API 571 Damage Mechanisms Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply the API 571 methodology to identify potential damage mechanisms in process equipment.
• Analyze the causes and consequences of various damage mechanisms, including corrosion, cracking, and mechanical damage.
• Evaluate the susceptibility of materials to specific damage mechanisms based on service conditions.
• Design inspection and monitoring strategies to detect and mitigate damage mechanisms.
• Implement risk-based inspection (RBI) practices aligned with API 571 and API 580 standards.
• Demonstrate the ability to document and communicate damage mechanism findings effectively.

Target Audience

This course is designed for mechanical engineers, integrity engineers, inspection personnel, and maintenance professionals working in the oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. However, a basic understanding of mechanical engineering principles and process equipment is recommended.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

The practicals provide hands-on experience in identifying damage mechanisms using visual inspection and NDE techniques, and in applying API 571 to real-world scenarios. Learners will analyze sample equipment components, interpret damage morphology, and develop inspection plans.

Practical Activities

• Visual Inspection and Damage Identification — Learners examine sample coupons and equipment photos to identify and classify damage mechanisms based on visual indicators such as corrosion patterns, cracking, and discoloration. (3h)
• Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Demonstration and Interpretation — Instructor demonstrates ultrasonic thickness measurement and magnetic particle inspection on test pieces; learners practice using the equipment and interpret results to detect wall loss and surface cracks. (4h)
• Damage Mechanism Review and Inspection Planning — Working in groups, learners perform a damage mechanism review on a fictional pressure vessel using API 571, then develop a tailored inspection plan including NDE methods, frequencies, and locations. (3h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	40% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.