Kiwa CMT Testing

CMT (Testing) Ltd

Established in 1976
Located in Derby with 27 employees

*UKAS Accredited
*ASLEC Registered
*CHAS Accreditation
*Constructionline
*ILE & BSI Members
 Kiwa CMT Testing

UKAS
United Kingdom
Accreditation
Service

CMT are accredited

for RLS testing of
steel lighting
columns
 Kiwa CMT Testing

What do CMT do?

Four Departments

• Structures

• Soils & Site Investigation

• Chemistry

• Concrete & Building Products

 Kiwa CMT Testing

COLUMN TESTING

RELATIVE LOSS OF SECTION (RLS)

Instrument for assessing the loss of

steel at the four most vulnerable
positions of a steel lighting column
 Kiwa CMT Testing

RLS LOSS OF SECTION MONITORING

•Can identify corrosion up to 100mm below ground without

excavation

•Minimal surface preparation

•Can detect narrow-band full penetration

•Mini head can pinpoint position of greatest loss

•Average loss of section in scanned area is measured

•Both heads can be used elsewhere on the columns

 Kiwa CMT Testing

Critical Zones

Swaged
Joint

Bottom of the door

opening

Below the door opening

Below ground. At
the root
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Structures Department – Lighting Column Testing

RLS & SJA Test Equipment

Only UK company UKAS

Accredited for Structural
Testing of Lighting Columns.

Complies with TR22

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TEST WHERE IT MATTERS

Corrosion occurs around and below ground level due to:

*dog urine
*de-icing salts
*weed killers
*strimmers etc

This coincides with the maximum bending moment

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Kiwa CMT Testing
Kiwa CMT Testing
 Kiwa CMT Testing

The Solution
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How does the instrument work?

• The RLS works on low frequency magnetic flux.

• It’s a dry coupled system that looks below GL for

loss of steel section compared to a reference
reading that is taken within an area that is
considered to be of sound material (back of door on
base of column)
 Kiwa CMT Testing

PULSED EDDY CURRENT TECHNIQUE - Reference

Column walls

SENSOR HEAD

PULSED MAGNETIC FIELD

EDDY CURRENT
REGION

 Pulses of shaped magnetic field are induced into the column and travel downwards to emerge
100mm below and return into the base of the search head.
 Each pulse induces eddy currents within the column wall and surfaces. The eddy currents are
detected and the signal logged.
 Repeat the test elsewhere on the pole and the signals are compared and the difference
computed.
 Kiwa CMT Testing
PULSED EDDY CURRENT TECHNIQUE – Test area

Column walls

SENSOR HEAD

PULSED MAGNETIC FIELD

EDDY CURRENT
REGION

 Pulses of shaped magnetic field are induced into the column and enter the root and
travel upwards to emerge above ground and back into the search head.
 Each pulse induces eddy currents within the column wall and surfaces. The eddy
currents are detected and processed to indicate the difference in section between the
two test areas.
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RLS testing using the standard head

•Penetrates 10mm wall thickness (or greater)
•Penetrates ground to a depth of 100mm
•Assesses loss from both inner and outer surface
•Compares areas of the same section of column

Ground level

Sensed zone
200 x 200mm
P2
Four equally spaced
P1 P3 measurements around
columns and averaged
P4 to classify
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The instrument will look through

surface coatings and only measures
sound steel

*Painted Surfaces

*Galvanising

*Metal Spray

*Bituminous material
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The column could be planted in:

* Asphalt
* Coated macadam
* Concrete / paving slabs
* Soil
* Clays etc

The instrument WILL

penetrate these materials.
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Typical Tubular
Steel Lighting
Column
Kiwa CMT Testing
 Kiwa CMT Testing

RLS testing using the Mini head

Penetrates 10mm wall thickness or greater
Pinpoints position of greatest loss

Door The Mini head is to

aperture
be used on folded
columns or columns
that are 125mm
diameter or less
Ground level

Sensed zone
Asphalt
Coated macadam 65mm wide
Concrete 50mm deep
Soil
Kiwa CMT Testing
 Kiwa CMT Testing

Folded Column
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FOLDED COLUMNS
P3
D
o
P2 P4 o
r
300mm
Door

P1
Lap / Seam @ P3 Taper
G.L.
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Possible source of anomalies

• Cable aperture within sensed zone
• Interference from adjacent steel
• Foreign metallic objects beneath search head
• Poor reference reading
• Deformation at the root due to impact
• Scabbing increasing standoff distance
• Manufacturing variation
• Difference in column section
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 Kiwa CMT Testing

Ornate Column Stainless Steel Column

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Kiwa CMT Testing
 Kiwa CMT Testing

Swage Joint Analyser

This instrument can be used for other areas

on a column as well as the Hot Swaged Joint
connection.

e.g. Just above flange plated columns to

detect internal corrosion
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Minimal surface preparation

• Unaffected by surface coating
• Detects loss from inner surface of swaged joint
• Possible to monitor changes in column and joint
condition with time
• Can be used to compare thickness of 10 x 10mm
areas elsewhere on the column
• Can be used on the inside of a column to any depth
using probe
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Diagram of swage
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 Kiwa CMT Testing

Internal corrosion using probe

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Flange Plated
Column, Internal
Corrosion Identified
Using SJA
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Weighting details

Weightings of -4 and -8 are added to the average

value if any of the 4 reading fall into class 3 and class
4/5 respectively.
0 -32+0+0+0=-32/4= -8 (Class 1)

0 0 Due to the -32 value we add a

weighting of -8 to the average
value therefore overall
becomes -16 (class 2)
-32
Typical section of RLS report
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Interpretation & Recommendations

TR22 CMT Average LSU’s Recommendation
Category Class

Immediate removal or making safe the unit

2U 5 >-50

Schedule for Removal/Replacement as soon as

1U 4 -25 to -50 practicable or in
accordance with Operating Authorities Action
Matrix

2G 3 -17 to -24 Re-test within 2 years

3G 2 -11 to -16 Re-test within 3 years

6G 1 0 to -10 Re-test within 6 years

 Kiwa CMT Testing

LSU’s v % Loss of Section

 RLS 1-D Mk2
Examples of estimated loss of section in the zone 200mm wide from GL to -100mm

-26
-10

Surface pitting – no necking Hole present – surface pitting

-35 -52

Elongated hole – some necking Large hole – significant necking

Kiwa CMT Testing
 Kiwa CMT Testing

Conclusion

No surface preparation therefore no lasting defects/marks on the column

Can identify and quantify corrosion below GL without excavation

Identifies internal & external corrosion

Concentrates on areas identified as high risk that could lead to

catrostrophic failure

UKAS accredited

Identified as a recognisable test in TR22

Reporting giving recommendations on each column tested

Hand held instrumentation therefore no need for expensive traffic

management
Kiwa CMT Testing