Ultrasonic Safety & Survey Equipments

Friday, 11 October 2013

How Goods Are Protected On Ships

When we leave for a vacation or some long trips, we always cover our furniture and other precious items with a cloth to avoid being damaged by the dust and humidity in the air. The coverings keep the dust particles and the humidity in the air away from inflicting harm to the polish and the surfaces of the things. Similarly when the goods are being sent to a distant place they need to be properly covered. We take special care in wrapping up the things in plastic or wooden boxes to keep them safe during the transportation. But in many cases where the items are bulky such as sofas, wooden cupboards or raw items such as wheat (in tons), meat and livestock, wrapping them is not an option.

These huge and bulky items are shipped through the sea route because the airplanes can only carry up to a limit. Also the air fares are comparatively too high to be affordable so it is best to send huge amounts of goods through the ships. Transport ships have a huge hall like open space inside where the goods are stacked. These hall like open spaces are known as cargo holds and are covered by hatch covers which are closed once the cargo holds are completely filled. They act as a protective lid against the highly humid ocean air and also become a protective against the water that could enter due to the high tide or storms.

Since everything has a limit to withstand external pressure, the hatch covers get damaged due to extensive usage. The wear and tear creates holes of various sizes which then allow the water to seep inside unexpectedly. Water seeping inside can cause the goods to get wet and become damaged. To ensure that the hatch covers are alright and there are no holes present in them, the ship’s crew are advised to do a hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing. The result of the testing brings forth the actual condition of the hatch covers. If there are holes present, it means that there is a high risk of water to enter the cargo holds.

In such a scenario emergency measures are put into action. The holes are either covered by a thick plastic or if they are not in a position to be covered, the repair crew is called in. They wield new pieces of steel on the holes and then the repair work is confirmed by checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound. if the holes are now completely covered the cargo holds are loaded and the ship sets sail.

Thursday, 10 October 2013

Ultrasonic Tightness Testing Is Very Important

Protecting the precious goods in the cargo holds is the top most priority of the shipping companies. Unfortunately we are seeing a decline in this policy with more focus on meeting the deadlines. To meet the deadlines, most of the shipping companies are ignoring to check tightness of hatch with ultrasound which often results in drastic consequences. The precious goods given by the customers to deliver safely get wet and damaged during the voyage. The lashing waves that sweep the deck in an unearthly manner can break through the gaps and small holes in the hatch covers. The force inflicted by the waves clearly makes the holes bigger and thus a lot of water can enter.

Water entering the ship’s body can cause a series of uncontrollable havoc. It can enter the ship’s electricity panels which would result in a short circuit. If a large amount of water enters the ship, it can also make the ship heavy making it vulnerable to sink or turn turtle. If the ship capsizes or sinks, not only will the entire load of goods be wasted but the ship and its crew would also be harmed incredibly. Losing a ship to the depths of the ocean means that the company has suffered a loss in millions of dollars. This huge loss cannot be easily replaced and the entire profit of the company would be lost for many years.

The fingers of our hands are not of the same size; this is also the matter in the shipping industry. Not every company is willing to put their ships at risk. There are companies which have a very strict policy against leaks. If a leak is found in the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing, the ship’s management will not take chance by allowing it to set sail. They will put it on an alert and wait for the repair crew to some and inspect. Upon inspection of the holes by the repair crew, they present a report of the chances of sustainability out in the ocean. If the holes are not threatening, a voyage can be completed.

Upon returning from the voyage the ship is again inspected and then the repair work takes place. The hole free ships are a guarantee that the goods will reach their destination easily and safely. When the ship returns from the workshop, the ship can safely sail for a long time.

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Checking Tightness of Hatch Should Never Be Ignored

Making a ship safe for cargo delivery is one of the toughest tasks in maritime industry. There is a lot of pressure on the crew and the shipping company when it takes off for a voyage. The cargo area must be kept dry at all times so that the goods inside will not be harmed. Millions of dollars are paid each year by the maritime industry in the form of damages and claims filed by angry customers. Water is the biggest enemy of goods and it can severely harm precious goods when it enters the cargo area.

