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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / radioactive steel
- - By hogan (****) Date 03-03-2008 19:40
anyone read about this?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-03-03-radioactive-steel_N.htm
Parent - - By patg (**) Date 03-03-2008 20:21
sounds about right, i was on a job last june when we pressure tested a 3'' underground line and 5 out of 12 90's split down the middle, made in itally
Parent - By Kix (****) Date 03-03-2008 20:38
This stuff was made in China.  Wow thats crazy.  I wonder where else it's going to turn up and how long it's been going on.  Thats why you don't buy things made in China.;-)
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 03-03-2008 20:39
We never seem to learn. As long as the price is right, corporations, American or Italian, will buy from anyone as long as the paperwork says what they want to read.

"Here's your decaf."

"I order regular."

"Right, that what it is."

Al
Parent - By darren (***) Date 03-04-2008 12:03
what about the ship breaking in India. there must be some nuclear powered vessels that are broken there. you gotta know that some contaminated parts make it out to smelters.
i can only imagine when they smelt scrap the fumes must be of the charts poisonous for many reasons.
Parent - - By OBEWAN (***) Date 03-03-2008 20:53
We weld a lot of cobalt alloy stuff for our aircraft engine parts.  Not the same concerns I suppose.
Parent - By hogan (****) Date 03-03-2008 21:04
there is a difference between your cobalt and the isotope co-60. the effects are similar to a microwave, unless you are unlucky enough to breath in one alpha particle
Parent - - By webbcity (***) Date 03-04-2008 08:49
hogan , that reminds me of reports  in 1987 when trucks loaded with rebar were stoped a a truck scale . i think it was in texas coming from mexico . made from contaminated scrap . was discovered by accident , i'm sure they are checking more now . also there was some radio active drill pipe discovered at a school yard  used for parking barriers in alaska . good luck . willie 
Parent - - By Tommyjoking (****) Date 03-04-2008 09:04
Al you are right its always about $$$
Parent - By welderdude (**) Date 03-04-2008 10:36
or what about the people who MADE the steel...why do they have access to cobalt 60?  i'm sure it's used somewhere, but geez, somebody should have it under lock and key so it doesn't "accidentally" get mixed in with other stuff.  it's no wonder chinese peoples'  health is so bad...they just don't care.
Parent - By CWI555 (*****) Date 03-04-2008 12:44
That incidence was the one from tijuana.
Parent - - By CWI555 (*****) Date 03-04-2008 12:43
Hogan,

That has happened repeatedly around the world. There was a case in Tijuana a few years back of the same thing, some of that steel made it to the U.S. (San Diego) It's happened in the U.S. as well. Usually it's keep quiet, don't want to scare the natives do we? You can look for it to happen again, as not every country has the regulations on contaminated materials and or closely watched radioactive sources that the U.S. and Modern European counties have. At least in the U.S. it's found fast, and typically is not found after loading up a ship with 30 ton of contaminated steel, and shipped 6000 miles before it's found.

Regards,
Gerald
Parent - - By NDTIII (***) Date 03-05-2008 03:16
We are experiencing alot of problems with Chinese steel. Counterfeit fittings are being supplied and failing hydrotests.
Parent - - By CWI555 (*****) Date 03-05-2008 14:10
We have been experiencing that as well. I believe the problem is more systemic than is commonly realized. More specifically, stainless steels with minimum, or below grade Ni or borderline Ni content, with excess carbon. The carbon is of particular concern to me, the standard diffraction PMI's can't pick that up reliably.

Regards,
Gerald
Parent - - By Plasma-Brain (**) Date 03-05-2008 14:44
And i thought the little compressed air storage tank with porosity running through the whole center line of a machine made weld at harbor freight was scary... now i have take a giger counter to my stock pile or random steel and see what turns up.
Coblat 60 none the less, isnt that what turns up in fallout from a nuclear bomb?
Wondering if my steel glows in the dark,
Clif
Parent - By CWI555 (*****) Date 03-05-2008 16:18
Cobalt 60 is typically used for radiography. Sometimes it's used in nuclear medicine as well, and yes traces of it can come from a blast.
Somebody dumped a source in the pour, or it got thrown in with the scrap pile. If it was hot enough to contaminate that much steel
when diluted, it was likely at least a curie or more. I image some poor sod is not feeling very well after handling and being around that
source at the mill or scrap yard.
Parent - - By CHGuilford (****) Date 03-05-2008 17:22
I think you are being unfair to the Chinese.  In this day and age of high energy costs and environmental issues, I think they are solving the problem of radioactive waste disposal and also creating glow in the dark steel so light bulbs won't be necessary.  Probably won't need to buy a toaster ever again, and it gives new meaning to "nuking" your coffee!

