Recommended practice for the examination of steel wire rope through magnetic rope testing (MRT)

Version history

July 2024 Rev. 2 – Complete document revision to remain current with industry practice

August 2019  Rev. 1.1 – Amendment MRT definition and addition of MFL definition

October 2018 Rev. 1 – Extensive document revision which includes rejection criteria and MRT equipment operator levels of competence and training

August 2009 – Initial publications

Summary

This document, a Recommended Practice for the Examination of Steel Wire Rope through Magnetic Rope Testing (MRT), is a crucial tool in your role, assisting with inspection and integrity management in the offshore industry.

This document should be used as supplementary guidance to the Recommended practice on wire rope integrity management for vessels in the offshore industry, in which NDE is identified as one of the six tools that can form part of a wire rope integrity management system.

MRT equipment is usually manufactured for wire ropes up to 180mm in diameter; however, some manufacturers are able to inspect ropes greater than 180mm with their latest equipment. Practical use of MRT may not be feasible in some circumstances.

Where there are limiting factors to using MRT equipment, IMCA LR001, IMCA HSS022, and IMCA M194 gives further guidance.

This document includes discard criteria based on MRT data and the effective interpretation of the results.

Contents

• Glossary of Terms
• Introduction
• Scope
• Background
• Health and Safety
• Principles of Operation – How Magnetic Rope Testing (MRT) Works
• Parameters
• Certification
• Manufacturer’s Operating Guidelines
• Competence
• Interpretation of Data
• MRT Trace Reports
• Discard Criteria
• Recording and Retention of Records
• References