Structural Health Monitoring (SHM)

Just recently, I attended the first meeting for some time of the newly invigorated structural health monitoring (SHM) group. There had been a group previously, but it did not have the industry buy-in to sustain it; however, times have changed and SHM is now being recognised and used significantly more. This is not dissimilar to ultrasonic phased array technology, which was around for a significant time before it became mainstream. One of the main challenges is to understand what structural health monitoring means to the industries. There are different interpretations of the term, with differences between how it is applied in, for example, the aerospace sector compared to how it is used in oil & gas, and it overlaps with NDT 4.0. There was talk of the need for training and certification in SHM, which would involve the need for a different knowledge base to become involved with some overlap into both non-destructive testing (NDT) and condition monitoring (CM). Often these needs are first standard-driven, such as with NDT and ISO 9712, which drives the need for certification and training, but it is very important to have both trainers and examination providers willing to invest in this new market. These are interesting times and this is a subject that will probably continue to evolve.

I have been involved in the end-point assessments of the apprenticeships and am also involved in the approval of PCN Welding Inspection renewal applications, along with Engineering Council activities. One of the significant areas of concern revolves around continuing professional development (CPD), which applies to many aspects of our working lives. CPD describes the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities and knowledge.

CPD activities enable learning to be both conscious and proactive, rather than passive and reactive. CPD is the holistic commitment of professionals leading to the enhancement of personal skills and proficiencies throughout their careers. CPD combines different methodologies to learning, such as training workshops, conferences and events, including BINDT’s online Branch meetings, which are free to attend, e-learning programmes, best-practice techniques and idea sharing, all focused for the individual to improve and achieve ongoing professional development.

I would like to encourage all of you to become involved in CPD activities and to record the events; you never know, you may learn something useful.

Another topic that seems to be popular again is the requirements for vision testing. There is a requirement for near-distance acuity, which can be either corrected or uncorrected and may be evaluated by the ‘tumbling E chart’ or by reading text to specified sizes. The colour requirements are more complex, as the different NDT methods and techniques employ different colours. An Ishihara test is a good screening tool and could indicate the need for a trade test if any colour vision deficiency is detected to ensure that the tester can see the necessary indications for that method. The greyscale perception test is also interesting and does not just apply to radiographic interpretation, as it is also pertinent to visual testing; again, a trade test can decide if the tester’s vision can detect the necessary indications. The best person to conduct a trade test is someone with extensive knowledge of the method and indications sought, which is probably a Level 3. There are several different ways this is presented, but the key must be whether the tester is able to see the required indications for the method and, if there are any changes, the situation needs reassessing. Changes can be associated with the method or with the individual, leading to a need for regular checks to be made. Whatever your company chooses, it must stand up in a court of law if challenged.