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As an operations manager or safety manager, youre always looking to make safer lifts on our jobsites, and have heard good things about magnetic particle testing.
By conducting inspections or having them done by a third-party rigging company, youre taking the first steps to reducing risks of equipment failure and serious damage to/loss of life and property. However, you still arent sure if thats enough.
In this article, well help you figure out if this magnetic particle testing is something you can benefit from by answering the following questions:
Magnetic particle testing is a form of NDT (non-destructive testing). Its where a magnetic field is introduced into an object using a dust.
If done properly, the yield will be whats known as an indication of an issue that could meet removal from service criteria standards.
Were not a non-destructive test company. Were a rigging inspection group who has the capability of performing this basic level of NDT.
Magnetic particle testing can be used to possibly identify what could be an indication. Then, further tests are required to make that determination.
Its limited due to several factors. Items cant be painted because this is a surface and shallow sub-surface test. Magnetic particle testing cant penetrate the paint. For this testing to work, the paint must be grinded off.
Example: Think about a spreader beam. Theyre painted yellow, but if you need an inspection of the bale, you cant use magnetic particle testing to examine the equipment.
Lets use a crane hook for example.
With a crane hook, theres nothing saying you should have your hooks NDT tested. A basic visual inspection before use is whats required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
However, its not a bad complement to a visual inspection. Weve found that a lot times, a crane hook will experience a wear called mushrooming. This happens when material is worn down and pushed off to the sides of the hook.
When that happens, that wear creates whats called a stress riser. The stress riser would be the most likely place for a crack to form.
Other places that may not be a good fit for this form of testing include arch beams.
Our Crane Services team has found tracks to be time-consuming places to do magnetic particle testing because:
Remember, youre only getting an indicator of an area that may be weakened. Its something we do offer, but its not easily applicable.
Whenever we get serious inquiries into non-destructive testing, well farm it out to a third-party specialist. A non-destructive testing specialist is generally a metallurgist. Theyre engineers, and to be a level-three specialist, its a high amount of hours that they have to be supervised by another level-three.
Its a premium service with different levels to it. The documentation and the way a specialist would do it is really different than we would do. Thats why we do magnetic particle testing at a basic level, applying it to a crane hook, and possibly, on parts of a spreader beam, too.
Nowhere in OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) or ASME B30.9 Slings, ASME B30.10 Hooks, ASME B30.20 Below-the-Hook, or ASME B30.26 Rigging Hardware standards does it require you to have non-destructive testing or magnetic particle testing performed on your rigging or overhead lifting equipment.
Since theres no requirements in industry standards, weve found its almost always a customer request. Weve seen companies hire third-party specialists to do more complex tests than necessary when a periodic inspection wouldve been sufficient.
Before ordering a test, you should ask yourself: What wouldve ever happened to the inside of a crane hook over the last 20 years since it was forged?
Unless something happened at the time of manufacture, where it was a poor forging or casting, nothing would start on the inside.
When youre thinking about non-destructive testing and the different ways of using it, its often not needed.
While its not a fit for all applications, magnetic particle testing is a good option for crane hooks.
For more information, please visit Magnetic Particle Testing Equipment.
Although our specialists have seen a cracked crane hook on rare occasions, they have found cases of mushrooming through magnetic particle testing. You go through the process of cleaning things up and retesting them until you get to a certain point.
Its a great way to bring you, the customer, peace of mind. If you have 20 crane hooks, we can conduct magnetic particle testing in a small amount of time. If your specialist is conducting the tests the correct way, its quick and simple, unless youre grinding away paint.
Our specialists wont conduct magnetic particle testing in certain situations because were not going to get into doing hot work and permitting.
Magnetic particle testing isnt the only form of non-destructive testing.
We have a rigging inspection specialist who is dye-penetrative certified, and one customer who uses it on a particular piece of rigging equipment.
That is a strict application because its temperature controlled, and the item has to be explicitly clean. Thats a multi-step, labor-intensive process. This is a costly process for customers because the kits required to do these tests are very expensive.
Although its not always needed, dye-penetration testing gives you peace of mind.
We come to your facility to conduct these tests and understand there could be limitations to what we can do.
Weather can dictate the effectiveness and practicality of using magnetic particle testing. This testing is temperature-dependent. During winter months in colder environments, magnetic particle testing will either:
Something at the right temperature that could take 30 minutes might take three hours in colder environments.
Example: There are capabilities, and sometimes, it makes sense. There are times when will make new below-the-hook products for our customers out of our shop. We had an automotive customer who ordered from us, and magnetic particle testing was a part of the process.
After being proof-tested, the below-the-hook devices had to undergo magnetic particle testing, and that was possible because everything was clean and had been tested. The reason we did that was to check the special heat treating involved on the welds. We had to go back and ensure the welds were done properly.
Our specialists suggest you do your research before ordering a magnetic particle test.
Theres a lot of published research from technical organizations that run the standards, as well as the third-party suppliers who conduct the tests.
Also, our specialists are available to help provide you with information on the types of testing available for your equipment.
Compare using magnetic particle testing on an entire chain sling vs. the cost of buying new rigging gear. If you take a 20, 1-1/2 four-legged chain sling, the testing and inspection could be done in a couple days.
If we conducted a link-by-link inspection with magnetic particle testing, the process would take significantly longer.
At the end of the day, it comes down to training and inspection.
Magnetic particle testing is a great tool to use, but if youre looking at crane hooks and inspecting your below-the-hook devices as required by ASME standards before use, you probably dont need it unless its for a very specific application when you know youre putting unnatural stresses or fatigue on the material.
Magnetic particle testing is misconstrued as being something thats easy to do. It sounds like youre going above-and-beyond the requirements, but our specialists want to have a deeper conversation with you. They want you to understand if this service is a good fit, or if theres a better process to fit your needs.
You may not understand what is needed, and thats why were here. Well explain that magnetic particle testing isnt required, as well as the properties of alloy steel chains. Remember, alloy steel chains are designed to stretch. Theyre designed to bend and twist a certain amount to give you that indication.
This service is available for large or small crane hooks, hoist hooks, sheaves, blocks, and below-the-hook lifting devices.
Contact us today to see if this service is a good option for your rigging gear.
OSHA .184, ASME B30.9, B30.20, B30.26, and ANSI Z359 require periodic, documented inspections on slings, rigging hardware, lifting devices, and fall protection every 12 months, at minimum, and monthly to quarterly in more severe service conditions.
Our team of rigging inspectors are certified to make sure your products meet OSHA and ASME requirements.
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