Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) for Tubes, Bars & Wires

Current Scenario of Steel Industry
Steel being used as a raw material and an intermediary product in various sectors. Production and consumption of steel have been seen as measures of contribution to technological development. The per capita consumption of steel in India is around 77.2kg, which is 1/3rd of the average world per capita consumption of 233kg. India is the second largest crude steel producer in the world, with a production of 118.1mT. However, India has a per capita consumption of 77.2kg, gone up by 50% in the last 8 years and the rest of the major produced steel is been exported which is around 50-60%.

Flat steel products (steel & plates) and long steel products (bars, wire rods, structural and rails) each account for 46% of total global shipments, while pipes and tubes have a share of 8%. More than 50% involves in the manufacturing of steel, bars, wires, tubes, pipes, sheets, etc within India which proves to be a dominant position with respect to other economic sources of the nation.

Why Non-Destructive Testing Is Important
Before considering any material into practice it is important to check the quality of the material. Non-destructive testing is a critical tool in ensuring safety and quality. It can be used to test for a variety of potential problems, from cracks and other defects to manufacturing issues. By catching these problems early, NDT can help avoid costly repairs or replacements down the line.

What Is Eddy Current Testing (ECT)?
ECT is one of several Non-Destructive-Testing (NDT) methods that generally allow thorough but harmless inspection of materials without actually touching them or requiring its destruction during sampling. ECT uses minor electro-magnetic induction and can inspect conductive metal or steel materials – either semi-finished or finished goods, for structural defects, damages, cracks, inclusions on the surface or sub-surface. Today it is an internationally well accepted testing method in the steel and metal processing industry.

Pruftechnik ECT products specialize in the testing/inspection of semi-finished metal/steel materials during their longitudinal production or shaping, such as steel tube, bar, wire, or hot wire. Both for inline or offline production processes.

How To Choose the Correct Equipment
There are various parameters that should be considered while selecting specific equipment to carry out a smooth inspection. Majorly for tubes, bars & wires the defects seen are circumferential and longitudinal defects.

For a circumferential defect in a metallic material, NDT inspection can be done conveniently using an encircling coil eddy system. In encircling coil eddy current inspection the product is passed through or adjacent to an electrical test coil, which has been excited by an alternating current. This induces a flow of eddy currents around the test material or in the case of a sector coil, in the area under the coil. Short, intermittent anomalies or flaws cause a variation in the eddy current pattern, which the instrument detects.

For longitudinal defects rotating head eddy current testing is carried out. The rotating system scans the surface of the product to be inspected without contact. Due to the high resolution and the orientation of the probes perpendicular to the cracks, these systems are capable of detecting long, uniform defects – unlike encircling coil systems.

In the case of both longitudinal and circumferential flaw detection, a complete testing system with the combination of an encircling coil and rotating head system both are used.

Semi-finished products, which are often used in safety-critical parts for public transport, automobiles, construction, etc. where surface condition is a concern magnetic flux leakage testing can be the ultimate solution.

In the Flux leakage method, AC current flows through two rotating magnetizing yokes. The yokes magnetize the test piece at a distance of a few millimeters. Special test shoes with protected probes located between the yoke arms scan the surface of the test piece by sliding over it. The AC magnetic field generates a magnetic flux inside the test piece. If the test piece has man inconsistency in its surface, the magnetic field is deviated and a leakage flux is generated. The sliding probes detect the leakage flux and the NOVAFLUX testing system displays and reports this deviation including exact localization information. In this way, defects as small as 0.1mm can be detected.

Products We Offer
EDDYCHEK 6 Series
EDDYCHEK 605 COMPACT: It is the economic eddy current testing system for reliable quality and process control for the inspection of Tubes, bars & wires upto 5 channels and 3 test positions.

EDDYCHEK 605: It is a Reliable, economical, powerful eddy current testing system for advanced quality and process control used in production with a fully digital signal processing up to 5 channel 3 test positions.

EDDYCHEK 610: It is a Reliable, economical, powerful eddy current testing system for advanced quality and process control used in production with a fully digital signal processing up to 10 channel 6 test positions.

Classic crack testing with the encircling coil in combination with a fast-rotating system and automatic distance compensation, as well as the welding seam check. Marking and sorting equipment control or integration into the system control are included in the standard – regardless of test speed and required signal resolution.

NOVAFLUX Inspection System
Easy to integrate, reliable, cost saving.

• Compatibility
• Testing at high speeds
• Savings on material
• Cost-effective investment

Based on the flux leakage method, the Novaflux rotating unit finds miniscule surface defects typical for bars and tubes. The defects can be as small as 0.1mm and are distinctly by pseudo signals from uneven surfaces. Integration in the existing production line with inspection speed up to 3m/s and comes with 3 alarm levels with the ease of segregating the material as per requirement.

Hereby, with over 90 successful installations in Eddy Current Testing and Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing systems throughout India, FLUKE Reliability/ Prüftechnik NDT GmbH has firmly established itself as a frontrunner in developing cutting-edge and practical solutions for testing various types of semi-finished metal tubes, bars, and wires. Expertise spans across the entire production process, enabling us to deliver accurate and reliable testing capabilities for both in-process and final inspections.

Collaborating with Arora Technologies (P) Limited, a renowned name in NDT Products and Accessories, we are poised to revolutionize the industry by delivering exceptional quality products and services. Our partnership signifies a shared commitment to provide with unmatched solutions that address customer’s specific testing requirements.

Arora Technologies (P) Limited
Web : www.arorandt.com