"Nondestructive testing has many different flavors," says Csaba Hollo,
vice-president of a nondestructive testing firm.
His company works for the pulp and paper industry. Pulp mills schedule
periodic shutdowns to allow NDT technicians to examine boilers, pressure vessels
and other instruments for wear and tear.
"It's quite a challenge. The technician is looking at a boiler just
after it's been deemed fit for human use. There can be residual chemicals
present -- the environment can be quite hostile."
On the other hand, NDT technicians working for aircraft companies often
spend their days in a hangar, testing aircraft parts that have already been
cleaned and disassembled. "You've got the two extremes," says Hollo.
Mind you, not all NDT experts work in the field. Laura Obrutsky is an atomic
research engineer. Her office is a laboratory, where she develops probes to
inspect the simulator tubes in nuclear power reactors.
Obrutsky loves her work. "You start with an idea and half the time it doesn't
work out, so you're back to the drawing board!"
A career in nondestructive technology isn't for the physically fragile.
Although she spends the majority of her time in a lab, Obrutsky still performs
periodic inspections to make sure new technology is being applied properly.
"You have to be strong. It's very hard work, and most NDT technicians
spend long hours away from home."
But all that effort eventually pays off. Joseph Rajhard got his first taste
of NDT technology over 25 years ago. A supervisor at the plant where he worked
needed extra help, "and the boss sent me." The supervisor was so impressed
that the company helped him obtain his NDT certification.
Today Rajhard is a field inspector for a boiler safety association. Companies
must have their equipment inspected every five years, and that's where
Rajhard comes in. He performs staged inspections to make sure the boilers
aren't being over-pressured.
The major difference between Rajhard's job and that of a regular NDT
technician is that he knows exactly where to look for defects. Technicians
out on a construction site or oilfield often have no idea whether a defect
even exists, let alone where it might be. But Rajhard knows exactly where
to check for possible flaws.
"In piping, you don't look at the expansion points, because if there's
pressure they'll just expand. Instead, you go to the anchor point --
if there's pressure, the pipe can crack there."
Like most technicians, Rajhard enjoys the problem-solving aspect of NDT
-- "provided you have enough intelligent information into what abuse this
equipment has suffered!"
William Klene says the beauty of nondestructive testing is that it is never
boring. "There are five different types of testing so you're doing something
different every day. And testing a weld on a bridge is different from testing
an aircraft wheel or a casting."
Klene fell into his career in NDT. In the early 1960s, he was a structural
repairman in the United States Air Force. He saw some NDT technicians working.
"I was intrigued by the different kinds of equipment there was to learn about,
and the idea of investigating materials for flaws."
Eventually, Klene completed an instructor's training program and taught
nondestructive techniques to air force cadets. In the late 1970s, he launched
the nondestructive evaluation program at Moraine College. Today he's
the department chairman.
Klene admits that newcomers to the field spend a lot of time on job sites
away from home. Still, he says that's all part of paying your dues.
He encourages graduates to begin their career working for a commercial
testing lab. "You make the lowest salary, but the work is more diversified.
You get a broader experience."