Steel inspection ensures that steel is safe and appropriate for its intended use, whether in construction or machinery. Techniques include spectroscopy, radiography, dye penetrant inspection, and stress testing. Inspections can be done in workshops and on-site, and may be carried out by independent agencies or government representatives. Controversies arise when companies falsify results or clash with inspectors over costly findings.
A steel inspection is a type of material inspection that involves inspecting the steel to confirm that it is appropriate for a business. Steel inspection can be done in a workshop and on the site of a steel construction project, and in some cases, it may need to be done at both locations. Steel inspection includes the inspection of structural steel used in construction, the inspection of steel components of machinery, and the inspection of specialty products such as surgical steel.
Whether someone is inspecting an I-beam or a scalpel, safety is the goal. The inspector wants to make sure the steel is as advertised and that it is appropriate for the job. Investigation techniques used in the laboratory can include spectroscopy to determine the components of a sample, radiography to look inside the steel, dye penetrant inspection, and stress testing. Stress testing can involve pushing steel to the point of fatigue to find out when and why the steel breaks.
The steel site inspection includes a physical verification of steel components and welds, along with an inspection of handling practices. A steel inspector can identify problems with the welds that need to be addressed or repaired, or problems with the way the steel is handled that can make it unsafe or endanger workers. The inspector checks for obvious problems such as cracks, bends, and signs of metal fatigue so these issues can be addressed before the structure is finished.
Independent agencies around the world provide steel inspection services and inspections can also be carried out by government representatives. On a project like a bridge, for example, the government will inspect the product to confirm it’s safe. If a company fails a steel inspection, it will face the cause of the failure. In some cases, businesses may be subject to fines, such as when a business claims to be selling non-reactive surgical steel and inspection shows the steel contains impurities.
Steel inspection can be controversial, especially with large projects. Unscrupulous companies have been accused of bribing inspectors, swapping samples or falsifying results so they can continue to use inferior steel products that put people at risk. In other cases, inspectors and inspectors have clashed over inspection findings, especially when those findings have costly implications such as the need to replace, recall, redo, or repair something, whether it’s a bridge or a suite of surgical instruments.
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