laser vision scanning of welds

Picture this: It’s 1979, your father opens an inspection business, and you start working for him the next year, right out of high school. The rest, well, is history.

That is what happened to Robert W. (Bob) O’Neal Sr. when World Testing Inc. (worldtesting.com), Mt. Juliet, Tenn., was started by his father, Vernon O’Neal Sr.

In addition to now being a long-term CWI, he’s an ASNT NDT Level III and enjoys participating in the AWS Nashville Section. Learn about O’Neal’s meaningful career in the family-owned-and-operated business.

Working with Family and Inspecting Various Projects

World Testing has grown over the years to cover both destructive and nondestructive examination (NDE) along with structural inspection. The company performs services in its labs and on customers’ sites, whether a sample or production part is sent, or brings a mobile darkroom or other portable equipment to a site. In addition, World Testing is a subcontractor for construction and engineering firms throughout the United States. Its main office is in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., and its field office is in Millington, Tenn.

O’Neal’s interest in inspection began after learning several NDE methods, then he became involved with visual inspection.

“I enjoy performing inspections because of the value my work adds to the products that I inspect, ensuring they meet the code requirements that the end user expects,” O’Neal said.

Wanting to become a CWI was born from shadowing his father on several structural steel projects.

“He gave me the appropriate study materials and personally taught me the art of being a good inspector,” O’Neal emphasized — Figs. 1 and 2.

In November 1991, O’Neal achieved CWI status. His favorite inspection method is magnetic particle testing (MT). “It’s relatively simple, but very rewarding when you find a defect,” O’Neal said.

When his father passed away in 2002, he took over the business with his brother, Vernon L. (Butch) O’Neal Jr. They honor their father by running the company the way he taught them, focusing on honesty and integrity.

“I’ve worked on many types of projects over the years,” O’Neal shared, “ranging from the Supercompactor that went to the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project in Idaho to a 100-ton hydraulic crawler crane in Dubai. The Dubai job really put the ‘world’ in World Testing.”

The team also performed radiographic testing (RT) for Contract Fabricators Inc., based in Mississippi, on a very large top head for a reactor vessel in Louisiana — Fig. 3. There’s a video on the company’s YouTube channel with a time lapse of this vessel going together, labeled Complex Fabrication - FCC Reactor - Large Assembly. Overall, the vessel was 116 ft long and 28 ft in diameter.

His favorite project has been supporting the restoration of the No. 576 Steam Locomotive in Nashville, Tenn. — Fig. 4. Hardness testing, positive material identification, MT, and radiography were performed on this 1942 train. View the video by Nashville Steam, available on their YouTube channel, labeled No. 576 - The Road to Revival, Episode 4. In the segment, O’Neal details the MT process and testing for cracks on the very large connecting rods on the wheels. “My great grandfather worked on the railroad as a shop worker, so that’s a little bit of our inspiration to give back,” O’Neal pointed out.

Currently, O’Neal serves as the president of World Testing, but he rarely tells people that and prefers to focus on the important work being done. His brother, Butch, is the general manager and Vernon L. (Trey) O’Neal III, Butch’s son, is the field services manager. Overall, there are 28 employees, including eight CWIs. The management team has more than 150 years of NDE experience.

“I’ve worked here for almost 45 years,” O’Neal said. “My day-to-day is primarily filled with my role of supporting the great group of employees who make up the team. At this point in my career, my aim is to help them achieve their career goals. I have the opportunity to speak with many of our clients about their welding programs and how I can help them with code compliance.”

The biggest challenge the business faces is finding individuals who are already qualified and can make contributions from day one.

“Because of this, we train and certify our own personnel to perform various NDE methods as we prepare them to become welding inspectors,” O’Neal said.

Giving Good Advice

O’Neal’s words of wisdom for current and future CWIs, after being one for more than 30 years, are as follows:

“Don’t limit yourself to one area of inspections. Broaden your knowledge on inspections and welding with various codes and standards to ensure your future success.”

These methods sure haven’t let him down.

The Sky’s the Limit

Looking forward, O’Neal said, “I see myself doing more teaching than performing inspections. The good thing about working at a testing lab is that you see and use a wide range of codes and standards.”

Most often, projects require adhering to customer specifications and the following AWS codes: D1.1, Structural Welding Code — Steel; D1.2, Structural Welding Code — Aluminum; D1.3, Structural Welding Code — Sheet Steel; D1.4, Structural Welding Code — Steel Reinforcing Bars; AASHTO/AWS D1.5, Bridge Welding Code; D1.6, Structural Welding Code — Stainless Steel; and D17.1, Specification for Fusion Welding for Aerospace Applications.

In addition, O’Neal said World Testing loves being an AWS Sustaining Corporate Member, which enables the business to have online access to AWS standards.

Parting Thoughts

Below are more words from O’Neal that pay tribute to his father and also reflect on being part of the AWS Nashville Section.

“I started my NDE career at an early age,” he said, “and I remember going to AWS Nashville Section meetings with my father in the early ’80s. I didn’t realize at the time how much of an opportunity it was to network with other members.”

And after serving for 17 years as the Nashville Section treasurer, he concluded, “It’s not difficult to realize how blessed I’ve been to have met so many good people in the industry.”
 

KRISTIN CAMPBELL (kcampbell@aws.org) is managing editor of Inspection Trends.