Headlines
Back > Headlines
Green Testing: NDT goes "green"
160 participants attended a day held in Senlis, France to transfer the results of the "Green Testing" programme. The event also featured alternatives to penetrant testing and magnetic particle inspection. This turnout attests to the stakes of the new non-destructive testing (NDT) methods and the commitment of manufacturers to using technologies that are more environmentally-friendly and less harmful to operators.
Green was unquestionably the colour of the day organised in Senlis on 27 March 2014 to showcase the alternatives to penetrant testing and magnetic particle inspection. These non-destructive techniques which are extensively used by manufacturers to detect surface defects have a significant environmental impact and adversely affect the health of operators (magnetic fields, VOC emissions, waste processing, etc.). In light of this, Cetim, Ixtrem and Holo3 undertook a three-year research programme called "Green Testing", supported by the EC Life + programme, with the goal of finding alternatives to this two technologies. One million euros were invested in this programme, 470,000 of which were contributed by the European Community. "Very ambitious goals have been set under the programme", explained Éric Auguste Crescenzo, manager of Convergence Innovations and initiator of the Green Testing programme. “Our aim is three-fold: to reduce energy consumption, the use of chemical products and waste production by 20 to 30%; to drastically cut testing costs by approximately 20 to 40%; and finally to reduce the environmental impact by more than 90% through new technologies."
There are therefore very real stakes involved! The more than 160 manufacturers who attended the event can attest to this. They came to learn about and exchange on the results of these surveys which are focused on improving the methods and defining good practices for penetrant testing and magnetic particle inspection as well as highlighting new substitution technologies.
In terms of results, the experts were able to collect more than 30 different parts (more than 140 test pieces) to enable comparative tests with the conventional magnetic particle inspection and penetrant testing techniques. This led to the validation of more cost effective practices and alternative techniques (acoustic and ultrasonic resonance, active thermography with electromagnetic excitation).
Three demonstrators for application of these alternative techniques are now available for test: ultrasonic generation by laser coupled to EMAT/piezoelectric transducers; acoustic and ultrasonic resonance; active thermography by electromagnetic induction. Furthermore, user guides dedicated to magnetic particle inspection and penetrant testing and which set out more environmentally-friendly practices are available on the greentesting.fr website in the "Outils" (tools), section.
As a follow-up to this event, demonstrations in small groups were also organised to allow the participants to observe first-hand the actual breakthroughs and the results obtained.
Other informations
- Cegelec CEM selects AFT/Fathom to optimise its nuclear cooling systems Optimising the sizing and design of nuclear equipment cooling systems requires appropriate high...
- The European project EASI-Stress is launched ! Residual stress is easy with the EASI-Stress project! The general objective of the European pro...
- An International index for ISO 128. The ISO 128 series of standards has been given a makeover. Indeed, some parts of the standard a...
- A 1D simulation tool for Getinge Lancer. With the help of a calculation tool requiring no expert knowledge in hydraulics, developed by C...
- Duplication of a Renault wear test bench. At the request of Renault, Cetim has duplicated a test bench for the characterisation of fricti...
