Standardization News

A new ASTM International standard will provide an industrywide practice for inspecting long lengths of above ground steel pipework using guided wave testing. E2775, Practice for Guided Wave Testing of Above Ground Steel Pipework Using Piezoelectric Effect Transduction, is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee E07.10 on Specialized NDT Methods, part of ASTM International Committee E07 on Nondestructive Testing.

"Guided wave testing is a relatively new nondestructive method that was first developed in the late 1990s and has since become widely utilized across many industries," says Jimmy Fong, senior development engineer, Guided Ultrasonics Ltd., and an E07 member.

Fong notes that guided wave testing is a cost-effective method of nondestructive testing that was initially applied mainly on long sections of pipelines to provide indications of areas of in-service degradation.

"With the increasing demand for guided wave testing to be applied on many other advanced applications, such as road crossing and buried piping, in which the cost savings in using guided wave testing is apparent, the underlying science and equipment development have both advanced significantly over the years," says Fong.

Despite this advance, Fong notes that guided wave testing is among the most difficult forms of nondestructive tests and its success can be dependent on the test operator. E2775 helps overcome these obstacles by addressing the fundamental elements of guided wave testing.

"When E2775 was first developed, there was no standard practice to qualified operators in the guided wave testing method, and traditionally each company has drawn up its own document prior to performing inspections," says Fong. "E2775 will be an internationally recognized standard that will provide a quick reference to improve the understanding in guided wave testing across every level of the contractual parties."

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CONTACT Technical Information: Jimmy Fong, Guided Ultrasonics Ltd. • Brentford, Great Britain • Phone: +011-44-0-845-605-0227 O ASTM Staff: Kathleen McClung • Phone: 610-832-9717 O Upcoming Meeting: Jan. 22-26, 2012 • Plantation, Fla.