Neural Networks in view of Inspection Procedures Qualifications
S. Crutzen, EC-JRC, Brussels, Belgium; F. Franck, A. Varfis, J. -M. Auger, EC-JRC, Petten, The Netherlands; G. Maciga, ENEL DCO, Piacenza, Italy
ABSTRACT
JRC, Operating Agent and Reference Laboratory (RL) of several European Networks on NDT effectiveness evaluation and qualification has deeply understood the shortcomings of industrial inspection procedures based on NDT. An important contribution to the industrial application of inspection procedures, often conducted by small service vendors, would be to provide the possibility to qualify these procedures of inspection in an objective manner: without the intervention of an authority to act as a judge declaring the inspection procedure qualified on the basis of subjective evaluation of the skill of the operator. Such a qualification would allow the participation of these small and medium enterprises to tendering and servicing, engaging the best of their technology and capability. Such a use of demonstrative standards is in agreement with the spirit of the new European Pressure Equipment directive. To reach such an objective, now understood as essential to warrant the inspection effectiveness, both for standard components inspection (e.g. pipeline welds) or in-service inspection of nuclear components, the absolute need is the FULL PROCEDURE DESCRIPTION. No qualification is in fact possible on the basis of expert skill only: rules applied and decision steps have to be documented. Because a sizing procedure would be more readily "qualifiable" if based on a "model" trained in correct conditions and qualified itself for the purpose, the introduction of such a validated model or Neural Network (NN) in the inspection procedure would promote a full and official qualification. Establishing a neural network for the precise scope of defect sizing was therefore the aim of the study. Training this network on relevant data and verifying its performance in view of its use in industrial inspection procedures were thus the objectives of the work.
Publication Source: First International Conference on NDE in Relation to Structural Integrity for Nuclear and Pressurised Components , 20 - 22 October 1998, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Held by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. Publisher:Woodhead Publishing Limited
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