QA Inspection Service - Documentation

All too frequently, the expert advice and suggestions of the Coating Inspector are ignored, resulting in premature breakdown of coating systems and the applicators or contractors denying that they were ever made aware of impending problems.

This makes it vitally important to document faulty procedure, work which does not come up to the standard set by the specification and any other action which could affect the coating performance . Equally important is the up to date reporting of progress and materials usage so that if problems do occur or are likely to occur, effective and immediate action can be taken to solve them.

The documentation vital to good coating inspection practice is itemised below:-

• Initial Appraisal Report
• Progress Report
• Material Usage Report

• Exception Report
• Work Acknowledgement Report

• Daily Log
• Overall Project Report

Initial Appraisal Report
The purpose and subject material of this report is discussed in detail under Initial Appraisal.

Progress Report
This is issued weekly and is one of the most essential pieces of documentation issued by a Coating Inspector. In it are details of work done, how far ahead or behind schedule, quality of work and any on-site problems that have arisen during the week. The advantage of such a report is that all interested parties are notified in writing of the on-site situation and are therefore aware of the Coating Inspector’s recommendations, suggestions and demands on an up to date basis.

Material Usage Report
This details the amount of material used and indicates to the party responsible for ordering materials which ones are in short supply. The Coating Inspector is not responsible for ordering the materials and his report is intended only as a reminder. This document is issued weekly.

Exception Report
This is issued whenever there has been a deviation from the standard of work required by the specification and when, in spite of the Inspector’s urging, no effort has been made to correct the defect. Any action whatsoever which, in the Inspector’s opinion, could have an adverse effect on the coating performances, will be the subject of an Exception Report. These reports will be referred to in the Weekly Progress Report.

Work Acknowledgement Report
This certifies the days worked and chargeable for inspection and must be countersigned by the Site Engineer or the Steel Superintendent. These reports are normally made weekly.

Daily Log
This is kept on site and lists in chronological order the day to day events both of a routine and non-routine nature. The data recorded in this documentation will form the basis of the final project report.

• Elcometer Surface Profile Gauge
• Wet Film Gauge
• Dry Film Gauge (Elcometer Inspector/Minitector)
• Steel Temperature Thermometer ^oC
• Air Temperature Thermometer ^oC

• Digital or Whirling Hygrometer ^oC
• Swedish Standard SIS 05 5900 – 1967 Book
• Dew Point and Relative Humidity Calculator
• Holiday Detector
• Paint Adhesion Tester

• Hypodermic Pressure Gauge
• Maximum/Minimum Thermometer ^oC
• Magnifying Glass
• Millscale Test Bottle
• Soluble Iron Test Bottle
• Laboratory Sample Bottles
• Camera

LABORATORY SERVICES
Coating Inspectors in the field are given full technical support by SICL Head Office and can use this facility for advice, information and analysis.

All requests for these laboratory services from field staff are routed through the SICL Technical Manager. The Technical Manager maintains close liaison with all field operations and approves all documentation sent via SICL Head Office to the Client and various other parties.

SPECIFICATIONS
SICL will assist the Client in drawing up detailed specifications for the blast cleaning and coating of ship’s tanks, ships’ hulls, all types of structural steelwork and petrochemical installations.

HULL ROUGHNESS MEASUREMENT
SICL now offer this service in addition to their normal inspection consultancy service either as a separate entity or as part of the normal dry dock, ship building inspection service. Further details are given on the attached sheets.

NON DESTRUCTIVE and MECHANICAL TESTING
Over the last few years inspection and quality control on fabricated structures of all types has become increasingly important, but for most companies it does not make economic sense to tie up capital with specialised equipment and personnel.

Specialist Industrial Coatings Inspection Services are able to offer a Non-destructive Testing Service which includes full reports of the work carried out and the results obtained by our Inspectors. Details.

CLADDING PROJECTS
SICL are able to survey factory coated cladding and provide a report on the condition of the coatings along with recommendations for repair and overpainting. Naturally, we can provide project management and / or site supervision for the recoating operations.

HULL ROUGHNESS MEASUREMENT
Specialist Industrial Coatings are pleased to inform you that in addition to the normal inspection consultancy service given by them in the past, we are now offering a Hull Roughness Measurement facility, either in conjunction with this normal service or as a separate entity.