It has been pressed time and again for the shipping companies to run a tightness of hatch with ultrasound on their cargo ships before setting off for a voyage. Running the ultrasonic test on the cargo ship alerts the crew about the possibility of ingress of water. If there are holes big enough that will let the water to enter the cargo holds, it will be able to point out the holes. It is up to the crew and the management to decide if they are willing to take the risk. If the goods are damaged during the voyage, the shipping company would have to pay for the damages. For the safety of the customers, the goods are insured. The damages that occur on the company’s part are paid to the customers.

Unfortunately most of the shipping companies prefer to take the risk than send the ship for repairs. Taking such risks is discouraged by the laws and safety departments, but most of the time these laws are ignored by the management of the shipping companies. They prefer to take a chance and set sail, after all, the more voyages they make the more money they earn. Sending a ship for repairs will be costing money; this is not good news so the company management often ignores it.

Ignoring the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing can lead to much worse results than just damaging the cargo. The crew and the ship are also put at risk when there are unknown leaks lurking in the ship’s body. Some ships in the past have capsized and drowned due to excessive water entering the ship’s body. This not only ended up in drowning the entire goods, but it also took many precious lives which can never be replaced. Running a test should never be delayed and the fearsome results should never be ignored otherwise the outcome can be very cruel.

Sunday, 6 October 2013

Tightness of Hatch with Ultrasound Important For Swimming Pools

Modern architecture strives to surpass all designs that have ever been seen on this planet. With buildings reaching higher than the clouds to buildings capable to produce their own electricity through solar panels, the modern architects are building wonders on the face of this planet. The latest craze of the filthy rich has created a new challenge for the architects and builders. The craze to build state of the art indoor swimming pools has put the abilities of builders to extreme tests. The pools are not only indoors now, but they have gone in basements and on roof tops too. Building the pools in these places can cause many difficulties because it now not only becomes a tough task to control leaks, but the water should not spread in other parts of the building too.

Controlling the leak of the pool is more difficult than building it. When building the pool inside or outside, a firm foundation is required. Usually the floor and the walls of the pool are made of concrete to provide extra strength to the boundaries. The huge quantity of water inside exerts massive pressure on the boundaries. When a person dives or swims inside, the water splashes and increases the pressure, which is the reason concrete is applied to maximize its strength. After the concrete settles down during building it, specially made water proof tiles are put in and a mixture is applied to fill in the small gaps between the tiles. When the tiles are fitted but not completely set, the procedure known as hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing is run. This procedure identifies the areas of leaks during the building process.

Although the results are put forth by the device an immediate action is not taken but the points are noted. A day or two is given to the mixture to settle down completely and also the tiles would become firmer. Until everything hardens and takes it form, the test is regularly conducted to learn about any changes. If the results never change and the device continuously gives the warning at the same spot, another layer of the hardening mixture is applied and then allowed to settle. The final test of checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound is conducted at the end of the building process. Every spot of the leak is taken seriously and mixture is applied to fill in the minutest gaps hence the leaks are filled and the pool is ready to be used.

Thursday, 3 October 2013

The Benefits of Ultrasonic Testing In Road Cargo

When goods are bulky and need to be sent urgently within the country, the best mode to send them is through the road cargo. The road cargo is normally cheap and they only charge a meager price per kilos. Instead of loading them in your office van and taking the trouble of delivering them yourself, just hand it over to the cargo company and relax. The cargo company usually has big trucks that are powerful enough to carry a tank all over the land. Size does not matter with the cargo company because they can transport almost anything. The customer gets peace of mind with the excellent service provided, but most of us do not know how hard the cargo companies work to maintain the standard of their services.

The trucks have a cargo hold at the rear; the cargo hold is kept shut with a shutter or a hatch cover. It depends on the build and size of the truck. The modern trucks are fitted with a hatch cover because it provides more safety in terms of sealing it. But the constant wear and tear causes the hatch cover to become weak. The rubber pads around it which are used to help in sealing the inside can become thin or even rip from many areas. This creates a problem when the climate is rough. Rain water and sand in case of a sand storm can enter the cargo hold. Both of these are bad for the cargo and can damage the goods inside.

