The Use of Non-Destructive Testing for Evaluating the Integrity In-Service Tank Cars

摘要

The United States Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) allows the use of six (6) NDT methods (AE, MT, PT, RT, UT, or VT/RVT) for the inspection of in-service railroad tank cars. New regulations require contractors to use one or any combination of these methods, which replaces hydrostatic testing for checking the integrity of tank cars. The inspections help evaluate high stress areas including welds, on the bottom of the tank. The results are used to qualify tank cars for a ten-year inspection cycle. This paper will address the advantages and limitations of each method as it relates to railroad tank car inspection and the problems created for each individual method by the inspection surface and environmental conditions of in-service tank cars.