West Penn's qualification of new Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing system anticipates shift to SIM-16 requirement

West Penn Testing Group (www.westpenntesting.com), a provider of non-destructive testing and material testing services, has qualified its new Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) system. Mark Pompe, the NDT Level III who led the West Penn effort to improve the process of inspecting rotor-grade titanium, said, "SIM-11 allows ASM 2628 MZI until November 30, at which time inspection to SIM-16 requirements takes effect."

Commenting on the transition from SIM-11 to SIM-16, Pompe said: "The mandate is real, the requirement immediate, and 'work around' options non-existent. The aerospace industry now has a new specification to guide inspection of titanium material used to forge disks, shafts, hubs, seals, spacers, couplings and other flight-critical components."

Pompe added that PAUT provides significant technical benefits. "PAUT eliminates overscans. For this reason, much less data is needed to assure quality. The new system uses no wheels, the transducer not the test article moves, so previous elliptical movements of the test article that complicated analysis have been eliminated. Only one transducer needs to be set up to run a test."

According to Jim DeChellis, "West Penn will be the first and only test lab to supply PAUT in conformance with the SIM-16 specifications. We have the system on the shop floor. Trials, testing certification, and the first-customer qualifications are in process. And we are now receiving inquiries from customers at every level of the supply chain."