In an effort to maintain a perfect sealing capacity of the cargo hatch covers, the checking of tightness of hatch with ultrasound is conducted regularly. Using the ultrasonic device, the maintenance staff can learn about the ability of the hatch covers. By a simple scan of the truck’s carriage, the leaks can be identified. It is a matter of inspection that determines the type of leaks and the necessary action to take. If the leak is not too dangerous and can manage a delivery or two, then the company takes the decision to keep the truck in use, but if the leak has become necessary to be repaired then there is no other option than to call in the repairmen.

It is always recommended to run a hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing on your own when the truck arrives after repairs. It is better to be sure of getting rid of every leak before taking a blow to the reputation and income by destroying someone’s goods. By running the test it can be clear that the truck is ready to be used and there is nothing to worry about the rough climate when setting out for a delivery.

Wednesday, 2 October 2013

No Fuss with Ultrasonic Tightness Testing

The checking of tightness of hatch with ultrasound is becoming really popular in the United States and most other countries. Providing reliable results and saving valuable time is what makes this product unique and interesting to own. Some people have gone as far as owning an ultrasonic tightness tester for their homes. It is a device that is neither huge like a machine, nor is as difficult to operate as some complicated machine. It is simply a handy device which is portable and operates on batteries. One can easily carry it without being dragged down by the weight, how much does a hand scanner weight exactly? The tester is just a few ounces more in weight so you won’t have to worry about being pushed into the ground because of its weight.

I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who have never seen an ultrasonic leak detector in action. They would be wondering how it works and what’s so interesting about the device. A brief description is given below which will help in explaining about it.

The first step begins with the unboxing of the device. The box contains a generator, the receiver, extension rod, headphones and the batteries one for the receiver and one for the generator. Insert the batteries in the generator and the receiver and then attach the receiver to the extension rod. The headphone is connected to the receiver. First of all turn on the generator and the receiver. You will start hearing the sound waves in the headphone created by the generator. The function of the generator is to create the ultrasonic waves continuously. It spreads the waves in all directions which will soon fill the entire room with it. So it does not matter which direction you are standing, the waves will be received by the receiver.

Now all you have to do is put the generator inside the room, container or tank you want to test. This will begin your hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing. Close the lid or door, it depends what you are testing so the cover will be named accordingly. Now the sounds in the headphone should go silent. Begin scanning the boundaries and the entire body like a hand held scanner. The point where you get to hear the pulse is the very spot that is leaking. Mark it for repair and proceed with scanning the rest of the body. Once you have found all the leaking spots, turn off the receiver and take out the generator. Disassemble it put everything back in the box. Now call the repairmen and tell them where to apply the repairs. It’s as simple as that. No fuss about it.

Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Ultrasonic Tightness Testing Makes Factories Safe

For a perfect working environment it is essential to provide a safe environment to the staff. Factories are one of the most dangerous places for a human being to work. The immensely huge machines and they too in hundreds of them all at one place can send shivers down the spine. Some machines such as compressors and boilers are simply like atom bombs if they explode. Some incidents of the past clearly show the destruction that can be caused if an accident happens. Call it human error or a faulty machine; it all leads to destruction when some crucial area of it emerges a leak. Leak is formed when the area becomes weak and if it is not mended instantly, it will cause uncontrollable damage.

Factories consist of huge pipes serving different purposes as passing liquids to different areas or as ventilation's. A leak in the pipe can be troublesome and it should be mended as soon as possible. But most of the times they are concealed or covered with special coatings which make it difficult to find the exact area of leak. In this case the best practice is to use the method widely known in the maritime industry as hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing. This is a method which does not require dismantling the entire machine to find the leaks.

Dismantling a machine is not an easy task. Not only will it be costly, it will also require a lot of time to simply put it apart piece by piece. And when the pieces are removed, the seals again require new to be put on which only adds to the expenses. With the help of the ultrasonic leak detector device, finding hidden leaks is like magic. You simply point the device towards the machine, pipe or container and learn if there is anything you should be worried about. And as ultrasonic waves do not cause any problem to the machines, you do not have to worry if there is a computerized chip inside because it will not be affected at all.

The method of checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound is best for the single skinned containers. Let the harmless ultrasonic waves travel through the steel body and determine a leak is present or not. If you come across something to worry about, just call in the repair team and have the specific area inspected instead of bringing down the entire body and wasting precious time and resources.