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“
T
his is actually our second book
and it is bigger and more formal.
We wanted a combination of an inter-
esting coffee table book and a reference
book for NDT professionals that can
support their day to day needs – and the
2016/2017 book is full of explanations
of the different methods and examples
of best practices and procedures,”
begins Cain.
“Our vision is to be the cornerstone
of South African NDT, which is also the
title of the 2016/2017 yearbook. As well
as supporting NDT technicians and
professionals, we strive to raise aware-
ness of the NDT field as a specific and
important branch of engineering. NDT
professionals are responsible for testing
the true condition of critical structures,
components or vessels used on indus-
trial plants. Based on the results of NDT
inspections, engineers often have to
sign-off on the fitness-for-purpose of
plant equipment so that it can continue
to be operated safely.
“Yet in spite of the vital nature of
this role, NDT it is not well known or
At the launch of South African Institute for Non-destructive
Testing’s (SAINT) bi-annual Yearbook,
African Fusion
talks to
current president, KeithCain about advancing the creditability
and professionalism of NDT in South Africa.
SAINT president, Keith Cain presents at
the launch of the NDT Institute’s bi-annual
Yearbook: ‘Cornerstones of NDT, 2016/2017’.
SAIW executive director, Sean Blake, receives his copy of the SAINT yearbook from Keith Cain. From left: SAIW’s Harold Jansen; Keith Cain; Sean Blake;
with the books publisher from CVR Publishers and Design, Bev Lawrence and Jeannie Campbell.
Advancing NDT as a profession in South Africa
respected as a discipline in its own right,
which is somewhat frustrating. So we
continue to raise awareness of the field,
its importance and its credibility,” he
tells
African Fusion
.
“NDT is even being performed on
Mars. When the Mars Rover takes a rock
sample fromthe planet, it uses NDT-type
testing techniques to test and analyse
the rock sample before sending the
results to Earth. Similar NDT principles,
methods and techniques are being ap-
plied to plant equipment every day,”
Cain argues.
Welding, according to Cain, is highly
dependent on NDT. “Welding is like
casting, a molten strip of metal fuses to
solid metal on either side of the joint.
This results in significant changes to the
properties of the materials at the joint
and if these changes are not managed
correctly, they can seriously impair the
integrity of the whole structure. Also,
defects such as lack of fusion or poros-
ity can be introduced duringwelding, or
the weldmay crack after welding due to
shrinkage or a combination of cooling
stresses and hydrogen, for example.
These flaws are usually impossible to
seewith thenakedeye. NDThas a critical
role to play in both finding such flaws so
that they can be repaired and validating
the integrity of a completedweld so that
we know that it can be safely put into
service,” he explains.
“But the need for NDT is not limited
to welding. There are more than 100
different testing techniques that are
applied in all sorts of fields, leak and
pressure testing, for example,” he adds.
The ‘big five’ NDT techniques in
common use are penetrant testing (PT);
magnetic testing (MT); ultrasonic testing
SAIW bulletin board