Entries by Structural Integrity

Infrastructure Upgrades – Materials Analysis

MATERIALS LABORATORY CASE STUDY 4 THE PROBLEM Structural Integrity received a section of an original star member from one of Austin’s Moonlight Towers (Figure 1). The material was suspected to be a ductile or malleable cast iron and the company refurbishing the towers needed to determine a suitable replacement material. SI was asked to perform […]

Infrastructure Upgrades – Material Verification

MATERIALS LABORATORY CASE STUDY 3 THE PROBLEM Structural Integrity received several sections of core reinforcing steel from a client performing work at a local university gymnasium (Figure 1). SI’s client needs to have an understanding of the material tensile strength in order to obtain the appropriate replacement material. THE SOLUTION Cross-sections were removed from each […]

Manufacturing Process Upsets

MATERIALS LABORATORY CASE STUDY 1 THE PROBLEM A small metallic particle that had contaminated a product line was brought to SI’s Materials Laboratory for analysis.  The goal of the analysis was to identify the particle’s composition to help identify its original source. THE SOLUTION The particle was examined and documented in a scanning electron microscope […]

Structural Design for Physical Security

Structural Integrity’s Own, Andy Coughlin published by American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE Andy Coughlin’s work has been published in the ASCE Structural Design for Physical Security: State of the Practice. The Task Committee on Structural Design prepared the publication for Physical Security of the Blast, Shock, and Impact Committee of the Dynamic Effects Technical […]

News and Views, Volume 50 | What’s All the Buzz About Hydrogen!

By:  Daniel Peters (SI) and Thomas Pastor (HSB Global Inspection & Engineering Services) A recent news story reported: Hydrogen initiatives are accelerating globally. 200+ large-scale projects have been announced across the value chain, with a total value exceeding $300 billion 30+ countries have national hydrogen strategies in place, and public funding is growing Anyone who […]

News & Views, Volume 49 | Inspection Optimization: Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics

By:  Scott Chesworth (SI) and Bob Grizzi (EPRI) The goal was to determine whether the frequency of current inspection requirements was justified or could be optimized (i.e., increase the interval of certain inspections to devote more attention to higher-value inspections and thereby maximize overall plant safety). Executive Summary Welds and similar components in nuclear power […]

News & Views, Volume 49 | Materials Lab Featured Damage Mechanism: Soot Blower Erosion

By:  Wendy Weiss Soot blower erosion (SBE) is caused by mechanical removal of tube material due to the impingement on the tube wall of particles entrained in the “wet” blower steam. As the erosion becomes more severe, the tube wall thickness is reduced and eventually internal pressure causes the tube rupture. Mechanism SBE is due […]

News & Views, Volume 49 | Rapid Assessment of Boiler Tubes Using Guided Wave Testing

By:  Jason Ven Velsor, Roger Royer, and Ben Ruchte Tubing in conventional boilers and heat-recovery steam generators (HRSGs) can be subject to various damage mechanisms.  Under-deposit corrosion (UDC) mechanisms have wreaked havoc on conventional units for the past 40-50 years and have similarly worked their way into the more prevalent combined cycle facilities that employ […]