ThreadHunter
Does anyone have experience doing hardness tests in a dirty shipyard environment? We need to spot-check some thick hull plates that have seen a lot of repair work over the years. The environment is humid, salty, and generally awful for sensitive electronics. I’m looking for a handheld tester that is tough enough for a shipyard but also precise enough to detect if the thick steel has degraded. We can’t drag samples to a lab, obviously, so it has to be done on the dock. What kind of gear actually survives this kind of abuse?
Lolita568
Shipyards are brutal on NDT gear, no doubt about it. You definitely need something with a tough housing that can handle the humidity and getting banged against steel bulkheads. For thick hull plates, a dynamic rebound tester is exactly what you want because the thickness of the metal provides the perfect base for the impact. You should check the ruggedized options at https://teqto.pro/portable-hardness-testers/leeb-hardness-testers as they are built for this kind of heavy industrial mess. Their stuff usually has good sealing against dust and moisture, which is vital when you’re working outside near the water.
ThreadHunter
The tough housing is an absolute must for us, so I’ll see what kind of shipyard-ready models they have.
