An Overview on Ultrasonic Testing

History and Basic Principles

Ultrasonic Testing Systems
Applications
Advantages and Limitations
New Advancements in Ultrasonics

Ultrasonic Waves
Sound

waves with frequency

more than 20000 Hz (20 KHz) are
termed as ultrasound waves.
These waves are beyond the
humans hearing range.These
waves are elastic waves.

History of Ultrasonics
In

1929 and 1935, Sokolov studied the use

of ultrasonic waves in detecting metal
objects
Mulhauser, in 1931, obtained a patent for
using ultrasonic waves, using two
transducers to detect flaws in solids
Prior to world war II , Sonar Technology was
developed where sound waves send through
water and observing the returning echoes to
characterize the submergeed objects.This
concept inspired scientists to explore further
investigations in the medical field.

Ultrasounds in Medical
Applications
After world war II scientist in Japan
explored the medical dignostic
capapbilities of Ultrasounds. By 1950
Ultrasounds find use in detcting gall
stones,breast massess etc.

Basic Ultrasonic principles

Ultrasonic

testing is a non destructive testing

method which uses sound waves to inspect the
internal structure of a material
Ultrasonic testing is based on the fact that
solid objects are good conductors of
Ultrasound. These waves are reflected at the
object boundaries as well as at any internal
flaws.
Ultrasonic tests are conventionally performed
with frequencies in the range 0.5 to 25 MHz,
since as the frequency increses wave length
decreses which improves the interaction of US
with material.

Basic Ultrasonic Principles

Since

the Ultrasonic velocity in a

homogeneous material is more or
less constant the time of flight of
Ultrasound between the
transmitted and reflected wave
can be used to calculate the
position of reflector within the
object

Locating Reflectors with

Ultrasound

C= Velocity of Sound
T = time taken
between emiting and
transmitting pulses
Thus If we know the
Ultrasound velocity in a
material and have
enough instumentation
to measure time delay
between the
transmitted and
reflected wave we can
easily calculate where
the reflector is within

Locating Reflectors with

Ultrasound

Sound Energy will travel to the farside of

the 1st test object and will reflected from
farside. But it reflects back from the
laminar type discontinuity before it
reaches the far side in case of second
specimen.

Locating Reflectors with

Ultrasound

Essential Parts of UT
Transducer

(Probe)
The piezo electric element when
excited by an extremely short electric
pulse will produce Ultrasound and on
the otherhand it generates an
electrical pulse when it receives an US
reflected from the test object.Probe is
coupled to the test object with a
couplant to improve the sound
transmission through the probe-test
object interface

Construction Of Ultrasonic
Probes

Ultrasonic Instrumentation
UT

machine Instrumentation
consists of many parts
Pulser/Receiver
Clock or Synchronizer
Amplifiers
Display
Alarm circuits

Techniques- Pulse Echo

contact
As the name implies,
transducers are used in
direct contact with the
test piece. They
introduce sound energy
perpendicular to the
surface, and are
typically used for
locating voids, porosity,
and cracks or
delaminations parallel to
the outside surface of a
part, as well as for
measuring thickness.
The same crystal or two
separate crystals in the

Techniques- Pulse echo

immersion
Immersion
transducers are
designed to couple
sound energy into
the test piece
through a water
column or water
bath. They are used
in automated
scanning
applications and also
in situations where a
sharply focused
beam is needed to
improve flaw

Techniques Through
transmission

In through transmission method separate

probes are used to send and receive
ultrasound.Any discontinuity present in the
path of ultrasound will reduce the amount
of energy reaching the receiver

Types of Ultrasound
presentations
A-Scan

Presentaion
Its the most widely used and
classic presentation in
ultrasonics. Prseneted through a
CRT screen ,the X-axis presents
time/distance and the Y Axis
presnets the amplitude of
received signals.

