One of the most common causes of industrial accidents is failures in mechanical integrity. Examples include the rupture of pressurised systems, stress corrosion cracking, flow-accelerated corrosion (especially in power/nuclear plant technology), and insufficient strength of welded joints.
Positive Material Identification (PMI) can prevent potential product failure in manufacturing. In industries like oil and gas, power generation, and pharmaceuticals, pre-service and in-service inspection of critical components and welds with PMI can avert breakdowns and their potentially costly and dangerous consequences.
PMI testing ensures that every part in a system meets specifications, critical replacement parts are the correct alloy grade, and all new materials are exactly what they should be. This crucial step can be the key difference between seamless operations and catastrophic safety failures.
Positive Material Identification Uses
- Ensure that products and components have been manufactured using the correct alloy
- Find potentially mixed-up alloys
- Ensure material conforms to the correct standard and specification
- Ensure welded components have used the correct filler material
- Failure Analysis PMI – the cause must be identified and resolved to avoid repeat failures
- Ensure compliance with local government and legal requirements
- Reduce the risk of company liability with documented safety standards
Positive Material Identification (PMI) is a fast and non-destructive testing (NDT) method for verifying the chemical composition of metals and alloys. PMI ensures that supplied materials conform to the proper standards and specifications.
The most common PMI method is handheld X-ray fluorescence, which is portable, cost-effective, and allows PMI to be performed in the field, on the production floor, or in the lab.
PMI is essential for maintaining the integrity and safety of industrial operations across various sectors.