1 General
All standard steel bars and tubes shall be examined for both surface-breaking and totally enclosed internal defects.
Non-magnetic bars and tubes shall be examined for totally enclosed internal defects. Examination for surface defects on non-magnetic bars and tubes is not required if the outside surface has been machined.
Non-destructive examination shall take place after the completion of all heat treatment.
2 Certification and qualification of NDE personnel
The manufacturer shall develop a programme for certification of NDE personnel. As a minimum. ISO 9712 shall be the basis for certification of NDE personnel.
NOTE For the purposes of this provision. ASNT RP SNT-TC-1A is equivalent to ISO 9712.
The administration of the NOE personnel certification programme shall be the responsibility of the manufacturer.
Inspections shall be conducted by inspectors certified to Level II or Ill.
3 Surface defects
3.1 Outside-surface-breaking defects
The outside surface of each standard steel bar or tube shall be inspected for defects. The preferred methods are either the ultrasonic (UT) or magnetic particle (MT) methods. As an option, other methods (such as eddy current) may be used, providing it can be demonstrated that the system and procedures are capable of detecting indications described in Table 16.
Inspection of the outside surface of non-magnetic bars and tubes is not required if the outside surface has been machined. However, by agreement between the manufacturer and purchaser it may be performed. If it is deemed desirable to inspect the outside surface of non-magnetic bars, the surface shall be inspected by either the ultrasonic (UT）or liquid-penetrant (PT) method.
The method used for outside-surface inspection shall be at the discretion of the manufacturer.
3.2 Inside-surface-breaking defects
The inside surface of each tube shall be inspected for defects by the ultrasonic (UT) angle-beam (shear wave) method. This requirement applies only to materials that are identifiable as tubes before heat treatment. Materials that are heat-treated as solid bars and have the ID drilled after heat treatment are not considered tubes, for inspection purposes.
3.3 Ultrasonic examination method
If ultrasonic testing (UT) is utilized for inspection of the outside and/or inside surfaces, each bar or tube shall be inspected full length with 360° overlapping scans for surface-breaking defects. Either the angle-beam method (shear wave) or an offset straight-beam (to produce shear waves) immersion system may be used.
The inspection shall be performed according to a written procedure developed by the manufacturer to comply with ASTM E 587 for bars and ISO 9303 for tubes (direct contact or immersion methods), except as noted below.
a) A reference standard shall be used to standardize the system and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the inspection equipment and procedures at least once each working shift and/or each time the nominal OD of the material being inspected changes.
b) The reference standard, of convenient length, shall be prepared from a length of bar or tube of the same nominal outside diameter, material and heat-treatment as the material examined.
c) The reference standard shall be free of discontinuities or other conditions producing indications that can interfere with the detection of the reference notch.
d) The reference standard for solid bars shall contain a longitudinal (axial) reference notch on the outside surface.
e) The reference standard for tubes shall contain both a longitudinal (axial) reference notch on the outside surface and a longitudinal (axial) reference notch on the inside surface.
f) The maximum depth of the longitudinal reference notches shall be as stated in Table 16 for the bar or tube size being inspected. At the manufacturer's option, shallower depths may be used.
g) The longitudinal reference notches shall be of maximum length 152,4 mm (6 in) and of width less than or equal to 1,02 mm (0.040 in).
NOTE For the purposes of this provision, ASTM E 213 is equivalent to ISO 9303.
A drilled-hole reference reflector may be used as an alternative to the above reference notches, on agreement between the manufacturer and the purchaser. The hole diameter shall produce a reflector which is equivalent or more sensitive than the reference notch indicated above. In either case, the reference signal amplitude shall not be used to determine the acceptance or rejection of a component as scanned by an automated scanning device. Acceptance and rejection criteria shall be determined by utilizing specific prove-up techniques associated with the particular method(s) used, in conjunction with the requirements of this procedure.
A dynamic standardization check shall be performed at the beginning of each work shift to ensure repeatability, by inspecting the reference standard at production speeds at least two consecutive times. If the amplitude of the notch for one run is less than 79 % of the amplitude from the other run (2 dB), the system shall be adjusted and the dynamic standardization repeated.
The manufacturer shall determine the appropriate frequency of NDE equipment verification in order to be able to certify that all products conform to the requirements of this part of ISO 10424. If equipment, whose calibration or verification is required under the provisions of this part of ISO 10424, is subject to unusual or severe conditions such as would make its accuracy questionable, recalibration or re-verification shall be performed before further use of the equipment.
3.4 Magnetic particle examination
If MT is utilized for inspection of the outside surface of standard steel, the full length of each bar or tube shall be inspected by either the dry powder or wet magnetic particle method to detect longitudinal defects.
The inspection of tubes shall be performed in accordance with a written procedure developed by the manufacturer in accordance with ISO 13665.
NOTE 1 For the purposes of this provision, ASTM E 709 is equivalent to ISO 13665.
The inspection of bars shall be performed in accordance with a written procedure developed by the manufacturer in accordance with ISO 9934-1.
NOTE 2 For the purposes of this provision, ASTM E 709 is equivalent to ISO 9934-1.
3.5 Liquid penetrant examination
If PT is utilized for inspection of the outside surface, the full length of each bar or tube shall be inspected by either the visible or fluorescent solvent removable or water-washable liquid penetrant method.
The inspection shall be performed in accordance with a written procedure developed by the manufacturer in accordance with ISO 3452.
NOTE For the purposes of this provision, ASTM E 1209, ASTM E 1219, ASTM E 1220, and ASTM E 1418 are equivalent to ISO 3452.