OOh!  Did I say that out loud?
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 03-06-2008 04:25
I wonder what thart radioactive material looks like when You X ray the welds?
Parent - - By NDTIII (***) Date 03-06-2008 05:53
Now we are finding pipe coming in with defective longseams. IP and porosity.
Parent - - By Superflux (****) Date 03-06-2008 07:24
AISC issued an alert last year petaining to Chinese made HSS with faulty seams. Cobalt 60 is also used in food processing plants to kill germs in your groceries. Now, we can take fried chicken to work without fear of samonella. Just stuff the lunch box in a pipe or between the flanges of the "I" beam and all is good!!!
Parent - - By Shane Feder (****) Date 03-06-2008 10:11
Hi guys,
Still working in New Caledonia which is a French territory so we are governed by the European PED (Pressure Equipment Directive). The PED can be a pain in the butt at times but one thing we don't have to worry about is "dodgy" steel. All steel supplied for any pressure work must come from a mill that has been audited and approved by a Notified Body (Lloyds, Bureau Veritas, Apave etc) so that tends to give you a bit more confidence in the steel that is supplied.
As mentioned previously the "bean counters" have far to much say in where we purchase our steel now so it is reassuring that the PED takes the accountants out of the equation because you can't buy cheap steel from an unknown mill if it has not been approved.
Regards,
Shane
Parent - - By NDTIII (***) Date 03-06-2008 11:38
You're lucky. I  have seen some projects recently where they think they are saving money by not performing vendor inspection. It's frightening!
Parent - - By Shane Feder (****) Date 03-06-2008 11:53
Hello NDTIII,
Don't get me started on vendor inspection. I am on a US$4 billion project and we have got problems with equipment fabricated all over the world with no client inspection or supervision.I have spent 5 months in the Philippines supervising remedial work on Duplex tanks and I arrive back on site to find we are doing repair/remedial work on faulty work supplied as well as trying to build a Nickel Refinery. Rework on Titanium is proving to be a nightmare.
Wouldn't be surprised if it was the "bean counters" who decided we didn't need CWI supervision in the fabrication yards. Whats the old saying " You get what you pay for "
Regards,
Shane
Parent - By cremx (*) Date 03-06-2008 14:22
Normally in some projects are contracted inspection services; mainly with good reputation inspection companies with worldwide offices to avoid such kind of problems
Parent - By CWI555 (*****) Date 03-06-2008 12:14
Unfortunetly, something is going to have to blow up a kill a bunch of people before these corporations wake up and start performing vendor survelliance again as they should be.
Parent - - By CWI555 (*****) Date 03-06-2008 12:13
Shane, I am currently contracted to Bureau Veritas. Something to keep in mind with that statement. We are given a spec to verify, yes or no, is it met. An audit is only good for that day issued. It is a few steps up from Hongs steel and bait shop, but remember None of the societies keep permenant staff in those facilities.
Parent - - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 03-07-2008 06:09
Are you going to check out Macchu Pichu in Peru Gerald? It's really a worthwhile trip while you're there!!!
Bureau Veritas? Hmmm, interesting that you mentioned them as I'm headed to their Pittsburgh office in Greentree tomorrow... Small world isn't it??? ;) Have you tried the "Escabeche" yet??? All the best to you in Peru Gerald!!! :) :) :)

Respectfully,
Henry
Parent - - By CWI555 (*****) Date 03-07-2008 15:22
Henry,

Already hit Machu Pichu, yes it was interesting though I took the lazy route via the train, air was a bit thin though. Hit the nazca lines as well.
Yes I've hit the Escabeche here, and have had it in the phillipines as well. When it's made right it's very good, but the batch I had here had me
sick for two days. The Pittsburg location is an I&F office. Just out of curiousity, what brings you there?

Regards,
Gerald
Parent - - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 03-08-2008 01:11
The Chairman of the Pittsburgh AWS section works there, and he mentioned me to one of the Civil engineers there. (They used to to be Robert W. Hunt before being taken over by Bureau Veritas as you already know ;))

He wanted to discuss an upcoming local project with me over lunch which went well. ;)
Looks like I'm going to become a very busy man real soon!!!

I here you!!! Gotta watch the fish because of lax controls with respect to freshness over there... How's your Peruvian dialect coming along??? Have you learned some of the Inca language that's (forgive me if I incorrectly spelled it) called "Chetuwa" yet??? One last question... If you went to visit Lima, how bad did the infastructure suffer due to the recent earthquake & aftershocks??? Oh yeah btw, are you working on that LNG project with CBI as the GC???

Respectfully,
Henry
Parent - By CWI555 (*****) Date 03-09-2008 03:34
Henry,

Quechua is a touchy subject to Peruvians from the Mountain regions. The government wants to ban it, but given that 5 million still speak it, that's not going over very well.
There is a definite undercurrent of hostility among those who call it their native language when the subject comes up. I can't say as I blame them, what's going on down there sounds an awful lot like what happened to the native peoples of north America. As for learning the language, I consider myself good at a lot of things, but when it comes to languages, I am about retarded. I've spent 5 years of my life in South and central America, but still can't speak but a few dozen words of Spanish and or Portuguese.

As for the the infrastructure, Lima was not hit very hard, from what the people there tell me, they learned something from what happened in Mexico city in 85. However; it didn't take in canete, or other outlying areas. They were nearly wiped out. Most of those buildings were made of adobe brick, which shattered. They are still cleaning up the aftermath to this date.

As for the project, that would be the one, though I am representing the owner.

Regards,
Gerald
Parent - By CWI555 (*****) Date 03-06-2008 12:08
If it's hot enough to darken film in the typical shot time, what it would look like on the film would be the least of your worries.
As for if it's low level contamination, it would not look any different.
Parent - - By Plasma-Brain (**) Date 03-07-2008 00:26
LoL!
Ok so mabey i am being a bit harsh... ill just have to go get one of those fun vests they give you at the dentist for having X-rays done and everything will be good.
Parent - By welderdude (**) Date 03-07-2008 01:27
I see we have some pipe in stock that was made in South Africa.  I've seen the Oriental countries and India before, but SA is a first for me.
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / radioactive steel

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