VUT Non Destructive Testing Department

After years of dedicated effort, the VUT NDT programmes are now consolidating to be well-established careers for many students nationally and internationally.  These programmes are the only ones offered by a tertiary institution in South Africa.  They provide solid theoretical and practical education to optimize the application of NDT in industry. These programmes seek to promote the understanding of the various NDT methods in their use in the inspection of components, hence operational safety.  This includes increasing the awareness of modern NDT methods which integrate materials testing in all phases of production, in-service monitoring, and environmental diagnostics.

The National Diploma in Non-Destructive Testing was first offered in the early 1980s at the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the then Vaal Triangle Technikon (VTT). At the time, less than 20 White students were sponsored by companies to study NDT at VTT. The program was structured, such that for the 1st, 3rd and 5th semesters, students had a full-time contact study; while the 2nd, 4th, and 6th semesters, they were at their respective companies for experiential training.

Vaal University of Technology VUT Non Destructive Testing Department Contact

In the mid-1990s the sponsored students dried-up and for a couple of academic years, the programme had no student intake. In the early 2000s, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences, Prof BR Mabuza revived the programme, starting with a cohort of about 35 students in 2003.

The qualifications currently offered are the Diploma in Non-Destructive Testing (NQF6), which consists of five-semesters contact time (two and half years) and one-semester experiential training period and also the Advanced Diploma in Non-Destructive Testing (NQF7), offered over two-semesters (one year).  The present permanent post establishment consists of five full-time Junior Lecturers.  They are supported by a Senior Lecturer, the Head of Department, and the Executive Dean. There are four state-of-the-art, fully equipped laboratories catering for the basic and advanced NDT methods.

In their Diploma studies, our students are introduced to NDT projects which have the description that seeks to answer the following basic questions.

(a) What problem is addressed?

(b) Why is this work important?

(c) What new aspect will be addressed?

(d) How will objectives be achieved?

(e) Can the project be accomplished in the given time frame?

Both VUT NDT programmes has been approved by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), quality evaluated by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) through the Higher Education Quality Sub-Framework (HEQSF) and are registered qualifications with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).