Proceedings of the 2012 9th International Pipeline Conference IPC2012 September 24-28, 2012, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

IPC2012-90213

DEVELOPMENT OF AN ULTRASONIC PHASED ARRAY TESTING SYSTEM THAT CAN EVALUATE QUALITY OF WELD SEAM OF HIGH-QUALITY ERW PIPES
Yutaka Matsui Steel Research Laboratory, JFE Steel Corporation, Kawasaki, Japan Masahito Suzuki East Japan Works, JFE Steel Corporation, Kawasaki, Japan Tomohiro Inoue Chita Works, JFE Steel Corporation, Chita, Japan Yukinori Iizuka Steel Research Laboratory, JFE Steel Corporation, Chiba, Japan Eiichi Urahata East Japan Works, JFE Steel Corporation, Kawasaki, Japan Masaru Oka East Japan Works, JFE Steel Corporation, Kawasaki, Japan

Shintarou Kumazawa East Japan Works, JFE Steel Corporation, Kawasaki, Japan

KEYWORDS ERW, Line pipe, low-temperature toughness, Charpy impact property, ultrasonic testing, phased array ABSTRACT A high sensitivity ultrasonic testing system for inspection of the weld seam of ERW pipes was developed. The factors that affect the quality of the weld seam were investigated using an ultrasonic C-scan method with a focused probe and samples sliced from weld seams. As the result, it was found that a scattered-type penetrator consisting of micro oxides is a key factor in the quality of the weld seam. Absorbed energy in the Charpy impact test can be evaluated by the ultrasonic echo amplitude with the optimized focused beam size (about 1mm2) to detect the scattered-type penetrator. In order to evaluate the density of the scattered-type penetrator in weld seams with the optimum focused beam size for pipe, a point focused beam tandem method was developed by applying the ultrasonic phased array technique. The sensitivity of the developed method is 20dB higher for a standard artificial through drilled hole whose diameter is 1.6mm. A precise seam tracking system was also developed for application of the point focused beam tandem method to the actual ERW pipe manufacturing process. Since the allowance for applying the focused beam to the weld seam is very narrow, i.e., about 1mm, a circumference multi-point simultaneous receiving technique and thermal image-type seam detection technique were developed. The developed ultrasonic testing system has been in operation at the 24" ERW mill at East Japan

Works (Keihin District) of JFE Steel Corporation since March 2011. The combination of the ultrasonic testing system and an oxide control technique now contributes to production of highperformance, high-quality ERW pipe Mighty Seam for use in frigid environments. INTRODUCTION Recently, production of electric resistance welding (ERW) steel pipes has progressed rapidly, and application of ERW pipes to line pipe is becoming increasingly common. In addition to the welding technology itself, quality assurance of the ERW pipe weld seam is very important for application to line pipe as a substitute for UOE pipes or seamless pipes [1-3]. Conventionally, an ultrasonic test and a mechanical test and flattening test are employed as the quality assurance method. In the ultrasonic test, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted obliquely on an inspection surface of a test piece to detect flaws on the inner/outer surfaces of the test piece, and internal flaws are detected based on the reflected wave from flaws. Ordinarily, a reflection technique using an ultrasonic beam of 5MHz having a reflection angle of 45 is applied to ERW steel pipes for detection of flaws of millimeter order, for example, incomplete penetration, burn through, cracks due to an inclusion, and the like [4-5].

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The mechanical test and flattening test are applied to quality assurance of mechanical characteristics. Although the Charpy impact test is applied to evaluation of low temperature toughness, that test is a sampling inspection and requires destructive testing. Therefore, weld seam reliability can be improved if it is possible to evaluate low temperature toughness along the entire length of the weld seam by a nondestructive technique. It has been pointed out that there is a correlation between the area of a penetrator in the ductile fracture area in the cross section of a Charpy test piece and the transition temperature [6]. A penetrator is an oxide generated during electric resistance welding. Ordinary penetrators are elliptical in shape and about 0.2mm to 5mm in size. It is possible to detect penetrators by the conventional ultrasonic test. Due to progress in ERW steel pipe manufacturing techniques, penetrators of mm order size rarely occur at present. However, Present problem in manufacturing ERW steel pipes is control of very micro-scale penetrators. In this paper, the morphology and distribution of oxides that affect low temperature toughness are clarified, and an ultrasonic phased array testing system that can evaluate the low temperature toughness of the weld seam is described. 2. MORPHOLOGY OF OXIDES THAT AFFECT LOW TEMPERATURE TOUGHNESS 2-1. Investigation method In order to clarify the size of penetrators that affect low temperature toughness, the authors investigated the relationship between micro-type penetrators and low temperature toughness using an ultrasonic C-scan test with a focused probe and samples sliced from the weld seam. Figure 1 shows the positional relationship of the ultrasonic C-scan test and the inspected part. X65 sample pipes were used in this investigation. The sample pipes were manufactured under various welding conditions. The samples for the ultrasonic C-scan test were cut from the vicinity of parts cut for the Charpy impact test, and the echo level obtained in the C-Scan test was compared with the absorbed energy in the low temperature toughness test.
Sliced sample in parallel to seam part

