ANNEX A

DRAFT PRACTICE FOR CLASSIFYING VISUAL DEFECTS IN GLASS-REINFORCED PLASTIC

PIPES AND TANKS

A.1

SCOPE

A.1.1 Pipe
This practice covers acceptance criteria for visual inspection of pip es, fittings, joints and pipe
spools made from glass fiber-reinforced laminates, typically produced by filament winding.
Table A.1 is a combination of requirements taken from references (1), UKOOA document and
(2), ASTM D 2563. Requirements have been been modified to reflect practical experience from
operation of offshore piping systems.
This practice is intended to supplement and modify ASTM D 2563 in order to make it more
applicable to glass fiber-reinforced filament wound laminates. ASTM D 2563 shall apply except
as noted in section A.3.
ASTM D 2563 is based on manufacturing methods other than filament winding and is difficult to
apply to products such as GRP piping and tanks. This deficiency has been addressed by pipe
manufacturers by means of proprietary, internal QA procedures, but other inspection and
engineering personnel need a standard approach for conducting visual inspection of GRP.
This practice is a first step towards meeting this need.
A.1.2 Tanks
In addition to pipes and pipe fittings this Practice also covers acceptance criteria for visual
inspection of tanks made from made from glass fiber-reinforced laminates.
Table A.2 contains requirements taken from reference (3) ASME RTP-1-1995 Edition and
specifies acceptable tank repair methods.

A.2
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MAIN DETECTABLE DEFECTS

Deformations and dimensional deviations

Surface cracks and micro-cracks
Near-surface delaminations, inclusions and air entrapments
Impact damage
Blisters
Internal excess of adhesive (internal inspection)
Corrosion and erosion (internal inspection)

Norwegian Oil and Gas Association Recommended Guidelines for NDT of GRP pipe systems and
tanks
A.1