In Case You Thought Material Test Reports Weren’t Important…

Nearly 110 years have passed since the tragic sinking of the Titanic. Over the years, research has helped to determine the various factors that sank the unsinkable. The iceberg warnings were dismissed, the ship was travelling too fast in poor conditions, the binoculars were inaccessible to the crew – the list of things that went wrong is frighteningly long.

It wasn’t until the 1990’s that researchers were able to test steel from the Titanic’s hull to find that it contained a high percentage of sulphur, making the steel very brittle. In the early 20th century, material testing was basic at best and there was no accurate way to test the chemical composition of the steel.

A century later, metallurgy has come a long way. Materials are tested for their chemical compositions and mechanical properties to ensure that they meet the certifications required by the various international standards organisations such as ASTM, ASME and EN.

In today’s world, Metal specific ERP programmes like the iMetal Platform are able to provide a robust cast analysis programme that helps its users consistently report their MTRs with accuracy. Our cast analysis module delivers a systematic and easy approach to keep track of material traceability, characterisation, identification and validation.

iMetal Cast Analysis Module provides chemical analysis and verification of metal specification that can identify and quantify the elemental composition of your material and help support your quality control processes.

Material identification, characterisation and verification are essential, iMetal provides not only reporting but field level validation of chemical elements and physical properties to ensure your materials conform to industry standards.

Finding the right partner to provide accurate chemical and physical properties of your material is important. The iMetal Software is metal specific and can support cast analysis on a range of metals and a variety of material attributes and specifications that will identify and quantify the elemental composition of a metal alloy.

Case in Point:

Failure to meet material certification standards is not only dangerous, it brings serious consequences as well.

Elaine Thomas, a metallurgist working in a Washington State foundry, landed herself in the hot-seat back in 2017 after it came to light that she had been falsifying material test reports and providing unsatisfactory steel to US Navy contractors since 1985.

For 32 years, Thomas circumvented the Navy’s material requirements, supplying fake MTRs for nearly half of the steel that the foundry had provided to the Navy for submarine parts.

Thomas ultimately took responsibility and pleaded guilty for fake test reports on about 240 steel productions. Her prosecution resulted in a prison sentence and a hefty fine.

Since the situation initially came to light, the Navy has made it increasingly clear that accurate material testing is an absolute necessity for their suppliers. Fortunately for everyone involved, there have been no reported incidents with the substandard material and corrective measures have been implemented.

Jonas Metals Software and the iMetal Platform will exceed the ERP needs of your Metal Service Centre. In addition, our team can advise on the best practises in the use of advanced metal applications in all sectors of the metals industry. You can have the peace of mind that iMetal will provide Total Quality Assurance and reliable chemical analysis reporting and verification to meet the most stringent quality control requirements.

 

Stories courtesy of:

Frank Whelan, The Allentown Morning Call “Flawed Steel Research Finds Steel Used In Titanic Was High In Sulfur And Prone To Fracturing At Temperatures Of Icy Seawater” via The Spokesman-Review

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press “Metallurgist Gets 2.5 Years for Faking Steel-Test Results for Navy Subs” via NavyTimes

Image courtesy of Bence Szemerey – Pexels