Better, cheaper way to predict time to replace equipment
Innovative: Henry Zeman says that if the lifespan of an equipment in known, disasters such as the Chernobyl accident can be avoided. Picture: Zamri Zainal
Thursday, December 6, 2007
REPLACING a crucial piece of equipment that has gone through extensive wear and tear may be pricey but with innocent lives at stake, it's a price that relevant authorities should bear. Henry Zeman from the Czech Republic flew specially to the sultanate last Sunday to offer a more pro-active solution to the threat of thinning, cracks and other damages suffered by stresses on materials for airplane wings, pipelines and bridges, to name a few. The detection of such defects, called nondestructive testing, is typically done with ultrasound and x-ray and does not damage the test specimen.
The 67-year-old retiree embarked on his journey to solve a 'puzzle' offered to him when he was working at the Institute for Material Research about 40 years ago. Zeman said he was given the task to predict the inevitable limit of a material's elasticity to help monitor the state of pipes within nuclear power plants in the republic. "Nobody knows the lifespan of a pipeline but if we can predict when it is approaching unsafe levels, we can avoid future incidents such as Chernobyl's," he said.
By January 9, 2001, Henry had patented the Predictive Instant Defect Analysis of Constructions (Pidac) system that involved welding highly resistant microtips onto the surface and observing the distance between them using a small metal-coated ceramic bar. "Any material used in construction has a limit of elongation," he said, referring to the dimensional deformation or 'creep' encountered by metals by prolonged stresses.
According to Henry, he has had offers from Switzerland, Taiwan, China, the USA, Boeing and NASA to demonstrate his system, which is durable and cheaper than the current use of tensometers which are limited to non-extreme conditions. "It is particularly useful in regions experiencing seismic activities," he added. "The damage may not be visible, but the system allows an inspector to observe its effect on the material." He admitted that the system is still highly manual and would be further improved by computerising the data obtained.
Zeman said that he has spent millions of dollars on his research. He left Brunei yesterday and will continue seeking interested parties to incorporate his system in London.
The Brunei Times
The 67-year-old retiree embarked on his journey to solve a 'puzzle' offered to him when he was working at the Institute for Material Research about 40 years ago. Zeman said he was given the task to predict the inevitable limit of a material's elasticity to help monitor the state of pipes within nuclear power plants in the republic. "Nobody knows the lifespan of a pipeline but if we can predict when it is approaching unsafe levels, we can avoid future incidents such as Chernobyl's," he said.
By January 9, 2001, Henry had patented the Predictive Instant Defect Analysis of Constructions (Pidac) system that involved welding highly resistant microtips onto the surface and observing the distance between them using a small metal-coated ceramic bar. "Any material used in construction has a limit of elongation," he said, referring to the dimensional deformation or 'creep' encountered by metals by prolonged stresses.
According to Henry, he has had offers from Switzerland, Taiwan, China, the USA, Boeing and NASA to demonstrate his system, which is durable and cheaper than the current use of tensometers which are limited to non-extreme conditions. "It is particularly useful in regions experiencing seismic activities," he added. "The damage may not be visible, but the system allows an inspector to observe its effect on the material." He admitted that the system is still highly manual and would be further improved by computerising the data obtained.
Zeman said that he has spent millions of dollars on his research. He left Brunei yesterday and will continue seeking interested parties to incorporate his system in London.
The Brunei Times
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