Ultrasonic Testing Part 4

DEFECT LOCATION
DEFECT LOCATION IN ULTRASONIC TESTING IS BASED UPON THE PREMISE THAT A MAXIMISED ECHO RESPONSE CAN ONLY COME FROM A REFLECTOR WHICH IS LYING ON THE BEAM AXIS. THIS PREMISE CAN BE ASSUMED BECAUSE THE GREATEST SOUND INTENSITY OR PRESSURE IS CONCENTRATED IN A SMALL VOLUME AROUND THE BEAM AXIS.

DEFECT LOCATION IN FUSION WELDS

S

600

S = STAND OFF DISTANCE FROM ANY CONVENIENT DATUM POINT (IN THIS CASE THE WELD CENTRELINE) R= RANGE READ FROM THE FLAWDETECTOR SCREEN

DEFECT LOCATION IN FUSION WELDS

450
S = STAND OFF DISTANCE FROM ANY CONVENIENT DATUM POINT R= RANGE READ FROM THE FLAWDETECTOR SCREEN S

DEFECT LOCATION IN FUSION WELDS

TO ACCURATELY LOCATE DEFECTS IN A BUTT WELD THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA MUST BE MET:
1. THE PROBE EXIT POINT MUST BE ACCURATELY KNOWN.

2.
3. 4. 5.

THE BEAM ANGLE MUST BE ACCURATELY KNOWN.

THE WELD CENTRELINE MUST BE ACCURATELY KNOWN. THE MATERIAL THICKNESS MUST BE ACCURATELY KNOWN. THE FLAWDETECTOR MUST BE ACCURATELY CALIBRATED.

DEFECT SIZING TECHNIQUES

1.

6 dB DROP TECHNIQUE (SOMETIMES CALLED HALF AMPLITUDE OR BEAM SPLITTING TECHNIQUE).

20 dB DROP TECHNIQUE (SOMETIMES CALLED BEAM BOUNDARY TECHNIQUE). MAXIMUM AMPLITUDE TECHNIQUE.

2. 3.

6 dB DROP
LENGTH

6 dB DROP
1. THE DIMENSION OF THE REFLECTOR WHICH IS BEING MEASURED MUST EXCEED THE BEAM WIDTH. THE ULTRASONIC BEAM MUST BE SYMMETRICAL IN THE DIRECTION OF PROBE MOVEMENT. WORKS BEST ON UNIFORM REFLECTORS WITH RELATIVELY STRAIGHT EDGES

2.

3.

20 dB DROP

LENGTH

20 dB DROP
1. THE DIMENSION OF THE REFLECTOR WHICH IS BEING MEASURED MAY BE EITHER LARGER OR SMALLER THAN THE BEAM WIDTH. THE ULTRASONIC BEAM NEED NOT BE SYMMETRICAL IN THE DIRECTION OF PROBE MOVEMENT. THE BEAM SPREAD PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF PROBE MOVEMENT MUST BE KNOWN.

2.

3.

4.

WORKS BEST ON UNIFORM REFLECTORS WITH RELATIVELY STRAIGHT EDGES.

MAXIMUM AMPLITUDE
1. THE MAXIMUM AMPLITUDE TECHNIQUE IS AN EXTENSION OF THE TECHNIQUE USED IN UT FOR DEFECT LOCATION. IT WORKS ON THE PREMISE THAT A MAXIMISED RESPONSE COULD ONLY COME FROM A POINT ON A REFLECTOR WHICH IS ON THE SOUND BEAM AXIS. VOLUMETRIC REFLECTORS CAN BE SIZED VERY ACCURATELY IF THEY CAN BE APPROACHED FROM A VARIETY OF ANGLES. PLANAR REFLECTORS CAN OFTEN BE SIZED USING THIS TECHNIQUE DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF TIP MAXIMA.

2.

4.

3.

MAXIMUM AMPLITUDE

MAXIMUM AMPLITUDE
LACK OF FUSION

700

700

TIP MAXIMA AMPLITUDE

ECHO DYNAMIC PATTERN

RANGE

MAXIMUM AMPLITUDE
1. THE DIMENSION OF THE REFLECTOR WHICH IS BEING MEASURED MAY BE EITHER LARGER OR SMALLER THAN THE BEAM WIDTH. WILL WORK WITH ALMOST ANY REFLECTOR.

2.

