Metallurgy

Metals, mainly different types of steel, are now a major component in heavy construction works (sports halls, swimming pools, warehouses, factories, high-rise buildings, bridges) where they serve as support structures. Generally, metal structures are made up of prefabricated parts or elements, which are joined together directly at the factory or on-site.

The quality control of these assemblies is one of the major fields of application for our engineers and technicians (verification of welding procedures, tightening torques, mounting tolerance). The protection of these metal structures from the effects of time and weather conditions (corrosion) is another field of practice for our many different teams (control of covering thicknesses).

Once they are properly assembled and are adequately protected against atmospheric damage, metals are materials that offer great flexibility when building.

The quality of a well-applied protective coating extends the life of metal parts and helps avoid higher costs for replacing these parts.

The inspection of the integrity of welded joints is done using visual surveys, but also magnetic testing, penetrant testing and ultrasonic non-destructive testing.

Metal quality control is one of the most instrumented branches of material control. Advanced equipment, constantly changing, is required. The rapid evolution of technology and the level of sophistication of the equipment demands continuing education at a steady pace for engineers and technicians working in this field.

Groupe ABS has specific rare types of equipment currently available which makes our company one of the most high-tech and competitive company on the market.

All inspectors and technicians from the team of metal element control at Groupe ABS have a set of certifications from either the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB W178.2) and/or the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE International Institute). These sets of certification are required to practice in these fields of activities.

Our customer portfolio for monitoring/control of metals is growing every day :

  • Road infrastructure (MTQ, Cities)
  • Buildings (Bombardier, Municipalities, promoters)
  • Ski resorts (lifts)
  • Steel structures manufacturing plants

Services related to Metallurgy

  • Inspection of steel frames
  • Inspection of corrosion and corrosion protective coating
  • Visual welding inspection
  • Non-destructive testing (ultrasound, bleeding, magnetic-particle inspection)
  • Manufacturing supervision (factory/workshop)
  • Consultation and expertise in metallurgy

Quality control of metallic elements is a highly specialized expertise. We have not only developed an investment plan for specialized equipment, but we have also invested in continuing education of our staff in order to maintain competitive bidding in our field within an industry that is constantly evolving.

US studies estimate the direct annual cost of corrosion, just in the area of road bridges, to be over $ 8 billion (US) in the United States.