API 577 Sample Flashcards
Test your API 577 knowledge with 4 interactive sample flashcards. This set uses the same practice-style approach as the I4I Academy flashcard bank—click a card to reveal the answer and the applicable API 577 section reference so you can confirm the requirement and learn more efficiently. Click again to flip back and keep drilling the key concepts until they stick.
API 577 Training Course Sample Flashcards (Interactive )
Click a card to reveal the answer and reference numbers. Click again to flip back.
Flashcard 1 • Joint Type vs Method Capability
Lap joint confusion (volumetric vs surface)
You’re inspecting a lap joint and the client asks why UT/RT aren’t “always” the best choices.
Using API 577’s method capability tables, what is the correct applicability picture for RT/UT vs surface methods?
Answer: For lap joints, RT and UT are shown as marginal applicability (depends on thickness, flaw size/orientation/location, etc.). Surface methods like PT/MT/VT and LT are shown as applicable, while ACFM is shown as marginal for lap joints (not universally applicable).
Ref: API 577 Table 3 & Table 4
Flashcard 2 • UT Calibration Logic
When must you re-scan weld areas?
Your UT system check was good at 8:00 AM. At 12:30 PM you discover the calibration standard temperature drifted,
and later a system check indicates the equipment isn’t functioning properly. What does API 577 require you to do?
Answer: System checks are required before and after an exam, with changes in search unit/cabling/examiner, and after a time interval (example: four hours). The calibration standard temperature should be within 25 °F (14 °C) of the part; if not, bring it within range and perform a calibration check. If a system calibration check shows the equipment is not functioning properly, re-examine all areas tested since the last successful calibration.
Ref: API 577 8.9.3.1
Flashcard 3 • TOFD Scans
D-scan vs B-scan (and the “cap removal” trap)
A TOFD indication is detected during standard scanning. The team wants better location information “from a different view.”
Which scan is used, what probe movement changes, and what condition must be met?
Answer: Standard weld inspection is the TOFD D-scan (nonparallel scan): probes move along the weld with one probe on each side, energy perpendicular to the weld. To evaluate an indication from a position 90° from the perpendicular imaging, use the TOFD B-scan (parallel scan), moving probes across/parallel to the sound path. API 577 notes this can only be done if the weld cap has been removed, and it is most often used after the D-scan to refine location.
Ref: API 577 8.9.2.6
Flashcard 4 • RT Interpretation Discipline
Blemish vs discontinuity + “area of interest”
A radiograph shows a processing blemish near the weld. The fabricator says “it’s outside the area of interest.”
What does API 577 require if blemishes exist in the area of interest, and how should density readings be handled?
Answer: Radiographs must be free of blemishes to the extent they do not mask/appear like discontinuities in the area of interest. If there are blemishes in the area of interest, the radiograph is discarded and the area is radiographed again. For density, measure through the IQI and take several additional density readings at random locations within the area of interest (excluding areas with discontinuities) to confirm density control.
Ref: API 577 8.8.9.3 & 8.8.9.4
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