Latest News

WINS 2012 NDT Training Course Calendar: Contact us right away!

Level I/II MT/PT course
in State College, PA December 12-15, 2011

Level I UT course completed in State College, PA December 5-9, 2011

Level III NDT Consultation Services for procedure development, personnel qualification, training etc. available

WINS expands fiberglass and steel tank inspection capability to include remote visual inspection.

WINS NDT now offers services in Egypt through a regional partner

Level II UT course completed in State College, PA October 6-9, 2011

Level II AE course completed in State College, PA October 24-28, 2011

Level I MT/PT course completed in State College, PA October 10-11, 2011

Level I UT course completed in State College, PA September 26-30, 2011

Level I/II MT course completed in State College, PA September 22-23, 2011

Level I UT course completed in State College, PA September 6-9, 2011

Level I/II MT/PT course completed in State College, PA August 29-31, 2011

UT Weld Inspection course
in Somers, CT August 23-25, 2011

Level II UT course completed in State College, PA August 15-19, 2011

Level I UT course completed in State College, PA August 12, 2011

Level II UT course completed in Toronto, OH, July 23, 2011

Level I UT course completed in State College, PA July 15, 2011

Level I/II MT/PT course completed in Mayfield, OH July 8, 2011

Level I/II MT course completed in Indiana, PA June 29, 2011

Level I UT course in State College, PA March 28-April 1, 2011

Level I AE course in State College, PA March 21-25, 2011
 
WINS President delivered a talk at the ASNT Pittsburgh Chapter on Acoustic Emission on March 17, 2011

View a presentation on the
Principles and applications of long range ultrasound

WINS funded by Transportation Research Board to develop Bridge Cable Inspection Technology.

Watch 
video
of Wireless Acoustic Emission Sensor Network for Bridge Structural Health Monitoring
Utility Wood Pole Inspection

WavesinSolids provide inspection of wood utility poles using state-of-the-art instruments to evaluate the quality of timber and level of wood decay present in determining whether the pole should be replaced or repaired. The inspection is used for detecting and measuring cracks, voids, cavities, and decay inside the wood utility poles. It is also used for estimating the percent remaining strength to determine pass/fail.

WINS' technology provides superior results compared to visual inspection, sounding, sound-and-bore, and partial excavation since it provides quantitative results on wood integrity through the cross-section of the pole.  No excavation is required since our technology acquires subsurface data from above ground level.

How it Works

  • A small drill bit penetrates the wood
  • Resistance of wood to drilling provides relative density distribution
  • Density measurements are digitally recorded for permanent record keeping
  • Inspection data are downloaded with an integrated Bluetooth wireless adapter


Benefits


  • Fast, accurate and reliable measurements save you time and costs
  • Limiting unnecessary pole replacements =  lower costs for you
  • No unnecessary damages to the pole during inspection
  • Find wood decay, rot, hollow areas and cracks
  • Analyze annual rings





Complementary Methods

WINS provide, in addition to drilling of poles to evaluate the shell thickness and density, provide the following complementary wood utility pole inspection services:

  • Visual Inspection - Suitable for identifying gross defects visible above the ground level
  • Sound & Bore - Hammer sounding is used to identify possible decay areas in the poles. This allows the inspector to bore inspection holes in these suspected areas.
  • Partial Excavation followed by Sound & Bore - This helps the inspector in identifying external decay and termite damage by allowing access to a a portion of the utility pole below ground
  • Excavation up to 18-24 inches followed by Sound & Bore - This allows the most complete access to the decay-prone region of poles, where moisture and oxygen encourage decay.

Remedial Action Services

WINS provide fumigation of the wood utility poles. Fumigants are perfectly suitable preservative used to protect heartwood and inner regions of the poles against decay. The vapors from the fumigants diffuse from the application holes in to the poles, eliminating the wood destroying fungi.

Preservative Pastes and Bandages are utilized by WINS that are designed to prevent external decay in the ground line zone.

Solid Rods are easy-to-handle formulations of water-soluble preservatives. When in contact with moist wood, rods will dissolve and diffuse to protect against internal decay.

Liquid treatments are used by WINS to provide remedial actions for internal voids and insect cavities.

Our experienced inspectors perform efficient inspections of your utility poles and provide timely well written reports and data. WINS inspectors have follow-up certifications in fall protection, rope access and confined space entry as well.