2-2. Results Figure 2 shows the results of the Charpy impact test for Charpy test pieces sliced from the sample pipes. The results of the Charpy impact test showed that sample A had average absorbed energy of more than 400J, indicating good mechanical characteristics equivalent to those of the base material. The average absorbed energy of sample B was around 200J or less.
X65 323.1mm t11.1mm
500

Absorbed energyJ

400

300

Sample A Average (A) Sample B Average (B)

200

100

0 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0

Test temperature

Fig. 2 Low-temperature toughness of samples Figure 3 shows echo level maps obtained in an ultrasonic Cscan test. In order to detect very small penetrators below the millimeter order, the beam size in the ultrasonic C-scan test was set at approximately 100m. The low temperature toughness of sample A was good. Nevertheless, sample A displayed many point-like ultrasonic indications of a few hundred micrometers as the indication area. In estimating based on the ultrasonic echo level, those ultrasonic indications are approximately ten micrometers in diameter. On the other hand, penetrators of this type were not observed in sample B, which showed lower absorbed energy than sample A. This indicates that penetrators of this size do not influence absorbed energy, and suggests the possibility that other factors influence absorbed energy. Focusing on the wispy pattern in the echo level map of sample B, the authors attempted to find the ultrasonic conditions for detection of this pattern. As a result, when the ultrasonic beam size was approximately 250m and the degree of ultrasonic amplification was boosted, the wispy pattern became clear, as shown Figure 4. Sample B was observed to have the continuous wispy pattern in the center of thickness, and sample A did not display the pattern. Therefore, it is assumed that the cause of ultrasonic indications like this wispy pattern is also a factor that affects absorbed energy. Observation of the cross-sectional surface of sample B by scanning electron microscope revealed the existence of sparsely distributed micro Si-Mn oxides (minute penetrators) each with a size ranging from 5m to 20m. These sparsely distributed micro Si-Mn oxides are termed scattered-type penetrator. In a state where micro reflection sources are uniformly dispersed, the number of micro reflection sources becomes

Seam part

Point focus probe 50MHz 3mm Foc.10mm beam size:100m 2mm or 4mm 50MHz 6mm Foc.40mm beam size:250m Fig. 1 Method of ultrasonic C-scan test

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small in the area with the narrow beam width. The rate of the total flaw area to the beam area is low, thus weakening the reflection echo. Conversely, the number of micro reflection sources becomes large in the area with the wider beam width. The rate of the total flaw area to the beam is high, and weakened echoes are integrated into a strong one, resulting in a high detection signal level. In view of the aforementioned results, the scattered-type penetrator influences the low temperature toughness of the weld seam. Accordingly, this type of flaw should be detected in order to conduct an accurate evaluation.

3. NON-DESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION FOR QUALITY OF WELD SEAM

TECHNIQUE

3-1. Relationship between density of micro penetrators and absorbed energy Next, the density of micro penetrators was compared with absorbed energy. Charpy test pieces were sliced from the portion inspected in the ultrasonic C-scan test, as shown Figure 1. The temperature of the Charpy test was -40. The ultrasonic C-scan test was performed using a point focus probe with a beam diameter of 440m and frequency of 20MHz based on the study on conditions to obtain a high delectability for wispy pattern. The results showed that there is a correlation between ultrasonic echo levels and absorbed energy, as shown Figure 5. Absorbed energy was 400J when the echo level was 27% or less and 20J when the echo level was not less than 51%.

Outer surface

Sample A vE400J

Inner surface Echo level 3mm Axial direction Outer surface

Sample B vE200J

Inner surface Wispy pattern Echo level Axial direction

Tube axis

10mm

Fig. 3 Echo map and chart of C-scan at 50MHz with beam diameter of 100m
Outer surface

Sample A vE400J

Inner surface Echo level Axial direction Outer surface

Sample B vE200J

Inner surface
Tube axis

Echo level Axial direction

10mm

Fig. 4 Echo map and chart of C-scan at 50MHz with beam diameter of 250m

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Figure 6 shows the ultrasonic relationship between echo levels and flaw diameter. Considering use of a 440m ultrasonic beam diameter, the density of the micro penetrator in each sample was calculated, as shown in Table 1. When the density was 0.0341mm2 or less, absorbed energy exceeding 200J (-40) was obtained, and when the density was 0.0205mm2 or less, absorbed energy exceeded 400J (-40). That is to say, it is possible to estimate absorbed energy from an ultrasonic test based on this correlation.

