VII

INTERNATIONAL

TESTING

(WARSAW, A.N.

CONFERENCE JUNE

ON N O N D E S T R U C T I V E

1973)

Ma[orov

The VII International Conference on nondestructive testing techniques in quality control of m a t e r i a l s and products was held June 4-8, 1973 in Warsaw. The conference a t t r a c t e d 1200 delegates r e p r e s e n t i n g 31 countries, including socialist countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Rumania, the USSR, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia). The conference h e a r d 245 r e p o r t s presented (40 of these f r o m the Soviet Union), and eight panel sessions were set up. R e p o r t s dealing with p r a c t i c a l r e s u l t s on the utilization of nondestructive techniques and equipment were discussed in an informal free discussion setting at "round table" meetings. The special distinguishing feature of this conference was the appearance of new sections designed to provide a f o r u m for discussing work in standardization of techniques and equipment, the use of n o n d e s t r u c tive testing in r e a c t o r technology, and in investigations of the physical p r o p e r t i e s of m a t e r i a l s and of flaws appearing in m a t e r i a l s , and also topics pertaining to automation of nondestructive testing, and training of qualified specialists in nondestructive testing. Of the total number of r e p o r t s presented, 89 dealt with ultrasonic inspection techniques, 48 with radiation techniques, 43 with magnetic and electromagnetic techniques, 11 with general topics in flaw detection, and 53 with miscellaneous methods of inspection (radio wave, thermal, capillary, optical, a c o u s t i cal, etc.). R e p o r t s p r e s e n t e d at the conference bear witness to the further development and expansion of p r a c tical utilization of the principal techniques of radiation flaw detection: industrial radiography, radioscopy, and r a d i o m e t r y . New s o u r c e s of ionizing radiations are being developed and those a l r e a d y in use have been undergoing improvements; new types of c e r m e t x - r a y tubes appearing on the scene feature high e m i s s i o n intensity at voltages to 500 kV and longer tube life (report by W. Hartl, West Germany); c o m p a r a t i v e investigations on l o w - e n e r g y s o u r c e s of radiation f r o m 17~ 75Se, 55Eu, 241Am, and l~Yb in [ndustr[aI r a d i o graphy at short focal length have been complete (M. Dobrowolsk[ et a l . , Poland); new types of a c c e l e r a tors, NDT betatrons, a r e now available (J. Jan[czek et a l . , Poland; O. Bulaev et al., USSR), m i c r o trons (J. Osterberg, Sweden; S. Kapitsa et al., USSR), and a 25,000 r / m i n . m linear a c c e l e r a t o r (G. Wheeler, USA). Detectors for use in radiation flaw detection a r e being improved, new c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of x - r a y films have been suggested (R. Bollen et a l . , Belgium); a new approach has been worked out for discerning flaws w i t h c o n t r a s t - n o i s e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of radiographic film taken into account (K. Panateseu, Rumania) so that c o n v e r s i o n can be made to quantitative estimates of flaws in the interpretation of r a d i o g r a m s . Neutron r a d i o g r a p h y has been making advances with the possibility of the use of t r a c k - d e l i n e a r [ n g d e t e c t o r s under study (H. B e r g e r , USA); a new m[crochannel image intensifier has been designed (V. Chalmeton, France); a p r o c e d u r e for optimizing the p a r a m e t e r s of neutron detectors has been worked out (N. D. Tyufyakov et al., USSR). The possible use of a combination of fluoroscopic s c r e e n and photodiodes has been investigated (S. Schmidt and E. Kirgner, West Germany) as a means of visualizing latent radiation images; a radioscopic s y s t e m based on a CsI(T1) scintillation crystal, in which s y s t e m the images can be "stored" not only with the aid of the commonly used magnetic tapes and disks, but also by means of special tubes which provide resolution of 120 television lines per m i l l i m e t e r when the s c r e e n diameter is 25 ram, a writing time of 0.01 sec, data storage time and data readout time of 10 to 12 min (R. Halmshaw, Britain). T r a n s l a t e d f r o m Atomnaya l~nerg[ya, Vol.35, No.4, pp.288-289, October, 1973. 9 Consultants Bureau, a division of Plenum Publishing Corporation, 227 g'est 17th Street, New York, N. Y. 10011. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. A copy of this article is available from the publisher for $15.00.