ULTRASONIC EXAMINATION OF WELDS

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
1. TO SCAN ALL FUSION FACES AT AN ANGLE OF INCIDENCE = 00 +/- 200 (00 +/- 100 FOR CRITICAL EXAMINATIONS).

2.

TO SCAN THE ENTIRE WELD VOLUME INCLUDING THE HEAT AFFECTED ZONE WITH A MINIMUM OF TWO PROBE ANGLES. TO SCAN FOR POSSIBLE TRANSVERSE IMPERFECTIONS

3.

ULTRASONIC EXAMINATION OF WELDS

600

SINGLE SIDED BUTT WELD

20

ULTRASONIC EXAMINATION OF WELDS

450

THE 450 PROBE CAN NOT BE USED TO SCAN THE WELD ROOT AT HALF SKIP, THEREFORE THE 700 PROBE MUST BE USED:
57
57

700

700

FIXED STAND-OFF SCAN OF WELD ROOT USING THE 700 PROBE

ULTRASONIC EXAMINATION OF WELDS

600 SCAN OF WELD VOLUME AND FUSION ZONES
80 23 23 80

600

600

600

600

COVERED AT FULL SKIP

COVERED AT FULL & HALF SKIP

COVERED AT HALF SKIP

SCANNING FOR TRANSVERSE IMPERFECTIONS

SCAN

ULTRASONIC EXAMINATION OF WELDS

40

450 450

BACK GOUGE

DOUBLE SIDED T JOINT

40

ULTRASONIC EXAMINATION OF WELDS

COVERAGE OF FUSION FACES

100 (approx.)

COVERAGE OF WELD VOLUME

00

00

ULTRASONIC EXAMINATION OF WELDS

COVERAGE OF FUSION FACES

450

450

450

450

COVERAGE OF WELD VOLUME

SCANNING FOR TRANSVERSE IMPERFECTIONS

SCANNING FOR TRANSVERSE IMPERFECTIONS

RECOGNITION OF DEFECT TYPE

DEFECT TYPES SUCH AS CRACK, LACK OF FUSION, SLAG INCLUSION etc WHICH ARE DETECTED BY UT CAN OFTEN BE RECOGNISED AS SUCH BY:
1. OBSERVATION OF THE SHAPE OF THE ECHO RESPONSE AND ITS BEHAVIOUR WHEN THE PROBE IS MOVED IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS. 2. OBSERVING THE SIZE OF THE ECHO RESPONSE. 3. OBSERVING THE POSITION OF THE REFLECTOR. 4. MEASURING THE SIZE OF THE REFLECTOR. 5. TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE TYPES OF DEFECT WHICH ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE PRESENT.

THREADLIKE DEFECTS, POINT DEFECTS AND FLAT PLANAR DEFECTS ORIENTATED NEAR-NORMAL TO THE BEAM AXIS ALL PRODUCE AN ECHO RESPONSE WHICH HAS A SINGLE PEAK:

THESE DEFECTS CAN BE DIFFERENTIATED BETWEEN BY OBSERVING THE ECHO DYNAMIC BEHAVIOUR IN LENGTH AND DEPTH SCANS:
POINT
DEPTH SCAN THREADLIKE
PLANAR
(NEAR NORMAL INCIDENCE)

LENGTH SCAN

NOTE: THE RESPONSE FROM A PLANAR DEFECT WILL BE STRONGLY AFFECTED BY PROBE ANGLE WHILE THAT FROM A THREADLIKE REFLECTOR WILL REMAIN ALMOST UNCHANGED IF A DIFFERENT PROBE ANGLE IS USED.

THE ECHO RESPONSE FROM A LARGE SLAG INCLUSION OR A ROUGH CRACK IS LIKELY TO HAVE MULTIPLE PEAKS:

SOMETIMES IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THESE 2 DEFECTS SIMPLY BY PLOTTING THEIR POSITION WITHIN THE WELD ZONE:

A. PROBABLE SLAG, POSSIBLE CENTRELINE CRACK

B. PROBABLE HAZ CRACK

IN CASE A IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE DEFECT IS SLAG OR A CRACK. ROTATIONAL OR ORBITAL PROBE MOVEMENTS MAY HELP:

ORBITAL

ROTATIONAL

TYPICAL ECHO DYNAMIC PATTERNS

CRACK
ORBITAL SCAN

SLAG

ROTATIONAL SCAN