Our experts were requested to review radiographs suspected of being fraudulent.
NECIT’s NDT experts were requested by a client to act as an independent third party to review radiographs suspected of being fraudulent.
The radiographic imagery relating to welds had been falsely tampered with including duplicate images of welds and false identification numbers added post-exposure. Furthermore, our inspection uncovered working practices involving the reduction of the distance to the radiographic source and images cropped to remove defects in adjacent welds.
These identified irregularities could cause significant risks and allow defects to go undetected, thus elevating the risk of structural failures.
Read on to find out more details about our investigation:
During our Non-Destructive Testing of a large-scale steam boiler, which featured numerous internal tube welds and a substantial volume of radiograph images, we observed instances of film duplication and extensive falsification of weld images, all of which were accompanied by shortcuts aimed at reducing the time spent on site.
Our assessment revealed that radiographs were produced without the submission of unique identification markers at the time of exposure. Contrary to the requirements outlined in the standards in place, BS EN ISO 17636-1:2013, identification numbers were subsequently imposed on the film during post-exposure processing, allowing falsification of multiple exposures of the same weld via film duplication.
Although the standard does permit this practice, it became evident that in this case, the spare images generated had false numbers added during image processing:
In addition, our findings indicated the repeated use of readily accessible welds which were accompanied by the later addition of false identification numbers.
There were also indications suggesting that the exposure time might have been reduced by diminishing the distance to the radiographic source, a practice that would require tampering with the image quality indicators to give a false indication of resolution.
Here at NECIT Services, our unwavering commitment to upholding the highest standards in Quality Engineering and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) is unfaltering.
The discovery of falsified radiographs by our expert team is a testament to our vigilant and meticulous approach. Ensuring the integrity of critical structures and components is not just our job—it’s our duty to the industries we serve and a cornerstone of the trust our clients place in us.
