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UKRAINIAN SOCIETYFOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING |
Main NDT Centres |
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E.O.Paton Electric Welding Institute G.V.Karpenko Physico-Mechanical Institute National Technical University "Kiev Polytechnical Institute" Ukrainian Research Institute of Manufacturing Engineering ‘Antonov’ Aircraft Scientific-Engineering Complex ‘Zond’ Research-Production Company E.O.Paton Electric Welding Institute
Attaching great importance to progress of NDT in welding production, the E.O.Paton Electric Welding Institute, already in 1955 established the laboratory of the physical methods of non-destructive testing of the quality of welded joints, which later developed into a research department and two design-technological departments. The best known developments of the E.O.Paton Electric Welding Institute on NDT are a range of automated units for ultrasonic testing of the quality of welded joints of large-diameter pipes. Such units are operating in the pipe and metallurgical plants, pipe-welding bases, and in the construction of the line pipelines in several countries.
Besides large-diameter pipes, ultrasonic testing is used for checking the welded joints of drill bits, components of wind-driven electric plants, welded joints of light alloys and non-metallic materials, for an integrated inspection of various objects. A range of training aids developed at the Institute allows the operators to be trained effectively.
New technological capabilities in the performance of ultrasonic testing were implemented in the application of computerised flaw detectors, which allow development of new technologies and control of various especially critical and complex components.
Considerable attention is given in the Institute to the application of the methods of acoustic emission and optical holography for engineering diagnostics of the service life and the stressed-strained state of welded metal structures.
In the field of radiation methods of control, development work was performed in order to create the X-ray detectors with a low content of silver, X-ray TV systems with improved performance for automatic interpretation of the X-ray TV images, portable radiometers and dosimeters, creation of portable equipment for radioscopy of the welded joints of pipelines, etc.
A unique high-energy radiation laboratory is functioning at the Institute, in which studies can be performed and thick items can be controlled using powerful X-ray units and betatrons.
Developments in the field of magnetic inspection should be noted, namely indirect magneto-acoustic flaw detector for integrated control of the sleeves of tractor engine cylinders, multi-purpose flaw detector for control of complex-shaped welded joints, flaw detector based on the welding power source, portable magnetisation devices incorporating permanent magnets.
In order to control the tightness of welded joints on various products and structures, a range of units and complexes for control of pipes, pipelines, tanks, protective casings were developed, in particular, a set of put-on vacuum chambers for sheet structures.
The Interbranch Educational Centre of Welding and Control and the Certification Centre on NDT, are functioning at the Institute. G.V.Karpenko Physico-Mechanical Institute
The Institute has many-year experience of investigations and developments in the field of NDT. These are, mainly, developments which allowed creation of a series of eddy current flaw detectors for various applications. The Institute has traditionally studied the physico-mechanical properties of materials, their stressed-strained state, fracture mechanics and developed on this basis the procedures and instruments which measure the properties and predict the behaviour of materials. Quite important are also developments of technologies and equipment for control of thickness and adhesion of thin protective coatings on various bases, corrosion control of underground pipelines by indirect method, acoustic emission control of hydrogen and corrosion cracking in structural materials, etc. National Technical University "Kiev Polytechnical Institute"
The University developed a method of determination of the material residual strength, based on measurement of the change of phase velocity of ultrasonic waves, as well as an ultrasonic flaw detector-tomograph with multi-element transducers of the type of phased acoustic array. It enables control of the internal structure of materials and products of up to 300 mm thickness, with the resolution of up to 0.5 mm. In the same university, work on NDT is also carried out in the welding and electro-acoustic departments. Ukrainian Research Institute of Manufacturing Engineering
One of the centres of non-destructive testing is the Ukrainian Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering Technologies (UkrNIITM), which is a division of well-known the ‘Pivdenny’ (‘Yuzhnii’-rus.) aerospace concern (Dniepropetrovsk). In the NDT field it specialises in the control of the quality and measurement of the thickness of non-metallic structures, various protective coatings on metallic surfaces and a number of other works. During many years of work Institute developed unique technologies of non-destructive testing, which were used in the fabrication of space vehicles:
The experts from ‘Pivdenny’ have many applied developments in the field of NDT in space systems. The many-year experience in the field of non-destructive testing gained in these organisations, is worthy of special attention, but is now used inefficiently. The efforts of the experts from ‘Pivdenny’ have made it possible for Ukraine to become firmly established in the first three of space powers (after USA and Russia). More than 400 earth satellites developed in ‘Pivdenny’ have been in space. In recent years experts have developed the unique carrier-rockets Zenith and Cyclone, capable of taking 4 and 14 tons into orbit, respectively. No other carrier-rockets of this type exist anywhere in the world, so they were selected for the international project ‘Sea Start’ and ‘Globalstar’. The NDT experts from ‘Pivdenny’ have made a great contribution to these development, as practically all the parts and components of the carrier-rockets are subjected to thorough control. ‘Antonov’ Aircraft Scientific-Engineering Complex
The products of the ‘Antonov’ Aircraft Scientific-Engineering Complex - the largest in Europe - are well known. These are heavy transport aircraft of AN family, namely ‘Antey’, ‘Ruslan’, ‘Mriya’, and medium-capacity passenger aircraft. New developments are now being prepared such as the AN-70 and AN-74 which were highly regarded by experts at the prestigious 42nd International Aerospace Exhibition in Le Bourget, France. The NDT laboratory of the ‘Antonov’ complex is the leading one in the aircraft industry of Ukraine. Other large NDT laboratories are at the Kharkov Aircraft Factory, the Zaporozhje Aircraft Engine Factory ‘Motor-Sich’, and a number of aircraft repair enterprises in Ukraine. The ‘Zond’ Research-Production Company
The Research-Production Company (RPC) ‘Zond’ (city of Ivano-Frankivsk) now is a well-known centre for development, fabrication and introduction of the technologies and methods of NDT of oil and gas equipment and tools. Its experts developed and introduced the technologies and equipment which enables control of the drill pipes, especially their threaded joints, oil and gas equipment, sort out the pipes into groups by the strength and yield point of the pipes material, etc. The Ukrainian Research Institute of Pipes and Metallurgy Automation Research Institute have effective developments in the field of NDT in metallurgy (pipes and rolled stock). Other organisations were experts are working with success in the NDT field are:
About 200 laboratories are functioning in Ukraine, which continuously perform work on NDT and diagnostics in industry. The most well-known of them are metal laboratories of nuclear power stations, laboratories of power-engineering, construction-erection and machine-building enterprises. The new companies which provide the users with all the required NDT instruments and equipment (for instance, RPC ‘Ultracon’, RPC ‘Ultracon-service’, RPC ‘Spetsial'nii Nauchnii Razrabotki’, etc.) have been working in Ukraine for about five years. A positive sign here is that almost all such companies have started their own production of instruments.
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