Steel components assessment using a novel non-destructive residual stress ultrasonic technology

ended

During steel manufacturing and in-service life of steel components, residual stress tends to appear due to mechanical and thermal loads, compromising material integrity and leading to premature failure. STEELAR will develop an innovative NDT technology able to assess residual stress levels in rolled products and rolling rolls, both during manufacturing and in-service, providing a decision-aiding tool that will allow operators to optimize their manufacturing processes. STEELAR is based on a novel EMAT technique, allowing couplant free inspection, higher working temperatures and assessment of residual stress levels of the whole product (not just the surface) layer by layer (not an average). Considering the magnitude of this challenge, the STEELAR consortium has joined 5 European entities: Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMAT) technology worldwide leader (Innerspec), steel roll manufacturer (Valji), steel billets and rolled bars manufacturer (Sidenor), automation and integration expert (DBV) and the material science expert (MMV). The project will allow steel manufacturers to increase production process reliability by controlling and characterising residual stress levels, improving competitiveness of the European steel manufacturing sector. Furthermore, rolling processes safety will be enhanced and materials scrap rate reduced, contributing to the decrease of CO2 emissions.