When it comes to vehicles, there is a lot of potential for disaster. In the wrong hands, a car can go from daily transportation, to an object of destruction. Regardless of user error, vehicles that malfunction result in expensive damage at best, and serious injury at worst. This is precisely why vehicles go through an extensive litany of inspections before they ever make it onto the market. This is also why specific pieces and parts of vehicles are often recalled when they are found to be defective.
Mechanics and manufacturing technicians follow a strict set of rules to check for manufacturing defects, but the naked eye alone is certainly not enough to ensure that cars are truly as safe as possible. The transportation and automotive field is one of the many industries supported by nondestructive testing. Without the crucial inspection performed by NDT technicians, the automotive industry as we know it would not function.
Here’s what you need to know about how nondestructive testing supports transportation and automotive fields.
Weld Inspections
Welding is certainly not a new process, but it continues to be one of the most commonly performed methods in the automotive industry. Welding is used to fuze metal pieces together to create different components. These can be larger structural pieces like doors or more intricate areas like small pieces that make up the vehicle’s engine. Regardless of where the welds are on the vehicle, it is crucial that the welds are completed correctly for the vehicle to safely operate.
Weld inspections are often completed through ultrasonic testing, in which sound waves travel through the component and test for inconsistencies. When these flaws are indicated, the technician knows that the weld is faulty and must be addressed before the vehicle or part can be deemed safe.
As most technicians can attest, it is a much higher risk for a component to leave the factory with a faulty weld than it is to simply fix the weld in-house. While some time and money can be lost while rewelding, the chaos that can ensue if welds are not secure is an exponentially greater cost.
Eddy Current Testing
Aside from weld inspection, which is a primarily external issue, nondestructive testing can also be used to inspect the function of internal objects in vehicles. Eddy current testing is a great method to inspect automotive gears, wheel bearings, engine valves, and transmission shafts, to name a few components.
It is crucial to identify cracks, warps, and other inconsistencies in these objects so that each can function safely and efficiently. Eddy current testing is an NDT method that uses electromagnetic induction to evaluate and identify flaws. The eddy current will change when it detects flaws, alerting technicians that there are issues.
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The transportation and automotive fields have always been an essential part of the global economy and everyday life. The technicians who work in these fields are responsible for the innovation we have seen in recent years, resulting in more efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. It takes skilled technicians in the nondestructive testing field to provide the support necessary to keep these industries functioning.
Since the requirements of an NDT technician can change from job to job, the expert instructors at TXNDT ensure that all prospective technicians are qualified to take on whatever their next job throws at them.
From introductory NDT courses to NDT level 3 certification, we take an active approach to educating all of our students and encourage all prospective technicians to take an active role in their own learning.
If you or your staff are looking for ways to expand your skills and broaden your career opportunities through nondestructive testing courses, consider NDT certification.
Don’t trust just any NDT school. If you’re looking for a top-tier experience, give us a call today at 281-231-0001 or check out our website for more information.
Source: How Can I Use NDT in Transportation and Automotive Fields? | TXNDT
