Post #3 Safety in NDI Link on Space Shuddle

I'd like to invite you in reading a little bit in how NDT helped in the investigation of the Space Shuddle Crash in 2003
click on the ink below:

http://erau.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwVd1BCgIxDAXQIi5dCYpLLzDQNm2TrsXBA8wFmiZdDt5_ZQqCeIn_eYv8zDNgoOaHJM9QWm6Wf2ItXVLT1GuR_7n80y-k1rM76H5x2_rcHq_l-wxgeWcTL1WSWKXnTIIxGQEljBBZI3asWaFqQJp_vbtZkZnmbnkjmAWbQShc3dE8rTd3Z0oqEX2LgEmriaN4RZOEAiKH8QHqmi3w

Post # 2 Safety in NDI Operations and Maintenance

Safety in NDI

Chapter 21: Operations and Maintenance

In Aircraft Structure Repair maintenance environment, more specific, Intermediate Level capacity, there is a very close similarity between civilian and military maintenance production. Military often uses the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guide lines as a model, but will modify procedures as it fits the operations of the military routine or non routine maintenance procedures.  

The first step in receiving a part for repair is to determine the damage and assess if it is repairable or not. Assuming that it is, then the determination of what different repairs or modification this component requires. If the component is requiring a modification, usually that requirement is coming from the Fleet Engineer Support Team of the aircraft company.  Same goes for the (FAA) guidelines such as the pilot compiling with Airworthiness Directives and Service Bulletins and using out sourcing for the maintenance.

As part of the maintenance process for aviation components, also applies to the aircraft support equipment. The military calls is it Government Support Equipment (GSE). These parts also pass through NDI for inspections in order to reduce costs for purchasing new end item support or bench equipment in effort in maintaining a smooth maintenance production flow.  

If there are any modifications to be made, either Intermediate or Depot Level maintenance may perform engine or airframe structure modifications, weight and balance repairs. When the required maintenance is completed, new records are entered into the aircraft life record as the same as FAA requests the same.  In the military, it’s a requirement, not a request.

Depot Level maintenance, usually if the aircraft itself or aircraft platform components make it to this level, it is accompanied with its acceptance records like the Accident/Incident files plus Service Difficulty report records, usually a the aircraft is reached its maximum flight hours or (high time), and is scheduled to be dismantled down to just  the airframe, and all major and structural components are inspected, serviced, NDI’d if needed ( most aircraft structural components are NDI’d/ approved for serviceability) then reassembled, and reinstalled back on the aircraft.

In all removal of either aircraft or GSE components, in most cycles will require some or all of its parts to undergo a NDI inspection for continued serviceability. NDI is the number one safety entity in the process of proper serviceability. In the event of an aircraft accident, parts

Air Detective Tip 13 for Aircraft Accident Investigations

Tip 13: Paper Trail Checklist is a detailed record accountability of the same check list as a military aircraft changes ownership/ custody from one command squadron to another including Intermediate and Depot Level Maintenance squadrons go through the same process. To name a few examples are as follows:

Record and Document Checklist

1. Aircraft and Maintenance

a. Logbooks and maintenance records

b. Aircraft flight manual (AFM) and master manual for revisions check

c. Weight and Balance documents to include cargo manifests

d. Fueling documentation to include location and quality, inspection of last fueling

location

e. Air Worthiness Directives (AD's) and Commercial Service bulletins

f. Maintenance and service inspections and repairs

g. Service Difficulty Reports

h. Cockpit and Flight Data Recorders (do not disturb or open)

2. Operations

a. Mission and historical profile information of flight

b. Maintenance procedures

c. Crew assignments

d. Briefing records

3. Personnel

a. Crew logbooks

b. Training and check ride documents

c. Flight personnel packages that is legally obtainable and relative to mishap

4. Weather

a. All METAR, NEXRADS, TAFS or other reports available to mishap area weather

b. Witness reports of local area

c. Tower special reports

(Lawin, 2014)

Reference

Lawin, R. (2014). Air detective tip 13. In Retrieved from https://erau.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-15077977-dt-content-rid-29793014_4/institution/Worldwide_Online/SFTY_UG_Courses/SFTY_330/Air_Detective_Tips/AirDetectiveTip13_0911.pdf

Post #1 Safety in NDI- What is NDI/NDT?

Welcome to NDI.  Many people do not know about NDI or even what NDI is. It is a crucial part of an inspection process for aircraft or for any metal that is going to be under large amounts for stress loads. What dose NDI stand for? Non Destructive Inspection, meaning that an assembly of many components is left intact and we are able to inspect inside the metal or internally without disassembly of the part. Case in point, take a land mover Detroit diesel engine. It is very large and extremely heavy. To pull an engine of this size and the costs associated with it are very costly. In order to save steps and prevent wasted time diagnosing problems they call in an x-ray team. Suppose this engine is suspected to have a cracked cylinder.  An x-ray is performed on the area and an x-ray film is produced with the image area of interest. The film does confirm not only wear the suspected in the area but also reviled other areas that need attention and the engine being repair.

There are six main techniques used and there are: Eddy Current, Ultrasound, Magnetic Particle, Liquid Pentrant, Visual, and x-ray. I’ll explain each later.

NDI has been around NDT has been practiced for decades. Over the years, technological advances spurred rapid developments in techniques and instrumentation. It is impossible to identify exactly when this science began; however, we know that it has been evolving for centuries. For example, blacksmiths used a sonic technique (listening to a ring of different metals) to shape them as desired (Zuuk,2011).

The roots of modern NDT began prior to the 1920s, but awareness of different methods truly came in the 1920s. During this era there was an awareness of some of the magnetic particle tests (MT) and X-radiography (RT) [in the medical field (Zuuk,2011).

            The reason I choose NDI is because I have been involved in several military crash investigations where NDI was used to determine suspected failures in aircraft structures. It is a field that Safety is number one priority in aviation for Human safety in aircraft but it also pertains to our rail systems, petroleum, and piping industries. This field is the first line of defense or investigation in aviation or industry insuring the engineer integrity is sound.

Reference

Zuuk. (2011, Janurary 01). History of non-destructive testing. Retrieved from http://www.zuukinspection.com/ndtnde/history-of-non-destructive-testing/ 

Safety in NDI and its uses

Hi all,

This a test to see if I have this blog down right. Le me know OK?