INSPECTION

Need of inspection
(a) It helps to control quality, reduces manufacturing costs, eliminate scrap losses
and assignable causes of defective work.

(b) It has mainly two uses:

Quality Control - Before the component is used in service

Maintenance and Health Monitoring – While the component is in service

➢ Inspection is the most common method of attaining standardization, uniformity and quality
of workmanship.

➢ It is the art of controlling the product quality after comparison with the established standards
and specifications.

➢ If the said item does not fall within the zone of acceptability, it will be rejected and corrective
measure will be applied to see that the items in future confirm to specified standards.

Quality Control Inspection

Steps in Quality control

(a) Inspection of raw materials: Inspection of raw materials used in manufacturing.

(b) Inspection of the production process: Inspection during the production process
in going on.

This inspection is done at various work centres of men and machines and at the critical
production points.

(c) Inspection of finished goods: Inspection of final product before supply to the
users.

Maintenance and Health Monitoring inspection

➢ To confirm the actual state and condition of the stores.

➢ To confirm serviceability of stores
➢ To confirm that the stores are safe for storage
(For repairable and un-serviceable stores)
➢ To ensure that the part, material or component confirms the established standard.

EDITOR – PREM SAGAR OJHA, IN

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON TIMING:

➢ The timing of the inspection procedure in relation to the manufacturing process is an import
antconsideration in quality control.

➢ Based on the timing, inspection can be classified into two categories:

1. Off-line inspection
2. On-line inspection

Off-line Inspection

➢ Off-line inspection is performed away from the manufacturing process, and there is
generally a time delay between processing and inspection.

Example: Parts which requirespecialized testing equipment or environment such as medical

devices, aerospace components etc.

On-line Inspection

➢ Online inspection systems are integrated tightly into the production process.
➢ Online inspection offers great benefit in process efficiency and catching defects in near real-
time.

➢ It is an alternative to off-line inspection, in which the procedure is performed when parts are
made, either as:
✓ An integral step in the processing or assembly operation, or
 ✓ Immediately afterward.
➢ They can be further divided into two categories:
(a) On-line/In-process Inspection
(b) On-line/Post-process Inspection

On-line/In-process Inspection

➢ This is achieved by performing the inspection procedure during the manufacturing operation.

➢ As the parts are being made, the inspection procedure ismeasuring, or gauging the parts
simultaneously.

On-line/Post-process Inspection

➢ In this type, the measurement or gauging procedure is accomplished immediately following

the production process.

➢ Even though it follows the process, it is still considered an on-line method because it is
integrated with the manufacturing workstation, and the results of the inspection can
immediately influence the production operation of the next part.

Note: Technologically, automated on-line/in- process inspection of the product is usually difficult
and expensive to implement, as an alternative on-line/post process procedures are often used.
CLASSIFICATION BASED ON PLACE OF INSPECTION PROCEDURE:

On the basis of place, there are three ways of doing inspection:

(a) Floor or Decentralized Inspection

(b) Centralized Inspection
(c) Combined Inspection

Floor or Decentralized Inspection

➢ It suggests the checking of materials in process at the machine or in the production time
by patrolling inspectors.

➢ It requires the inspector to be fully equipped with all their devices or equipment.

➢ These inspectors move from machine to machine and from one to the other work centres.
Inspectors have to be highly skilled.

➢ This method of inspection minimises the material handling, does not disrupt the line layout
of machinery and quickly locate the defect and readily offers field and correction.

Advantages, Disadvantages & Suitability of Floor or Decentralised Inspection:

Advantages:

➢ Encourage co-operation of inspector and foreman.

➢ Random checking may be more successful than batch checking.
➢ Does not delay in production.
➢ Saves time and expense of having more batches of work for inspection.
Disadvantages:

➢ Possibility of biased inspection because of worker.

➢ High cost of inspection because of numerous sets of inspections and skilled inspectors.

Suitability:

➢ Heavy products are produced.

➢ Different work centres are integrated in continuous line layout.

Centralized Inspection

➢ Materials in process may be inspected and checked at centralised inspection centre which
are located at one or more places in the manufacturing industry.