Hull Roughness is a major factor affecting fuel economy, and any means of controlling or improving the surface texture of the hull is important. Cost effective gains can be made in this field by controlled painting to provide smoothness as well as protection. This control can be assisted by the knowledge of hull roughness and improvements made by in-dock preparation and coating and any subsequent improvement or deterioration in performance can be related to hull roughness. The roughness is measured using a Hull Roughness Analyser; this is a portable instrument designed to assist in this field by providing quantitative measurements for quality control and performance predictions.

For any given dry docking two sets of measurements are normally taken. The first or ‘in-dock’ readings are taken immediately after the vessel has docked and been high pressure washed to remove fouling. The second or ‘out dock’ readings are taken as soon as the final coat of paint is sufficiently dry so that the stylus and skid do not damage the coating.

From these two sets of readings the improvement in hull roughness attributed to that dock is immediately apparent and performance predictions can be calculated. When the vessel next docks the ‘in-dock’ readings give a direct comparison of the effectiveness of the coating system with regard to the surface texture.

Should the performance of the vessel deteriorate rapidly between dockings then it is possible to take hull roughness readings on areas above the waterline during discharge and establish whether the surface’s texture has deteriorated and is responsible for the poor performance. It is also possible with the aid of divers to take hull roughness measurements underwater should the need arise.

Compared with the current high cost of fuel, the resulting large reduction in operating costs achieved by obtaining and maintaining as low a hull roughness as possible, the cost of this service is minimal.

Where the hull roughness analyser is used at a docking in conjunction with our normal docking inspection service, the additional cost will only be a nominal charge per set of readings.

Over the last few years, inspection and quality control on fabricated structures of all types has become increasingly important but for most companies it does not make economic sense to tie up capital with specialised equipment for personnel.

We are able to offer a Non-Destructive Testing Service which includes a full report of the work carried out and the results obtained by our inspectors. When on site we always work in close liaison with our customer to minimise the problems caused by interruptions to production and work flow and our qualified personnel are always willing to answer queries regarding the various inspection techniques summarised below.

Radiography
This technique relies on the ability of certain wavelengths of radiation to pass through materials such as steel. In passing through these materials some of the radiation is absorbed or stopped. The amount of radiation absorbed is proportional to the thickness penetrated, i.e., thinner sections pass more radiation than thicker sections. If we allow this radiation to fall on a sensitised film, it is exposed according to the amount of radiation it received, so film below the thin section is exposed to more than that below the thick section. It is this phenomenon which enable us to use radiography as a tool of inspection.

Our X-ray units can be used at our own premises or, if necessary, ‘on-site’. They cover a range of up to 300kv i.e., a working range of up to 70mm of steel. This service includes interpretation of radiographs to appropriate standards and issue of reports as required. All our staff are, of course, fully conversant with the safety requirements for operating this equipment in on site conditions.

Results of radiographic inspection are normally available within 24 hours, but if quicker results are required, we are able to supply a site dark-room. This enables us to process films on site so that we are able to view the results almost immediately.

Ultrasonic
This method involves transmitting a very high frequency sound pulse into the material to be tested and measuring the time taken for it to return to its point of origin.

The technique can be used for testing welds of various configurations but is also very useful for measuring material thickness, especially on vessels, etc., where access is only possible from one surface. This ability can prove very useful for charting the effects of corrosion on tanks, vessels, ships’ hulls, etc. The Ultrasonic Set is an extremely portable, battery operated piece of equipment and is therefore ideal for site work.

Magnetic Particle Inspection
This technique involves passing a magnetic field or ‘flux’ through the item to be tested and then applying a magnetic ink between the poles of the magnet producing the flux. Any irregularities are then highlighted by the ink.

Advantages of this technique are that it gives an immediate result and can be used where radiography or ultrasonics would not be suitable. Disadvantages are that it is limited to locating surface or slightly sub-surface defects, whereas radiography and ultrasonics can be used to locate defects in the body of a weld or component. The use of magnetic particle inspection is also limited to ferro-magnetic materials.

Dye Penetrant
This is a simple but effective form of testing and involves the application of a penetrating dye to the surfaces to be tested. After a minimum period of twenty minutes this is removed and developer is applied. If defects are present the dye will seep out and stain the developing agent. The main drawback with this method is that it will only locate surface breaking defects.

Mechanical Testing
Mechanical Testing can be carried out for welder or welding procedure approved to various standards. This service includes the cutting and preparation of test specimens when required.