What is NDT?
The field of Non-destructive Testing (NDT) is a very broad,
interdisciplinary field that plays a critical role in assuring that structural
components and systems perform their function in a reliable and cost effective
fashion. NDT Technicians
and Engineers define and implement tests that locate and characterize material
conditions and flaws that might otherwise cause planes to crash, reactors to
fail, trains to derail, pipelines to burst, and a variety of less visible, but
equally troubling events. These tests are performed in a manner that does not
affect the future usefulness of the object or material. In other words, NDT allows parts and material to
be inspected and measured without damaging them.
Because it allows inspection without
interfering with a product's final use, NDT provides an excellent balance between quality control and
cost-effectiveness. Generally speaking, NDT applies to industrial inspections.
The technologies that
are used in NDT are
similar to those used in the medical industry, but this time non-living objects
are the subjects of the inspections.