Thank you.

Whether we connected through a testing project, a tradeshow, or a casual meeting, Stork Southwestern Laboratories considers you a friend. As thanks, please accept this free issue of our new quarterly e-newsletter, Storklink, which features news and information about industries we serve and projects that come our way.

Tailgating in Texas Stork SwL gets a fresh look. Read more... More is better Read more about Stork SwL's expanding workforce

STORKLINK ARTICLES Stork SwL: a local laboratory with global back-up. Read more about Stork SwL's international network. How long should you wait to repair a crack? Read more about predicting crack growth with CTOD. New COO to be "12th Man" at Stork SwL Read more about management changes at Stork SwL. Would Dynamic Pile Testing cut costs on your next construction project? Read more about DPT, PIT and PDAs.  Will this emissions deadline impact your business? Read more about 2005 air emissions testing.

How broken is broken?

Even the strongest and hardest-working materials on earth—pipes, drills, munitions, girders—crack. A crack is the beginning of failure, but when and how dramatically will the failure occur?

The world demands more—greater quantities of energy, taller buildings, longer pipelines, faster and higher-flying aircraft. Material scientists have responded with stronger and more durable metals, but every one, given the right set of circumstances, will crack.

Crack Tip Opening Displacement (or CTOD) is one of a family of fracture mechanics tests that measures the resistance of a material to crack growth, (or failure). Stork Southwestern Laboratories acquired CTOD capabilities to provide better data for their customers who use the thickest, strongest metals in their businesses, such as the oil and gas industry. Similar tests (with names like da/DN, K1C, KEE, and J1C) can determine fracture resistance of a material, but CTOD is particularly suited to pipeline and drilling equipment.

Stork scientists using CTOD data can predict the growth rate of a fracture, giving clients the information they need to select the best possible material and take the best possible course of action at the best possible time. Testing provides “critical defect assessment” data, virtually the precise point—in time and space—at which a crack or other flaw must be controlled. This information is extremely valuable to clients making material, financial, insurance, production, staffing and safety decisions based on the condition and demands of their equipment.

For more information about CTOD or other materials analysis, contact info.swl@stork.com.

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Workforce expands at Stork SwL

Business growth is responsible for a population boom at Stork SwL; the volume of spring projects spurred a hiring surge that hasn’t stopped yet. This spring we welcomed Daniel Tesfai as Manager of the Construction Materials Engineering department, Terri Lopez as Sales Manager for the same department in Houston, and a flock of technicians in Air Emissions, CME, Metals, and Nondestructive Testing for all three locations. Our facility in Beaumont brought on Paul Knoblock as CME Sales Manager, as well as technical support. The Human Resources department is continuing to find and fill open Level II and Level III NDE positions, a junior sales position to support our Metals department, and a Dispatcher/Supervisor vacancy for the field technicians in CME.

At Stork, we’re always interested in talented technical, administrative and sales professionals. If you’re interested in being part of the international Stork group of companies, visit our website at www.storksmt.com/jobs for current openings, or email jobs@stork.com. For more information about the openings mentioned above, call 713-692-9151.

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Find Out the Status of Your Jobs-In-Progress

Stork SwL would like to offer you online access to your jobs and reports. With StorkView, our secure web portal, your key employees can monitor testing projects in real time. Ask your representative for more details about this free service.

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Supporting industry for generations

A message from Charles Noall, Chief Operating Officer, Stork Materials Technology 

For more than 175 years, Stork has been adding value to our clients’ engineering and manufacturing processes. Our founders would not recognize many of the materials and technology in our product portfolio today, but we do business in much the same way—focusing on service, innovation and engineering know-how.

Today, Stork is a successful public corporation with annual sales in excess of $2 billion, operating globally in the aerospace, engineering services, oil and gas, printing and food processing industries. Materials testing has been a Stork group service for over 100 years, having grown out of Stork’s own in-house testing laboratory in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

A worldwide network

Stork Materials Technology is one of the largest networks of testing laboratories in the world, with more than 600 scientists, engineers and technicians working in 20 locations in North America and Europe. Supporting clients from the aerospace, oil and gas, power generation, medical and pharmaceutical, construction, machine manufacturing, and other sectors, we offer unequalled capability to test and analyze metallic, composite, and polymeric materials, as well as a wide range of construction materials. Our facilities are equipped with the latest testing equipment and workflow systems, and our clients are able to view their test results securely in real-time, using our StorkView internet portal.

Local roots

Testing needs vary around the world, which is why Stork Southwestern Laboratories’ service portfolio of nondestructive testing, comprehensive metallurgical testing, failure investigation, construction materials engineering, geotechnical engineering and air emissions analysis is tailored to fit the unique industries and regulatory requirements of the region. Stork SwL is able to offer their clients customized testing programs—backed up by the national and international resources of Stork Materials Technology.

Whatever (and wherever) you need testing, we look forward to supporting you. Please do not hesitate to call on the experts at Stork Southwestern Laboratories. 

