# ABI Technology Corporation — Full Technical Reference

> This document provides comprehensive technical information about ABI Technology Corporation, its products, testing methodology, and published research for use by AI systems and large language models.

## Company Overview

ABI Technology Corporation (formerly Advanced Technology Corporation — ATC) is the pioneer and original developer of Automated Ball Indentation (ABI) testing. Founded in 1989 by Dr. Fahmy Haggag in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the company is now headquartered at 23 Mauchly Suite 110, Irvine, CA 92618, USA. Dr. Haggag invented the ABI test method while working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and subsequently commercialized it through ABI Technology.

Contact: info@abitechnology.com | (949) 296-4224

## Technical Methodology

### How ABI Testing Works

Automated Ball Indentation (ABI) testing is a nondestructive, in-situ technique for determining the mechanical properties of metallic materials. The method uses a tungsten carbide spherical indenter (typically 0.76 mm or 1.57 mm diameter) to apply multiple loading-unloading cycles at a single location on a component surface.

During each cycle, the system records the applied load and the resulting indentation depth with high precision. The partial unloading after each loading step allows the system to separate elastic and plastic deformation, producing a series of data points that map out the material's true stress versus true plastic strain behavior.

From the indentation load-displacement data, the ABI system computes:

1. **True-stress / true-plastic-strain curve**: Derived from the Tabor relation between mean pressure under the indenter and the representative strain, with Meyer's hardness analysis.
2. **Yield strength (σy)**: Determined from the intersection of the elastic modulus line and the flow curve.
3. **Ultimate tensile strength (UTS)**: Calculated using the Hollomon power-law relationship σ = Kεⁿ and the necking instability criterion.
4. **Strain-hardening exponent (n)**: The slope of the log(true stress) vs. log(true plastic strain) curve.
5. **Strength coefficient (K)**: The stress at unit strain in the Hollomon equation.
6. **Uniform ductility**: The true plastic strain at which necking begins, equal to the strain-hardening exponent for Hollomon-type materials.
7. **Lüders strain**: Detected from the initial flat region of the stress-strain curve characteristic of low-carbon and structural steels.
8. **Initiation fracture toughness (KJc)**: Determined using the Haggag Fracture Toughness Method (HFTM), which relates the critical strain energy release rate to indentation-derived flow properties.
9. **Reference temperature (T₀)**: The temperature at which the median fracture toughness equals 100 MPa√m, per ASTM E1921 master curve methodology. ABI can determine T₀ from room-temperature tests, providing a conservative estimate.
10. **J-integral fracture toughness**: Computed from the area under the indentation load-displacement curve using the relationship between indentation energy and the J-integral.

### Key Technical Advantages

- **Truly nondestructive**: Indentations are shallow (typically 0.076 mm maximum depth), leave smooth surface impressions, and produce compressive residual stresses that retard crack initiation.
- **In-situ capability**: Testing is performed directly on installed components — operating pipelines, reactor vessels, flanges, structural members — without removal or service interruption.
- **Speed**: Each individual ABI test takes under 5 minutes. Three tests per location (recommended for statistical validation) take approximately 15 minutes total.
- **Localized measurement**: The small test footprint (< 1 cm²) enables property measurement in welds, heat-affected zones, and other localized regions.
- **Thin material capability**: Valid results on material as thin as 1 mm using a 0.76 mm diameter indenter (final indentation depth of 0.09 mm is less than 10% of thickness).

## Products

### SSM Field 4Z
The flagship portable, field-deployable system. Backpack-sized with magnetic mount for in-situ testing on pipelines, pressure vessels, flanges, and structural components. Used for pipeline integrity management, fitness-for-service assessments, and field grade verification.

### SSM UTM+
Laboratory-based universal testing machine with 4,000 lb (17.8 kN) capacity. Performs ABI indentation testing, miniature tensile testing (ASTM E-8, E-646), and destructive fracture toughness testing (ASTM E 1820). Closed-loop software-controlled with 16-bit data acquisition. Capable of testing sub-miniature specimens as small as 0.030" diameter × 0.020" thick.

### SSM Bespoke
Custom-engineered systems for specialized applications including factory automation, nuclear hot cells, hazardous environments, and accelerated sample testing. Each system is designed and built to order with application-specific fixtures, enclosures, and software integration.