➢ The inspection staff is more experienced and skilled in this case.

➢ Sophisticated and reliable instruments and techniques are used to measure the
quality, hence centralised inspection is reliable and accurate.
Advantages:

➢ Better quality check-up.

➢ Closed supervision.
➢ Absence of worker pressure.
➢ Orderly production flow and low inspection cost.
Disadvantages:

➢ More material handling.

➢ Delays of inspection room causes wastage of time.
➢ Work of production control increases.
➢ Due to non-detection of machining errors in time, there may more spoilage of work.
Suitability:

➢ Incoming materials inspection.

➢ Finished product inspection.
➢ Departmental inspection.
➢ High precision parts of delicate products.

Combined Inspection

➢ It is a combination of two methods: floor and centralized inspection methods.

➢ This is perhaps the best method as it encompasses all of the benefits to reduce issues.

➢ The main objective is to locate and prevent defect which may not repeat itself
in subsequent operation to see whether any corrective measure is required and finally to
maintain quality economically.

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THE USEFULNESS OF THE PART AFTER INSPECTION:

On the basis of usefulness of the part after inspection, they are classified into two categories:

(a) Destructive Inspection: Part cannot be used after inspection

(b) Non-destructive Inspection: Does not affect the part’s future usefulness
Destructive Inspection

➢ Destructive tests are carried out to the specimens’ failure, in order to understand a
specimen’s performance or material behaviour under different loads.

➢ These tests are generally much easier to carry out, yield more information, and are easier to
interpret than non-destructive testing.

➢ While destructive testing is intrinsically more revealing; it also is costly to a manufacturing

operation due to material loss and, for obvious reasons, it is not suitable for in service material
testing.
Examples:

Non-destructive Inspection

➢ Non-destructive inspection or Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) is a method of materials

testing to assess the characteristics of a component without altering or destroying it.

➢ NDT is important in the materials testing industry where quick, dependable information on
finished or raw material is needed.

➢ This may occur during the production stage, during the service life of a material or product,
or as a diagnostic tool in the event of material failure.

➢ NDT is contrary to destructive testing such as stress or bend testing where critical
material properties are determined through achieving specimen failure.

Examples:

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON CONTACT:

On the basis of contact between object and instrument, inspection techniques can be divided into
two broad categories:

(a) Contact Inspection

(b) Non-contact Inspection

Contact Inspection

➢ In contact inspection, physical contact is made between the object and the measuring and
gauging instrument.

➢ Typically contact is achieved using a mechanical probe or other devicethat touches the
item, and allows the inspection procedure to occur.
 ➢ By its nature, contact inspection is concerned with some physical dimension of the part, and
so contact methods are widely used in manufacturing and production industries to assess
metal parts.

Examples:

Non-contact Inspection

➢ In non-contact inspection no physical contact is made.

➢ Non-contact inspection techniques use sensors instead of a mechanized probe favoured by

contact inspection methodologies.

➢ The sensor is located at a certain distance from the object to be inspected, to measure or
gauge the desired features of the object.

Example: Radiography Testing, Visual Inspection, Lasers Metrology i.e., Scanning Laser Systems.
CLASSIFICATION BASED ON NUMBER OF SAMPLES INSPECTED:

On the basis of number of samples inspected, it can be classified into two parts:

(a) 100% Inspection

(b) Sampling Inspection

100% Inspection

➢ This type will involve careful inspection in detail of quality at each strategic point or stage
of manufacture where the test involved is non-destructive and every piece is separately
inspected.

➢ It requires more number of inspectors and hence it is a costly method.

➢ There is no sampling error. This is subjected to inspection error arising out of fatigue,
negligence, difficulty of supervision etc. Hence complete accuracy of influence is seldomly
attained.

➢ It is suitable only when a small number of pieces are there or a very high degree of quality is
required.

Examples: Jet engines, Aircraft, Medical and Scientific equipment.

Problems with100%Inspection-

✓ Very expensive
✓ When product must be destroyed
✓ Inspection must be very tedious so defective items do not slip through inspection.

