08:45 – Welcome & Breakfast
09:30 – Introduction by VOM
09:50 – Presentation of Partner Securex and Benefits for VOM Members – Maxime Baudon, Securex Insurance
10:10 – Overview of key NDT methods for surface inspection
Speaker: MPP aero - Pierre Servais, CEO
This presentation will provide an overview of key Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods for surface inspection, including liquid penetrant testing, magnetic particle inspection, eddy currents, visual inspection, thermography, shearography and ultrasound. It will outline their main applications, advantages, and limitations, helping industrial professionals choose the most suitable technique for detecting surface and near-surface defects.
10:40 – Crack detection in steel structures before repair
Speakers: OCAS NV - Jeroen Van Wittenberghe, Domain Leader Structural Integrity & Philippe Legros, Staff Manager Specialist in Coatings, Corrosion and Health & Product Safety
The lifetime assessment of steel structures such as cranes or railway bridges is essential for the predictive maintenance by industrial partners. OCAS has developed skills in damage prediction and crack inspection and will present the structural health monitoring methodology and concrete case studies.
In the case of repair of coated structures, OCAS, by means of chemical analyses, including non-destructive techniques, can, prior to maintenance, perform a health risk analysis and indicate whether there is a danger, for example exposure to lead from the paint of the structure.
11:10 – Break - visit our tabletop demonstrations
11:40 – Detecting the invisible: Eddy Current Surface applications for finding surface defects beneath coatings.
Speaker: TUV Austria - Nicolas Janssens, Level III ECT expert, Team lead Advanced NDT
Start with an overview of NDT techniques for detecting surface defects. Learn the participants about Eddy Current Testing (ECT) and its ‘evolution’ Eddy Current Array (ECA) which allows detection of surface defects beneath coatings.
12:10 – Evaluating Steel Coatings: in situ-EIS Feasibility Study (Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy - Corrosion monitoring)
Speaker: Bjond - Jo van Montfort & BouwQ - Sue Ellen de Nijs
In situ-EIS measurements enable proper evaluation of a coating system by allowing monitoring to supplement visual evaluation in a single framework that ensures longevity and damage prevention.
12:40 – Lunch - visit our tabletop demonstrations
Workshop & Laboratory Tour at KU Leuven
13:30 – EIS (Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy - Corrosion monitoring) insights for Steel Bridge Longevity
Speaker: Tuc Rail - Bart Depauw
The study proposes to investigate eco-friendly paint systems to ensure long-term protection of steel bridges while complying with environmental regulations using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and salt spray tests.
14:00 Workshop in smaller groups & Tour of the KU Leuven Laboratory
KU Leuven Laboratory (30 minutes)
Wetting lab
• Surface cleanliness
• Surface energy
NDT lab:
• Humidity detection by "surface plasmon resonance" with optical fibre sensors
• Crack detection by ultrasonic surface waves
• Printed percolation sensors for moisture detection
Workshops & Demonstrations:
• Omniscan Phased Arry corrosion mapping - Gert Van de Mieroop (VDM Industrial Solutions), Jonathan Taylor (Evident), Stephan Couture (Evident) (30 minutes)
Corrosion Mapping Solutions:
Phased array testing provides new technological solutions for the corrosion inspection market. These Evident solutions enable inspectors to be more productive and collect higher resolution data with fully encoded C-scan imaging.
The HydroFORM™ scanner offer efficient inspection options for the detection of wall thickness loss due to corrosion, abrasion, and erosion. Our solutions also detect mid-wall damage such as hydrogen-induced blistering or manufacturing-induced laminat.
• Vanta portable XRF analyzer for PMI (positive material identification) & coating measurement - Gert Van de Mieroop (VDM Industrial Solutions) (15 minutes)
Our handheld XRF analyzers are rugged and portable so you can carry them wherever testing is needed. The XRF analyzers provide rapid, accurate elemental analysis and alloy identification for a wide variety of materials. Providing results you can trust, our handheld XRF analyzers help you determine the best course of action on location.
Positive material identification (PMI) inspection equipment is an essential part of on-site quality control for alloy components. Our products will help you analyze accurate chemistry and alloy identification for PMI applications
• PCA 200 portable contact angle goniometer- Daniel R. Scholz (DataPhysics Instruments) (15 minutes)
During the workshop, the PCA 200 portable contact angle goniometer will be demonstrated. This hand-held device enables autonomous and mobile measurement of the surface energy of solid surfaces. With its lightweight design and intuitive user interface, it is the ideal tool for analysing surfaces in production and quality control.
Also visit our tabletop demonstrations during breaks:
• Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) - Julia Wu C-Cube
C-Cube International BV. is an technology company based in Delft, The Netherlands. We have over 20 years experience in the field of corrosion and coating degradation. At C-Cube, we specialize in advanced technologies based on Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) to non-destructively assess the performance of protective coatings. Our product portfolio includes portable handheld sensors and permanent monitoring systems, providing insights into coating degradation and corrosion rate. Our solutions assist our customers to make data-driven maintenance decisions, increase asset uptime, reduce maintenance costs, enhance safety, extend asset lifetime, and support sustainability goals.
• Metal Performance Innovation (ELOOI) Laboratory – KU Leuven
Metal Performance Innovation (ELOOI) Laboratory: KU Leuven specializes in the study of metallic materials, focusing on the synergistic effects of plastic deformation, failure mechanisms, corrosion, and wear. The lab's research aims to enhance the understanding of material performance in industrial applications through innovative experimental and computational techniques. To achieve this, new experimental testing methods are developed alongside advanced numerical simulations. For example, full-field measurement techniques, such as Digital Image Correlation (DIC), are customized and integrated into inverse identification strategies. The featured demonstration involves the use of projective DIC to detect and characterize dents in shell-like structures, such as fuselage panels. Subsequently, a finite element-based approach is employed to reconstruct the local strain field generated by the dent. This methodology is deemed to lead to more accurate damage assessments of dents in aircraft structures.
• Eddy Current Surface Application: Conventional vs Array Applications (ECT vs ECA) – Nicolas Janssens - TÜV Austria Belgium
In addition to the theoretical insights shared in the morning session, this demonstration will showcase selected NDT techniques on test pieces, providing participants with a practical perspective on their applications.
16:00 – Networking & Drinks
17:00 – Closing
We warmly thank VDM Industrial Solutions, C-Cube and DataPhysics Instruments for their valuable support as sponsors of this event.
