/ Articles / Change Leader: Engineering and Nondestructive Testing Are Mutually Beneficial

Change Leader: Engineering and Nondestructive Testing Are Mutually Beneficial

Todd Danielson on June 5, 2023 - in Articles, Column

This particular interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. You can watch a video of the full interview by visiting bit.ly/3Mvud7l.


Ricky Morgan is director at large of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) and president of FlawTech America.


With more than three decades of experience in the nondestructive testing (NDT) industry, Ricky Morgan knows that a key aspect of successful analysis is a positive relationship with the engineers who worked on the infrastructure.

“The best practice is being educated in the structures you’re inspecting to understand the failure mechanisms that occur during that type of event,” he explains. “As the inspector, we get a lot of those leads from the engineer.”

An engineer can tell inspectors what loads he or she is concerned about and direct inspectors to where they should look.

“Going in there the first time [without engineers’ input] would be very difficult,” he adds. “You would not know what you’re looking for.”

What Is NDT?

According to Morgan, NTD has been utilized in the United States since at least the late 1800s, where it was used to test the railroads. He also cites its use in 1893 by George Washington Gale Ferris on the world’s largest Ferris wheel at the time at the Chicago World’s Fair.

There are more than 12 different methods of NDT, including visual, ultrasonics, radiation, x-ray, GPR and infrared. Morgan notes that UAVs are increasingly used for remote inspections.

“NDT is inspecting or testing a part, component or material to verify its characteristics, look for anomalies and validate those toward a specific code or specification,” he says. As the testing is nondestructive, any approved infrastructure can return to service with no harm done during inspection.

The ASNT, where Morgan now is director at large, began in 1941 in Boston during World War II. ASNT provides certification, education and career development through publication, references, archives, training and conferences for practitioners, engineers and researchers. It currently has a membership of approximately 13,000 professionals.

“ASNT covers the full spectrum of the industry,” he notes. “We work and collaborate with other professional societies to improve and enhance NDT for different industries.”

NDT After a Natural Disaster

NDT is especially important after a major natural disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane. Morgan describes the typical NDP process after such a major event:

“The most common nondestructive testing is visual,” he explains. “Typically, they first clear all the means of emergency egress, so they can get all the emergency vehicles and responders in and out and get the rescue people out. The first things inspected are the bridges and other thoroughfares for verification they’re still stable.”

The next areas for inspection include hospitals and schools and anywhere providing shelter, then moving to commercial buildings and residential areas. Engineers identify areas of concern and then bring in the appropriate technology to determine if there are any fractures or cracks or any type of damage they couldn’t see from visual observations.

Advice for Engineers

Morgan believes most engineers are familiar with NDT after construction, but they could better benefit from its concepts by working them into their designs at the beginning of the process.

“If they have a good knowledge of NDT, they can go right ahead and spec it out themselves,” he says. “But it’s probably good to get a subject-matter expert in NDT to help them develop their inspection testing plans for a particular project.”

After construction, inspection is important to ensure the construction process met the designed specifications, particularly at the welds.

“If a bridge is made to last 50 years, and the welding’s not done properly or the coating’s not done properly, then that 50-year lifespan just got less,” he adds. “It also ensures the safety of everybody who works or stays in a particular asset.”

Morgan adds that a proper inspection testing plan helps engineers and extends the life of infrastructure assets. He also believes NDT is a rewarding profession.

“It’s a great opportunity for anybody who has curiosity and likes to look for things.”

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About Todd Danielson

Todd Danielson has been in trade technology media for more than 20 years, now the editorial director for V1 Media and all of its publications: Informed Infrastructure, Earth Imaging Journal, Sensors & Systems, Asian Surveying & Mapping, and the video news portal GeoSpatial Stream.

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