Sampling inspection or Acceptance Sampling

✓ Sampling Inspection involves inspecting a relatively small number of items from a batch
or lot and then using the results of this sample to either accept or reject the entire lot.

✓ The accept/reject criteria is the number of defective items found in the sample.

✓ This method is most useful when product testing is expensive, destructive, or time consuming.

Examples: Electrical bulbs, radio bulbs, washing machine, destructive tests conducted for the
products whose endurance or ultimate strength properties are required etc.
Depending upon the number of samples being inspected, it can be further classified into
four types:

✓ Single Sampling
✓ Double Sampling
✓ Multiple Sampling
✓ Sequential Sampling

Single Sampling:

➢ When a decision on acceptance or rejection of the lot is made on the basis of only one
sample, acceptance plan is known as single sampling plan.

➢ It is the most common and easiest plan to use.

Single sampling plan is defined by the following parameters:

 Lot size, N
 Samples size, n
 Decision criterion or acceptance number, c

Single Sampling Procedure

Double Sampling:

➢ When a decision on acceptance or rejection of the lot is made on the basis of two samples,
then acceptance plan is known as double sampling plan.

Double sampling plan is defined by the following parameters:

 Lot size, N
 Sample size of first sample, n
 Acceptance number for firstsample, c
  Sample size of second sample, n
 Acceptance number for bothsample, c

Double Sampling Procedure

Multiple Sampling:

➢ In multiple sampling, a lot is accepted or rejected based upon the results obtained from
several samples (more than 2) drawn from the lot.
➢ Two limits are specified for each sample.

❖ Cumulative number of defects are compared to limits for each successive sample:

 If number of defects < lower limit, accept the lot.

 If number of defects > upper limit, reject the lot.
 If number of defects between limits, continue sampling.

➢ Continue sampling until accept or reject lot based on all sample data.
Sequential Sampling:

➢ It is an extreme case of multiple sampling, in which sampling might continue until the lot is
exhausted.
➢ Items are randomly selected from the lot and inspected one at a time.

Results are compared to sequential-sampling chart.

➢ Chart guides decision to reject, accept, or continue sampling (select another item), based
on cumulative results.
➢ Average number of items inspected is generally lower with sequential sampling
.

Advantages of Sampling Inspection:

➢ Sampling inspection is cheaper and quicker and it requires less number of Inspectors.

➢ It is subjected to sampling errors but the magnitude of sampling error can be estimated.

➢ In the case of destructive test, random or sampling inspection is desirable.

➢ This type of inspection governs wide currency due to the introduction of automatic machines
or equipment which are less susceptible to change variable and hence require less
inspection.

➢ It is suitable for inspection of products which have less precision importance and are less
costly.

➢ Rejection of a complete batch on the basis of a sample decidedly pressurizes for

improvements in quality.

Disadvantages of Sampling Inspection:

➢ Risk included in chance of bad lot acceptance and good lot rejection.
➢ Sampling inspection provides less information than 100% inspection.
CLASSIFICATION BASED ON APPLICATION:

On the basis of their application in manufacturing, they can be classified into three main
categories:

(a) Inspection of raw products

(b) Inspection following secondary processing
(c) In-service damage inspection

Inspection of Raw Products:

This includes the raw material or subcontracted parts from the suppliers for example:

 Castings
 Forgings
 Extrusions, etc.

Inspection Following Secondary Processing:

➢ Secondary manufacturing processes are the process, which are used to further modify
the output of the primary manufacturing processes in order to improve the material
properties, surface quality, surface integrity, appearance and dimensional tolerance.

➢ This includes the following processes: machining, welding, grinding, heat treating, plating,
etc.

In-service Damage Inspection:

➢ It is performed to assess the quality of critical engineering structures using non-destructive

inspection techniques to avoid their failure.

➢ It includes power plant inspection, wire rope inspection, aircraft inspection, bridge
inspection, etc.

➢ In service damages, that can occur are cracking, Corrosion, Erosion/Wear, Heat
Damage, etc.