Nov 06, 2014

ASTM International Nondestructive Testing Committee Will Host

ASTM International Subcommittee E07.10 on Specialized NDT Methods will host a New Nethods Seminar on Microwave Inspection of Plastics and Composites at its January meetings in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 

E07.10 is part of ASTM Committee E07 on Nondestructive Testing. Each January, the committee holds a New Methods Seminar to highlight new methods of nondestructive testing.

The seminar will be presented by ASTM member Robert Stakenborghs, general manager, Evisive Inc. According to Stakenborghs, the method he will be describing in the presentation was devised when Evisive was looking for a way to inspect rubber expansion joints in nuclear power plants.

“After having tried several different methods, including very low frequency ultrasound, we found that nothing could penetrate the rubber material,” says Stakenborghs. “Then we tried microwaves and found that they easily penetrated rubber, as well as many other non-metallic materials.”

Stakenborghs says that the method can be followed to inspect many of the new composite materials being used in a variety of industries.

“Being able to quickly and easily inspect composite materials such as fiberglass and plastic, and other high tech composites, makes the inspection doable for industries where inspections were not carried out previously,” says Stakenborghs. “This helps ensure that products and facilities are safer for workers and the general public.”

Since developing the microwave inspection method, Evisive has received inquiries on it from field installations, factory settings, laboratories, insurance bodies and regulators. Stakenborghs notes that one of the challenges of working on this method is the development of scanning devices that are capable of attaching to non-magnetic materials, such as fiberglass, ceramic and plastic.

“We also have been engaged in miniaturization of the hardware and electronics associated with the equipment to make it field-employable,” says Stakenborghs. “There are challenges that we did not originally anticipate but have resulted in some unique solutions.”

For more information on the seminar, contact Kathleen McClung, ASTM Committee E07 staff manager (kmmclung@astm.org).

ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN.

For more news in this sector, visit www.astm.org/sn-metals or follow us on Twitter @ASTMMetals.

ASTM Committee E07 Next Meeting: Jan. 25-29, 2015, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Technical Contact: Bob Stakenborghs, Evisive Inc., Baton Rouge, La., tel +1.225.329.5815; bob@evisive.com
ASTM Staff Contact: Kathleen McClung, tel +1.610.832.9717; kmcclung@astm.org
ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, tel +1.610.832.9603; bschindl@astm.org

Release #9710