Navy Investigates Falsification of WeldInspections on Subs and Aircraft Carriers

The U.S. Navy began an investigation after being notified thata Northrop Grumman shipyard worker falsified nonnuclearweld inspections. On May 15, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding– Newport News (NGSB-NN) informed the Naval Sea SystemsCommand (NAVSEA) that it had identified an inspector whohad signed off on three weld joint inspections that he had notactually performed.

The inspector was responsible for conducting either magneticparticle or liquid penetrant inspections on nonnuclear structuralor piping welds for Virginia Class submarines and aircraft carriers.News reports have estimated as many as 10,000 welds on one air-craft carrier and eight submarines might need to be reinspected.

According to a report in the Navy Times, the issue came to lighton May 14 when a welding inspector at the Newport News, Va.,shipyard told a supervisor that another inspector was okayingwelds without performing the inspections. When confronted bythe supervisor, the accused inspector admitted to falsifying threeweld inspections that day. The inspector has since been fired andon May 20, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) beganits own investigation.

“We build these ships to very exacting standards,” said RearAdmiral Thomas Eccles, chief engineer and deputy comanderfor Naval Systems Engineering, NAVSEA. “The quality of ourwelds is created by our people and the welding process. Theweld inspections are a validation of that high-quality work.”

NAVSEA conducted an engineering assessment of USSGeorge H. W. Bush and determined the ship was safe for con-ducting flight deck certification, which was completed May 27.According to the Navy, based on the assessment of the number

of weld inspections performed by this inspector on aircraft car-riers, it is confident there is minimal impact to aircraft carriers.

The affected submarines, except USS New Hampshire and USSToledo are in construction or maintenance activities at eitherNGSB-NN or General Dynamic - Electric Boat. NGSB-NN hasstarted an investigation of welds on the affected subs. Withrespect to USS New Hampshire and Toledo, NAVSEA evaluated thewelds at issue and deterimed none represented a threat to the safe-ty of the crew or ships. The submarines will remain at sea: NewHampshire will be inspected during its post shakedown availabili-ty, which is scheduled for February 2010. The welds in questionon Toledo were deemed acceptable with no further action needed.

NDE Center Opens in Shanghai

GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies and SGS-CSTC, aChinese joint venture of SGS group, recently opened a joint non-destructive examination application center in the KongqiaoIndustrial Zone in Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China. Thecenter is equipped with GE equipment such as ultrasonic flawdetectors, eddy current flaw detectors, spot welding detectors,X-ray real-time inspection systems and digital inspection sys-tems, computed radiography system, microfocus X-ray system,and industrial CT systems.

GE’s technologies, along with SGS’s training center and ser-vice capabilities, will provide Chinese customers with high-qual-ity inspection services and training. The partners will also helpfacilitate the upgrading of certain Chinese NDE standards.

“This venture is a strong representation of the cooperationbetween the two companies,” said Charlene Begley, presidentand CEO of GE Enterprise Solutions. “The application centerprovides GE’s Chinese industrial customers with the opportuni-

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ty to explore advanced NDE technologies, solutions, and services.”

Underwater Centre Offers ElectromagneticSubsea Inspection Training

The Underwater Centre, Fort William, Scotland, recentlybegan offering courses in alternating current field measure-ment (ACFM). The facility specializes in the delivery of diverand remotely operated vehicle pilot training and offers facilitiesfor testing new technology.

The introduction of the ACFM course is part of the facility’songoing plan to provide a wider range of skilled, industry-rele-vant subsea training courses. The course will familiarize stu-dents with the principles of interpreting and quantifying ACFMdata collected by divers. Alternating current field measurementbuilds on NDE methods of assessing the integrity of subseafacilities and equipment. It measures deviations in a magneticfield that can then be easily quantified and analyzed using spe-cialized software. Divers can conduct inspections without hav-ing to scrape, clean, or degrease the test area or paint-ing/replacing coatings after inspection.

“We’re delighted to be able to offer the industry this oppor-tunity to have employees trained in ACFM inspection,” saidSteve Ham, Underwater Centre’s general manager. “As a globaltraining provider, we fully equip students to be successful in theworkplace, and this new course underlines the fact we areresponding to what the industry wants.”

GTSG Inspects Pipeline with ComputedRadiography

A girth weld pipeline offshore of Western Australia isbelieved to be the first pipeline in the world to be completelyinspected using computed radiography. Global TechnologicalServices Group (GTSG) performed the inspection on 18 milesof 18-in. pipe using a CR50P portable scanner from GE Sensing& Inspection Technologies.

The pipeline is clad in stainless steel, has a wall thickness ofabout 1 in., and a surface temperature of 220°C. It handles sourgas.

Computed radiography was chosen for its fast exposure andscanning times. However, the technique did not carry DNV

Jack Kuo, director of SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Service Co.,Ltd., and Charlene Begley, president and CEO of GE EnterpriseSolutions, open the joint application center for nondestructiveexamination.

SUMMER 2009 • 7

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approval for this type of work. GTSG arranged for inspectorsfrom DNV, a global risk management and certification agency,to fly to the site to carry out the required approval procedures.The technique was eventually approved to DNV OS-F101, and itwas proved possible to achieve better than 1.2% sensitivity at100-μm resolution, a quality equal to that achievable by radiog-raphy.

Phosphor imaging plates were placed around the weld on topof an insulating layer to protect them from the very high pipesurface temperatures. The plates were then exposed to the radi-ation of a source carried by an X-ray crawler inside the pipe. Theexposed plates were then fed into the scanner. The inspectionstook place during laybarge operation on the northwest shelf in

Western Australia.Since obtaining the DNV approval, the technique has also

been approved to AS 2885.2. Dave Ryan, GTSG managing direc-tor, said, “We believe that computed radiography has a lot tooffer the oil and gas industry, and we are very pleased to haveplayed a part in ensuring that the technique has gained theapprovals it merits. We view it as an important addition to ourexisting range of NDE technologies.”

Vincennes University Adds Associate Degreein Welding Technology

The board of trustees for Vincennes University, Vincennes,Ind., recently approved a new associate degree in welding tech-nology. Expected first-year enrollment is 23 students, withenrollment possibly doubling by the program’s fifth year.

The university has offered a certificate program in weldingtechnology for a long time. The addition of an associate degreeis designed to open opportunities in inspection, management,and automation, as well as to other higher-salaried welding-relat-ed positions. For more information, visit www.vinu.edu.

NVision Expands Dallas-Ft. Worth Office

NVision, Inc., is expanding its Dallas-Ft. Worth office inCoppell, Tex., in order to meet the sales demand for its high-accuracy 3-D noncontact measurement systems.

The expansion includes additonal personnel as well as equip-ment, and will increase the company’s ability to satisfy thedemand for its contract reverse engineering and inspection ser-vices from the aerospace, power generation, defense, oil, andmedical industries. More information is available atwww.nvision3d.com.❖

A CR50P portable scanner such as this was used to help performcomputed radiography inspections of a girth weld pipeline inWestern Australia.

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