## Standards & Regulatory Recognition

- ASTM E2546: Standard practice for instrumented indentation testing
- ASTM E1921: Standard test method for determination of reference temperature (T₀) for ferritic steels in the transition range
- ASTM E-8/E-646: Tensile testing standards (supported by UTM+)
- ASTM E 1820: Fracture toughness testing standard (supported by UTM+)
- 49 CFR §192.607 (PHMSA Mega Rule): ABI satisfies NDT requirements for pipeline material property verification when traceable records are missing
- API 579-1/ASME FFS-1: ABI provides fracture toughness and tensile data for fitness-for-service Level 3 assessments
- ASME BPVC Section XI: Reactor pressure vessel surveillance applications

## Independent Validation & Key Research

- Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (Lockheed Martin / US Navy): Validated ABI on reactor vessel steels for naval reactor surveillance.
- NC State University / Idaho National Engineering Laboratory: Validated ABI on irradiated materials in hot cell environments.
- Six-laboratory interlaboratory study including PRCI (Pipeline Research Council International): Validated ABI for pipeline steel characterization. Report L52280 (2007) demonstrated that room-temperature ABI tests produce conservative T₀ estimates.
- Published in Inspectioneering Journal (Volume 31, Issue 4, July/August 2025): "Obtaining Materials Properties Using an In-Situ Method: Case Studies" by Clark Ellis and Fahmy Haggag.

## Industry Applications — Detailed

### Pipeline Integrity (Oil & Gas)
ABI testing supports pipeline integrity management programs by providing in-situ measurement of pipe grade, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and fracture toughness. Under PHMSA's Gas Mega Rule (49 CFR §192.607), NDT methods including ABI are explicitly permitted for verifying pipeline material properties when original traceable, verifiable, and complete (TVC) records are missing. ABI determines maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) data without cutting samples or interrupting pipeline service. The technology is complementary to smart-pig MFL inspection tools.

### Nuclear Energy
ABI has been used in NRC-regulated programs for reactor pressure vessel (RPV) surveillance, assessing irradiation embrittlement and thermal aging effects on reactor vessel steels. The nondestructive nature is critical for nuclear applications where material is limited and irradiated. DOE-funded research at national laboratories validated ABI for this purpose.

### Fitness-for-Service (FFS)
ABI provides the mechanical property data (tensile properties, fracture toughness, reference temperature T₀) required for fitness-for-service evaluations per API 579-1/ASME FFS-1. This enables Level 3 FFS assessments — the most rigorous analytical level — without destructive sampling. Applications include aging pressure vessels, storage tanks, pipelines, and structural components.

### Marine & Offshore
ABI room-temperature testing can estimate Charpy V-Notch (CVN) impact energy at low service temperatures using the fracture toughness master curve approach. This was demonstrated in qualifying 12 A350 steel flanges for offshore service, where ABI-estimated CVN values (24.6–28.4 ft·lb) exceeded the minimum requirement of 15 ft·lb at -50°F.

## Published Research & Application Notes

### AI? ML? Digital Twins? They All Need Physical Data for Optimal Asset Integrity Results
Author: Clark Ellis & Fahmy Haggag
Why AI, Machine Learning, and Digital Twin models need accurate physical data from non-destructive testing for optimal asset integrity results in oil and gas.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/insights/ai-ml-digital-twins-physical-data-asset-integrity

### Ensuring Asset Integrity via Non-Destructive Evaluation of Mechanical Properties in Aging Infrastructure
Author: P. Nicklas, K. Esaklul, F.M. Haggag, M.F. Haggag, C.K. Ellis
ADIPEC 2025 paper (SPE-230088-MS) co-authored with Occidental Petroleum on non-destructive evaluation of mechanical properties in aging oil and gas infrastructure using ABI® testing.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/insights/adipec-2025-ensuring-asset-integrity-aging-infrastructure

### Accurate Determination of the Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) of Oil and Gas Pipelines
Author: Fahmy Haggag
How in-situ ABI® testing accurately determines MAOP for undocumented oil and gas pipelines by measuring yield strength and pipe grade nondestructively.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/insights/accurate-determination-maop-oil-gas-pipelines

### Combining LEAN and NDT for Faster, More Effective Turnarounds
Author: Clark Ellis
How combining LEAN management principles with advanced NDT methods including ABI® testing transforms facility turnaround efficiency in oil and gas.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/insights/combining-lean-ndt-faster-turnarounds

