|
We are currently experiencing the next industrial revolution (industry 4.0). Production facilities and product parts communicate during manufacturing process. The properties of products can now be simulated before production using modeling which creates digital twins. But even under these advanced manufacturing conditions natural variability and “scatter” in material properties and occurrence of material defects cannot be completely ruled out.
To provide advanced material characterization (or material state awareness) requires a new kind of cyber-based NDE where inspection processes are planned and optimized virtually using digital twins. The optimized inspection process has to be integrated into the cyber-controlled process and inspection results for individual parts have to be evaluated. Such NDE data is stored to and insights used to improve reliability and enable both forecasting and lifecycle management (prognostics). We call this NDE 4.0 where NDE data become a valuable resource. This contrasts with classical NDE approaches where the ability and experience of an inspector is required to perform and evaluate the NDE results, all in the context of a procedure where there has been a statistical POD assessment developed.
Techniques developed in the past are now being viewed under a new light and are gaining in importance. The paper will present the IRMS, Inspection and Revision Management System, an approach that is supporting all necessary processing steps related to inspection and needed responses to better manage system life cycle at power plants, chemical plants, and in other industries based on a modular design beyond process limits. The use of IRMS creates a database of all inspections and component data, it supports inspection planning, and is a tool for prognostics and life-cycle management of components.
|
