NDT: An Insurance Policy Offered By Hoosier Crane

NDT, what the heck is it, right? It sounds like some kind of explosive or something, but it’s just the opposite. It’s testing that causes absolutely no destruction or damage and it saves lives, time and money. It’s relatively new to the crane industry, but it’s been around a long time.

More than two thousand years ago the Romans used flour and oil for nondestructive testing. They would spread the mixture on marble slabs to detect very fine cracks.  A similar test known as the oil and whiting method was used more than a thousand years later to detect potential problems with train wheels. That process involved the use of an oil solvent that was applied to the wheels. Then, a chalk coating was added to expose the cracks in which the oil had penetrated. These two types of nondestructive testing are known as liquid penetrant inspections or dye penetrant inspections. It’s an inexpensive nondestructive testing method that can be used on nonporous materials such as plastic, metals and ceramics.

Hoosier Crane offers dye penetrant inspections as part of its nondestructive testing service, but we also offer magnetic particle inspections. It’s believed that magnetism was first used to inspect the quality of an object in the 1860s. Cannon barrels were inspected for flaws by inspectors who magnetized the barrel of the cannon and then slid a magnetic compass along it to get readings that indicated potential problems. Later, in the 1920s, American William Hoke discovered that metallic shavings could be used with magnetism to detect flaws in gun barrels. In the 1930s magnetic particle testing became the preferred method of inspection for the railroad industry. It was used to detect potential problems in wheels, axles, track, and engine boilers. In 1934 Magnaflux started, becoming one of the first companies to manufacture the products and tools required to do magnetic particle inspections. Hoosier Crane and other companies that perform nondestructive testing use Magnaflux products today.

Nondestructive testing has become standard in many industries. The railroad industry was one of the first to use it, but it wasn’t long before the automotive industry and other transportation businesses were using it too. It’s been critical for energy and power plants. It’s used to inspect pipelines for oil and gas, to inspect semiconductors, and much more. Now, it’s being used more and more in manufacturing facilities where cranes are used for material handling.

Hoosier Crane’s service technicians are certified in both liquid penetrant testing and magnetic particle testing. If you want to protect your business, keep your workers safe and avoiding costly shutdowns, schedule a nondestructive test with Hoosier Crane.