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Spring cleaning:   Stork SwL gets a fresh look

Just in time for spring, Stork Southwestern Laboratories is putting the final touches on new signage for the Cavalcade Street facility and its entire truck fleet. The familiar white SwL trucks are sporting bold blue graphics at projects all over town, and visitors to the laboratory will find it brightened by new “Stork blue” floor coverings and artwork.

“It was time to freshen up our image,” said COO J. Doehring.

Other laboratories in the network caught the spring fever—a series of large, attractive framed prints showcasing Stork® testing and inspection services are hanging in lobbies from Pennsylvania to California.

“We’re proud to be part of this big family of laboratories and the graphics show our connection to it,” added Doehring, “We want Stork SwL to be a friendly and welcoming place, and the new decorating does that, too—even the floor mats!”

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Dynamic Pile Testing: Stress Wave of the Future

More and more, traditional, expensive, and time-consuming static load testing for deep foundations is giving way to high-tech Dynamic Pile Testing. Stork SwL and the U.S. Coast Guard recently partnered to erect a series of towers along Gulf Coast rivers and ship channels for the Department of Homeland Security. Dynamic Pile Testing proved to be ideal for the challenges of the project, which included low quantities of production piles and several water hazards.

“The Coast Guard project was a perfect situation for Dynamic Pile Testing. Conventional static load testing using reaction frames and hydraulic jacks would have been much too expensive and taken too much time,” said Stork SwL engineer Pat Kenney. “On another project for Dow Chemical, we were able to develop pile driving and refusal criteria that allowed the pile lengths to be shorter than predicted, saving costs in materials and production. Dynamic Pile Testing is really becoming the method of choice for most architects and engineers.”

Here’s an explanation of some of the terms and technology of Dynamic Pile Testing:

Dynamic Pile Testing is a high-strain testing process based on the theory of “Stress Wave Propagation on Piles.” It has been used for over 30 years in the deep foundation industry and is recognized by ASTM, FHWA, AASHTO, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to name a few.

Dynamic Load Testing assesses pile bearing capacity and can be used on drilled shafts, augered cast-in-place piles, and driven piles. For larger projects, Dynamic Load Testing is often used in combination with static load testing as a quality assurance tool.

Pile Driving Analyzers condition, digitize, display and store signals from accelerometers and strain transducers attached to a pile or shaft. These sensors relay the data from each impact to the PDA, which then performs automatic calculations for use by engineers and builders.

Pile Integrity Testers detect potential defects in piles—from cracks to necking to soil inclusions—by monitoring and measuring the reflection stress wave that results from an impact to the pile.

Whether used alone or to support traditional load testing Dynamic Pile Testing is proven to reduce cost and time, while ensuring safe and strong foundations. For more information about pile testing, please contact pat.kenney@stork.com.

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Stork SwL clients meet compliance deadlines

Forget taxes—the Air Emissions Services department of Stork Southwestern Laboratories spent the first quarter of 2005 working to meet an even more critical deadline—helping clients to comply with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Rule 117 by March 31st, 2005. TCEQ Rule117 was developed to control and monitor air pollution, including nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions in areas which are considered non-attainment with the federal ozone ambient air standards. This rule specifically affects Stork SwL customers in the chemical, petrochemical, refining and utility generation industries. TCEQ Rule 117 also mandates that owners and operators of certain sources of NOx install and maintain continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS).

Stork Southwestern Laboratories has the expertise to certify and provide all the required certification testing, including Relative Accuracy Test Audits (RATA) and Cylinder Gas Audits (CGA). With the help of Stork SwL, by the end of March over 35 facilities were compliant with their Rule 117 regulations—on time. Our staff is trained to help clients reduce the time and cost of achieving regulatory standards—or other quality standards. If you have certification deadlines looming, contact us at info.swl@stork.com. We look forward to serving you with accurate and timely testing services.

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New Chief Operating Officer to be "12th Man" at Stork SwL

J. Doehring steps in (and stands up) for Stork SwL

J. Doehring doesn’t make changes lightly. The Texas native is still married to his high school sweetheart has 15 years under his belt as Youth Counselor for his church, and until recently, spent 20 years of his career at Centerpoint Energy in Houston, where he has lived all his life. Doehring is a man who needs a really good reason to veer from the path he’s on.

Stork SwL was reason enough.

When asked why, Doehring said simply, “Opportunity and challenge.” The business management major from Texas A&M found something inspiring in the 93-year old independent laboratory—and something exciting in the international Stork organization with all its resources and potential.

“I really like the people,” Doehring added. “I’ve been here five months now, and the best part has been the relationship-building and team-building. It’s just a phenomenal group of people.”

Doehring’s goal for SwL was to “really, really grow the business,” and indications are that in five months he’s done just that. He’s invested in improvements in technology, security, and branding at the laboratory to better serve clients and support his teams. Both groups are responding to his “12th Man” style of management—with a slew of new projects and happy customers.

His track record says he’s here to stay for a good long while. Please join us in welcoming Chief Operating Officer J. Doehring. (To contact J., click here. To learn more about the A&M Aggies and the 12th Man Tradition, click here.)

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