A-Scan Presentation

B- Scan Presentation
B-Scan provides a cross sectional
view of object under test

C-Scan Presentation
C-Scan
Provides a
plan view
(view from
top) of the
object under
inspection

C-Scan Presentation

Different colours represent different

thicknesses 13 mm- Brown, 14 mm- blue
and 15 mm- Black

Applications of UT
Thickness

Measurement
Weld Inspection
Bond Inspections
Study on material structures
Flow measurements
Level Measurements
Etcetc

Advantages of UT
Sensitive

to both surface and sub

surface discontinuities
Depth of penetartion is superior
to other NDT methods
Unlike RT only single sideed
access is required
Compred to RT discontinuity
location can be precisely located
Instantaneous results are
available

Advantages
Can

be configured for automatic setups

For most applications battery operated ,compact equipments
are enough
Surface must be accessible to transmit ultrasound.
Skill and training is more extensive than with some other
methods.
It normally requires a coupling medium to promote the transfer
of sound energy into the test specimen.
Materials that are rough, irregular in shape, very small,
exceptionally thin or not homogeneous are difficult to inspect.
Cast iron and other coarse grained materials are difficult to
inspect due to low sound transmission and high signal noise.
Linear defects oriented parallel to the sound beam may go
undetected.
Reference standards are required for both equipment
calibration and the characterization of flaws.

Really

ysefull for inspection of

complex shaped parts such as
T,K,Y joints on offshore
structures, Shell to Nozzle welds
etc

Limitaions of US
Extensive

operator training nad

experience requires
Defects with oriention parallel to
sound beam will not be detected
Reference standards are required
for both equipment calibration
and the characterization of flaws

Advanced UT methods
Corrosion

Mapping
Corrosion mapping involves scanning one or more
straight beam probes over a prescribed, dual axis
scan pattern over a pipe or pressure vessel surface
whilst taking thickness measurements. The
measurements are converted into digital values
which are color-coded to create topographic maps
of the vessel or pipe wall thickness profile
Images (C-scans) from individual scan areas can
be assembled together to create composite
images covering large areas of material. This is a
very powerful technique for management
reporting or to observe widespread effects

C-Scan Systems

C-Scan System on Action

UT-Time of Flight
Diffraction(ToFD)
Measuring

the amplitude of reflected signal is a relatively

unreliable method of sizing defects because the amplitude
strongly depends on the orientation of the crack. Instead of
amplitude, TOFD uses the time of flight of an ultrasonic
pulse to determine the position of a reflector.
In a TOFD system, a pair of probes sit on opposite sides of
a weld. One of the probes emits an ultrasonic pulse that is
picked up by the probe on the other side. In undamaged
pipe, the signals picked up by the receiver probe are from
two waves: one that travels along the surface and one that
reflects off the far wall. When a crack is present, there is a
diffraction of the ultrasonic wave from the tip(s) of the
crack. Using the measured time of flight of the pulse, the
depth of a crack tip can be calculated automatically by
simple trigonometry.This method is even more reliable than
Radiographic testing of a weld

ToFD Set UP

Sample ToFD Image

Ultrasonic Phased Arrays

The

PA probe consists of many small

ultrasonic elements, each of which can be
pulsed individually. By varying the timing, for
instance by pulsing the elements one by one
in sequence along a row, a pattern of
constructive interference is set up that results
in a beam at a set angle. In other words, the
beam can be steered electronically. The beam
is swept like a search-light object being
examined, and the data from multiple beams
are put together to make a visual image
showing a slice through the object

Ultrasonic Phased Arrays

Phased array image of a Calibration block

with SDH and a far surface Groove

AUT of pipeline girth

welds
AUT

technology has now largely replaced

radiographic inspection techniques for
the examination of pipeline welds and has
become the NDT industry-standard
examination method for weld testing. This
was due in part to dissatisfaction with
radiography's defect sizing capabilities,
and also due to the improvements in
speed of inspection, safety, and costefficiency of pipeline scanning projects
offered by the emerging AUT technology

advantages of AUT for

Pipeline Scanning
Testing

times no longer depend on the thickness of piping

Production
Flaw

rates are higher

depth from the surface can be accurately detected

Engineering

Critical Assessment can be used with AUT

AUT

systems are computer-based, offering superior analysis

and records

Vertical/through

wall defects are better identified and

quantified
Point

of Detection (POD) is superior with AUT