y2 years. A 300-channel data logger will monitor and record dynamic measurements from strain gauges mounted on the airframe. The £ 4 5 0 000 test system is to be supplied by Schenck and will be commissioned over the next year.
programmed ultrasonic systems, radiographic equipment, and laser scanning and dimensional checking units. Don Hocking, managing director of the U K firm, said that he expects one-half of the company's sales revenue to come from Qualcorp products in 18 months time, with a 50-60% revenue increase each year for the next 3-4 years.
• Hocking hasalsoannounced the formation of a joint venture company in Japan, Nippon Hocking KK. The agreement was signed in early October.
Hocking NDT Ltd, Inspec House, 129-135 Camp Road, St AIbans, HertsAL 1 5HP, UK,"Qualcorp Inc, Shelter Rock Road, Danbury, CT 06810, USA
Helicopter blades tested by thermal analysis Inspection of composite helicopter blades using thermal analysis is being undertaken byWestland Helicopters at Yeovil, U K. The glass and carbon fibre reinforced composite blades are inspected to detect bonding defects between the thin reinforced plastic skin and the composite spar section. The blade is held securely in a test rig and is heated bya hot air blower, moving at constant speed along its length, to about 20°C above the ambient temperature. Mounted next to the blower is an infrared thermal imager which records the cooling surface image on video tape. The surface lens distance is 0.5 m; a resolution of 1:100 is claimed, allowing defects of 5 mm across to be detected. The slower rate of cooling of unbonded areas results in their showing up as hot spots on the viewing screen.
One side of the rotor blade can be scanned in three scans, taking one hour. Previously inspection was done using a Fokker Bond Tester which took around eight hours to cover the same area. Currently each blade is turned to complete the inspection but another Agema Thermovision 782 detector is being considered to view both sides of the blade at the same time.
Hardness tester gives readings on flat or cylindrical material samples A portable electronic hardness tester which can give readings from flat or cylindrical materials and full statistical process control facilities is available from Tesa Metrology.
Tesa Metrology Ltd, PO Box 418, Halesfield 8, Telford, Shropshire TF7 4QN, UK
Schenck Ltd, Station Approach, Bicester, Oxon OX6 7BZ, UK
Turnkey NDT company bought out SI (System and Instrumentation) Ltd has been acquired by Lloyds British Testing. The Worcestershire-based company currently specializes in turnkey N DT systems for the aerospace, engineering, nuclear, steel and medical engineering industries. New managing director is Jim Purdy of Lloyds British Testing Group, Atlas
House, 4 / 6 Be/well Lane, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B 74 4AB, UK
NDT International December 1987
Hot air blower and thermal imager, used to test composite helicopter blade
363