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NDEOnline self-study

NDE for Steel Bridges: UT, MT, PT and Eddy Current

1 PDH · about 60 minutes · Course no. BR-N02 · Instructor: Michael Craig, PE

About the instructor

Michael Craig, PE is Senior Vice President and Southeast Director at Strinteg Corporation, leading bridge inspection and structural engineering across eight states and Puerto Rico. In 27+ years he has inspected over 4,000 structures and completed 3,000+ load ratings and 160+ load tests. He has managed repair and preservation design for complex bridges, including cable-stayed bridges. He holds PE licenses in twelve states, DC and Puerto Rico, SPRAT Level 1, and FAA Part 107 credentials.

Visual inspection is the backbone of steel bridge inspection, but it finds only flaws large and pronounced enough to see. This course explains the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods used on in-service steel bridges: dye penetrant (PT), magnetic particle (MT) and eddy current (ET) for surface flaws; ultrasonic testing (UT), including straight beam, angle beam, thickness gaging and phased array, and radiography (RT) for internal flaws; and acoustic emission (AET) for crack activity. It covers how each works, what it can and cannot find, how to choose methods by flaw type and location, how flaws are confirmed, sized and characterized, and how NDE findings feed engineering decisions. It is built on the Kentucky Transportation Center's 2016 report Nondestructive Evaluation of Steel Bridges: Methods and Applications.

⬇ Download study guide (PDF)

Learning objectives

  • Describe visual, PT and MT
  • Explain UT for welds and pins
  • Use eddy current
  • Choose methods by flaw type

Outline

  1. Why steel bridges need NDE
  2. Steel bridge damage and the flaws NDE looks for
  3. Visual inspection, operators and the indication-flaw-defect chain
  4. Dye penetrant testing (PT)
  5. Magnetic particle testing (MT)
  6. Eddy current testing (ET)
  7. Ultrasonic testing: principles and straight beam
  8. Ultrasonic testing: angle beam, phased array and limitations
  9. Radiographic testing (RT)
  10. Acoustic emission testing (AET)
  11. Choosing methods by flaw type, location and purpose
  12. From finding to decision
  13. Open the course (18 screens, 2 knowledge checks)
  14. Final quiz — 10 questions, 70% to pass

References

  1. Hopwood, T., II, Goff, C., Fairchild, J., and Palle, S., Nondestructive Evaluation of Steel Bridges: Methods and Applications, Research Report KTC-16-26/SPR15-505-1F, Kentucky Transportation Center, University of Kentucky, 2016 (doi:10.13023/ktc.rr.2016.26)