_copy (1) (1)/assets/images/header/trustpilot.png)
_copy (1) (1)/assets/images/icons/user-icon.png){kind=icon}
_copy (1) (1)/assets/images/icons/menu-icon.png){kind=icon}
_copy (1) (1)/assets/images/icons/cart-icon.png){kind=icon}
What is Visual Inspection?
Visual inspection can be used in almost all areas of preventive maintenance.
It can be carried out both while the machine/plant is running and when it is shut down.
Visual inspection can be directly applied in a number of areas, such as:
- Checking cleanliness
- Checking for corrosion, erosion, and deformations
- Checking for breaks, cracks, and wear
- Checking manometers, pressure switches, and temperatures
- Checking oil levels, lubrication, and any lubrication devices
- Checking the functionality of machines and plants
Visual Inspection Methods:
- Videoscopes (VT)
- Inspection Mirrors
- LED Flashlights
- Welding Gauges
- Penetrant Testing (PT)
- Magnetic Testing (MT)
Example of a Videoscope System
X2000 Videoscope from Mitcorp
Visual Inspection Historically:
Developments in the field of “Visual Inspection” primarily arise from a heightened awareness. The scope of inspection expands in line with the experience one gains regarding the durability (or lack thereof) of plant and machine installations, using that knowledge to better employ one’s senses.
This experience, combined with the correct aids and a systematic approach to inspection, can result in thorough records of observations to support decision-making processes.
What is RVI?
RVI stands for Remote Visual Inspection, i.e., visual inspection from a distance, or indirect visual inspection that typically takes place either deep inside pipes or through small openings to view the interior of machines, tanks, etc.
RVI is divided into two categories, as described below:
What is TV Inspection?
A pipe camera, or “TV inspection” as it is often called, is a specialized videoscope designed to crawl through pipes, sewers, drains, downpipes, etc., to perform a visual inspection.
It is generally somewhat larger than a handheld videoscope, since a working length of more than 30 m is often needed, along with robust construction for work in clogged pipes, etc.
Usually employed by plumbing/sewer services and dedicated TV inspection companies, but also used in industry to inspect factory piping and so forth.
What is an Endoscope?
An endoscope, sometimes also called a videoscope, borescope/boroscope, or inspection camera, can be used for many purposes. If one needs to perform a visual (TV) inspection inside pipes, boilers, cylinders, engines, reactors, heat exchangers, turbines, and other items with narrow, hard-to-reach cavities and/or channels, then a videoscope is an important, indeed indispensable, instrument.
The endoscope is a further development of older borescopes and fiberscopes. The endoscope operates on a principle in which the image is captured by a small electronic sensor that transmits the signals to a video processor, from which the image is sent to a monitor/display. The electronic sensor is located at the end of a flexible fiber-optic cable, which can be supplied up to 30 m in length and with a diameter down to 2.5 mm.
Modern Wi-Fi Videoscope from Mitcorp
W2145 wifi videoscope from Mitcorp
Videoscopes and Endoscopes Historically:
Visual inspection is probably the oldest method of non-destructive testing. It is still one of the most important.
The amount of information obtained during a visual inspection is large, since properties such as surface condition, shape, color, and the presence of defects, etc., can be recorded.
By using Endoscopes and Videoscopes, one compensates for the eye’s inability to see around corners and its limited resolution.
The word “endoscope” is of Greek origin, loosely translated as “seeing inside.”
The first endoscopes—which made it possible to see inside hollow organs or cavities from the outside—were developed for medical purposes.
From these first steps in development arose more technically oriented instruments called borescopes. These borescopes are—and were—rigid instruments, equipped with lens optics and a miniature incandescent lamp for illumination.
In the next generation, the incandescent lamp was replaced by fiber-optic illumination, which significantly increased brightness and enabled better photo documentation.
The crucial development step occurred with the design of flexible fiber-optic imaging. This allowed inspection of extremely inaccessible surfaces that cannot be reached in a straight line.
As an alternative to the image transmission via glass fibers in fiberscopes, the image can now be captured by a small electronic sensor that transmits signals to a video processor, from which the image is then sent on to a high-resolution monitor. This technique makes it possible to have significantly longer endoscopes than before.