West-Can Inspection Limited

Testing is the process of inducing small electrical currents into an electrically conductive article and observing the resultant reaction between the magnetic fields involved. A number of factors within the article will affect the flow of these eddy currents and means exist for relating test indications to these factors.

Eddy Current testing can be applied to cylinders, tubing, sheet and coating and provides a means for measuring conductivity, detecting discontinuities and determining the thickness of coatings or plating on articles. Since a continuous indication is a part of the basic testing system, automatic production testing is particularly feasible.

As can be discerned from the description of the various tests described, each is a filed unto itself and involves all the parameters of education, equipment and research that any technical field requires.

The afore-mentioned methods described are the main tools we employ in serving virtually all the major industries within Canada.

We specialize in utilizing our capabilities for problem solving analysis of structural materials to evaluate condition and reliability.

Testing consists of magnetization of the article, application of iron particle, and interpretation of the patterns formed by the particles as they are attracted by magnetic leakage fields. This form of testing is usually applied to finished articles, billets, hot rolled bars, castings and forgings. It can also be used to check that the processing operations such as heat treat, machining and grinding did not uncover or cause discontinuities.

Because magnetization of certain metals is possible, small particles that are attracted to magnetic fields are applied to the surface of the test object after or during induction of a magnetic field, thereby detecting certain discontinuities which are present in the material. However, this test method is limited to disclosing only those discontinuities that are at or near the surface.