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In r e c e n t y e a r s , a need has been felt for new p r o c e d u r e s and new equipment in radiation flaw d e t e c tion p r a c t i c e to m e e t the needs of industry. For example, automated s e l f - p r o p e l l e d facilities capable of r a d i o g r a p h t n g joints when equipment is m o v e d through the i n t e r i o r of ducts or piping over distances f r o m 2 to 10 k m have been designed in s o m e countries for radiographic quality control of welded joints in trunk pipelines (K. Sauerwein, West Germnay; I. Roualt, France). The BIX corporation (Britain) ran a viewing of a film illustrating applications of similar equipment in the construction of overland and sea-bottom gas pipelines and oil pipelines. N e w types of 3/-ray flaw detection gear have m a d e their appearance (V. Osuchowski et al., Poland), as well as x-ray introscopes (B. [. Leonov et al., USSR), betatron [ntroscopes (V.I. Gorbunov et a l . , USSR). Some of the p a p e r s submitted p r e s e n t e d r e s u l t s of t h e o r e t i c a l and e x p e r i m e n t a l r e s e a r c h on the s e l ection and validation of p a r a m e t e r s of r a d i o m e t r i c flaw detection (Z. Godlewski, Poland; K. Sinclair et a l . , USA), on applications of such equipment in quality control of c e r a m i c w a r e s (Z. Godlewski, Poland) and in quality control of r o i l e d steel p r o d u c t s (V.I. Gorbunov et a l . , USSR). A trend toward automation of b a s i c unit p r o c e s s e s in r a d i a t i o n flaw detection p r a c t i c e has c o m e to the fore in r e c e n t y e a r s : e x p o n o m e t r y [metrology of exposure] (H. B a s l e r , West Germany), digital c o m p u t e r i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of r a d i o g r a m s (V.G. A b r a m o v et a l . , USSR; B. D o s t e r et a l . , USA). T h e " N o n d e s t r u c t i v e testing in r e a c t o r technology" panel h e a r d 13 r e p o r t s devoted to applications of a u t o m a t i c u l t r a s o n i c flaw detector s e t s (W. Deutsch, West Germany; A. Samoel, France; K. Abend et a l . , West G e r m a n y ) and e d d y - c u r r e n t flaw detection equipment (F. F o r s t e r and Meier, West Germany) designed to inspect the quality of fuel element tubes and s t e a m g e n e r a t o r tubes during the f a b r i c a t i o n p r o c e s s e s ; dev e l o p m e n t of automatic s y s t e m s for monitoring the content and distribution of f i s s i l e isotopes in u r a n i u m and plutonium nuclear fuel - in fuel element f o r m (N. B e y e r et a l . , USA; M. D e s t r i b a t s et a l . , France); development and utilization of acoustical, ultrasonic, and r a d i o i s o t o p e devices and equipment for quality control of p r e s s u r e v e s s e l s and pipe connections of nuclear r e a c t o r s while in s e r v i c e or during overhaul and r e p a i r (O. R e t m h a r d , USA; W. Ratch, West German; A . N . Maiorov et a l . , USSR). Close attention is being given to integrated NDT s y s t e m s and the i n t e r a c t i o n between NDT s y s t e m s and fuel element f a b r i c a tion technology, with a view to achieving a p p r e c i a b l e i m p r o v e m e n t s in the s e r v i c e life and engineering cost p i c t u r e of fuel e l e m e n t s (H; Fed[ck et a l . , USA; P. P t c a r d et a l . , France); to e x p e r i e n c e and r e s u l t s in c o m p r e h e n s i v e utilization of NDT to inspect 40 nuclear r e a c t o r s of different design t y p e s over the 19631972 p e r i o d in the USA, in the c o u r s e of installation, r e p a i r , and o p e r a t i o n (K. L a u t z e n w e i s e r , USA); to applications of the AGA t h e r m o g r a p h i c facility in inspection of filtration equipment used in the m a n u f a c t u r e of nuclear fuel. An organized s p e c i a l i z e d exhibit displaying u p - t o - d a t e nondestructive testing equipment drew p a r t i cipation f r o m 54 f i r m s in 32 c o u n t r i e s . Most b r o a d l y r e p r e s e n t e d w e r e x - r a y equipment and r a d i o isotope equipment (152 displays), ultrasonic devices (85) and e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c devices (69). Worth special note a m o n g the n e w e r devices a r e acoustic e m i s s i o n devices f a b r i c a t e d by L e o n a r d (Franch) and Dunigan - Endevco (USA " Britain) for inspecting r e a c t o r p r e s s u r e v e s s e l s while in s e r v i c e , a facility for x - r a y t e l e v i s i o n inspection m a n u f a c t u r e d by Philips - Muller and Seifert (West Germany), 7r a y flaw detection g e a r f a b r i c a t e d by AGC (France), K . S . P r o d u c t s (Britain), P i c k e r - Anderks (USA - Denmark), e t c . , x - r a y equipment m a n u f a c t u r e d by Balto (Belgium), Philips (West Germany), e t c . , a n c H l a r y equipment for industrial r a d i o g r a p h y m a n u f a c t u r e d by Lowol (West Germany), G e v e r k e n (Sweden), e t c . , a u t o m a t e d s e t s for combined e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c and u l t r a s o n i c inspection of austenitic and f e r r o m a g n e t ic tubes ranging up to 60 m m in d i a m e t e r m a n u f a c t u r e d by ASIA (Sweden), 8 MeV linear a c c e l e r a t o r s V e r i a n - Linatron-2000 (USA), g e n e r a t i n g 2000 p / r a i n / m , and the 9 MeV Super-X linear a c c e l e r a t o r (Britain) g e n e r a t i n g 1500 r / m i n / m . A new t r e n d coming to the fore is an i n c r e a s e in the number of f i r m s developing and m a n u f a c t u r i n g nondestructive testing equipment, alongside the obvious i n c r e a s e in the production v o l u m e and s a l e s of NDT g e a r . But the leading positions in the field and in the m a r k e t a r e still being held by m a j o r c o n c e r n s which have b e e n specializing in this a r e a for quite s o m e time, such as: Sauerwein of West G e r m a n y ( 7 - r a y flaw detection gear), F o r s t e r of West G e r m a n y ( e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c instruments), P h i l ips of West G e r m a n y and Balto of Belgium ( x - r a y equipment), and so on. The technical level of the new equipment has b e e n r a i s e d a p p r e c i a b l e in r e c e n t y e a r s , with unitized modular makeup coming into its own, and the production volume of nondestructive testing equipment h a s expanded. T h e conference and the exhibit were both organized under the auspices of the Ir~ternational Nondestructive Testing Committee.

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