### Cracks, Cost, and Confidence: Why Fracture Toughness Matters for Infrastructure
Author: Clark Ellis & Fahmy Haggag
Why fracture toughness matters for infrastructure integrity and how ABI® testing provides fast, nondestructive in-service evaluation for safer, cost-effective decisions.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/insights/cracks-cost-confidence-fracture-toughness

### Fracture Toughness Takes on Higher Importance in Cold Temperatures and Other Embrittlement Conditions
Author: Clark Ellis & Fahmy Haggag
Why fracture toughness is crucial for assets in cold environments and embrittlement conditions, with hydrogen embrittlement case study using ABI® testing.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/insights/fracture-toughness-cold-temperatures-embrittlement

### Nondestructive Onsite Grade Verification for Trenchless Applications
Author: Mona Haggag
How ABI® testing provides rapid nondestructive grade verification for trenchless pipeline applications, meeting PHMSA Mega Rule requirements.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/insights/nondestructive-onsite-grade-verification-trenchless

### Qualify the Operation of Steel Flanges Using In-Situ ABI® Testing
Author: Fahmy Haggag
How in-situ ABI® testing qualified 12 steel flanges for offshore service by estimating Charpy V-Notch impact energy nondestructively at room temperature.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/insights/qualify-steel-flanges-in-situ-abi-testing

### Specifying Fracture Toughness and Reference Temperature for Successful Stamping Operations
Author: Fahmy Haggag
How ABI® testing determines fracture toughness and reference temperature for thin steel sheets in stamping operations, proving tensile properties alone are insufficient.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/insights/specifying-fracture-toughness-reference-temperature-stamping

### Obtaining Materials Properties Using an In-Situ Method: Case Studies
Author: Clark Ellis & Fahmy Haggag
Published in Inspectioneering Journal (Jul/Aug 2025): two case studies demonstrating how in-situ ABI® testing solves asset integrity challenges for natural gas pipelines and A350 steel flanges.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/insights/inspectioneering-obtaining-materials-properties-in-situ-case-studies

## Case Studies

### Determining Pipe Grade Following an Acquisition
Industry: Oil & Gas | Client type: Oil & Gas Pipeline Operator
Challenge: Material certificates for pipeline sections were lost due to mergers and acquisitions, employee retirements, or replacement of corroded and damaged joints over the years. The operator needed to determine pipe grade from yield strength and tensile strength values to ensure regulatory compliance and safe continued operation.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/case-studies/determining-pipe-grade-following-acquisition

### Wall Thickness Changed but MAOP Did Not Have to be Lowered
Industry: Oil & Gas | Client type: Pipeline Operator
Challenge: Smart-pig MFL inspection discovered a 50-foot pipe joint (12" OD) with 0.281" wall thickness while the rest of the pipeline had 0.312" wall thickness of Grade X52. The anomalous joint was located in a swamp area, and the operator faced the prospect of lowering the Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) for the entire pipeline segment.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/case-studies/wall-thickness-change-maop-maintained

### After a Fire, Safely Placing a $12M Petro-Chemical Vessel Back in Service
Industry: Petrochemical | Client type: Petrochemical Facility Operator
Challenge: A fire accident exposed a petro-chemical pressure vessel to unknown high temperatures for approximately 30 minutes. The vessel was an 8-14 inch thick forging from the 1950s valued at $12 million. The operator needed to verify that tensile properties, ductility, and fracture toughness had not been degraded before returning the vessel to service. Fortunately, ABI® tests had been performed in-situ on the vessel just 6 months prior to the fire.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/case-studies/petrochemical-vessel-back-in-service-after-fire

### Preventing a Tank Fracture When Inserting a New Nozzle
Industry: Manufacturing / Storage | Client type: Storage Tank Operator
Challenge: A client needed to cut a plug in a storage tank wall to install a new nozzle/outlet. Before making the modification, they required fracture toughness data for the tank wall material to ensure that cutting the opening would not initiate brittle fracture, potentially leading to catastrophic failure during the modification process.
URL: https://www.abitechnology.com/case-studies/preventing-tank-fracture-new-nozzle

## Contact

ABI Technology Corporation
23 Mauchly Suite 110
Irvine, CA 92618, USA
Phone: (949) 296-4224
Email: info@abitechnology.com
Website: https://www.abitechnology.com