Test temperature 40 Absorbed energy [ J ]

500 400 300 200 100 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Ultrasonic echo [%] level

Fig. 5 Relationship between ultrasonic echo levels and absorbed energy
Ultrasonic echo level[%]
100 80 60 40 20 0 0 50 100 150 200

3-2. Development of nondestructive evaluation method for low temperature toughness In order to realize nondestructive evaluation of pipes, the authors developed a high sensitivity inspection system that applied the point focus tandem probe technique using a phased array ultrasonic test [7]. Figure 7 shows the principle of the tandem probe technique using the phased array ultrasonic test. The tandem configuration is employed using a phased array probe with a different transmission unit and reception unit. The use of the array probe allows the focus point of the ultrasonic beam to be scanned from the inner surface side to the outer surface side in the thickness direction of the weld part by switching the group of transducer elements between the transmission unit and the reception unit, and the refraction angle between wave transmission and wave reception sequentially. This technique has made it possible to detect flaws from the inner surface side to the outer surface side without forming a dead zone. In addition, a beam control technique considering curvature of the pipe and mode conversion, an acoustic lens, and a local immersion technique for an array probe having a large aperture were developed. The size of the transducer element and the number of transducer elements used simultaneously are designed to obtain the optimum beam size. Figure 8 shows the relationship between the beam width and equivalent flaw diameter (flaw diameter corresponding to the total flaw area in the beam). The graph shows the equivalent flaw diameter as the total flaw area inside the ultrasonic beam, which is theoretically calculated when changing the beam width (beam size) with two flaw densities of 0.03mm2 and 0.02mm2, respectively. As the beam width increases, the equivalent flaw diameter becomes larger up to a beam width of 1.5mm or larger, after which the value remains constant. The aforementioned value is the scattered-type penetrator having a size of 1.5mm x 1.5mm in the analysis.

Flaw diameter [m]

Fig. 6 Relationship between ultrasonic echo levels and flaw diameter Table 1 Density of micro penetrators
Absorbed energy 400J -40 200J -40 20J -40 Echo levels 27 40 51 Equivalent diameter 63m 78m 90m Density of micro penetrator 0.0205mm2 0.0314mm2 0.0418 mm2

Fig. 7 Principle of tandem probe technique using phased array ultrasonic test

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500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 0 1 2

DH echo
0.03mm^2 Flaw density 0.03 mm2 2 Flaw density 0.02 mm2 0.02mm^

Equivalent flaw diameter (m)

S echo

Noise level
(a) 1.6mm drilled hole (b) Noise level (Gain=+20dB)

Fig. 10 Examples of signal to noise ratio with tandem probe technique using phased array ultrasonic test
3 4

Beam width (mm) Fig. 8 Relationship between beam width and equivalent flaw diameter (flaw diameter corresponding to total flaw area in beam)

Figure 9 shows the signal intensity expressed in dB, which is calculated from the sound pressure reflectance corresponding to the equivalent flaw diameter shown in Figure 9 for tandem flaw detection. The noise level of 40dB schematically shows the level actually obtained in tandem flaw detection. The noise level increases at the large beam width side due to detection of noise caused by the inner/outer surface roughness as the beam width is increased. The graph shows that beam widths ranging from 0.5mm to 2.5mm are applicable as the range where the noise level is lower than the signal level in tandem flaw detection. With the flaw density of 0.02mm2, the signal intensity decreases slightly. Accordingly, the range of beam widths from 0.7mm to 2.5mm is applicable. However, because the difference between the signal level and the noise level must be 5dB or more in order to improve the S/N ratio, the range from 1 to 2mm is preferable.
0

The ultrasonic echo level obtained using the tandem probe technique was compared with the absorbed energy in the Charpy impact test. The results showed that there is a correlation between the ultrasonic echo and absorbed energy, as shown Figure 11. The straight line in the figure is a criterion for weld seam quality. It was possible to confirm the quality of weld seams by evaluation based on that criterion.
-45 Absorbed energy (J)
500 400 300 200 100 0 0 20 40 60 80 100

Echo level (%)

Signal intensity (dB)

-10

Flaw 0.03 mm2 density 0.03mm^2 Flaw 0.02 mm2 density 0.02mm^2 S/N

Fig. 11 Results of comparison of ultrasonic echo level and absorbed energy 5. DEVELOPMENT ON-LINE EVALUATION SYSTEM FOR WELD SEAM QUALITY 5-1.Development of online technology The authors developed several new techniques in order to apply the tandem probe technique using the phased array ultrasonic test to an actual ERW pipe manufacturing line. Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of the ERW pipe manufacturing process. Formerly, the weld seam was checked by the conventional ultrasonic test after welding and cutting the bead. The phased array probe is installed on the manipulator used in the conventional ultrasonic test. The local immersion method is used for acoustic coupling between the pipe and the phased array probe. It is important to construct a precise seam tracking system in order to ensure that the weld seam is positioned within the circumferential sensitivity range, as the allowance of the circumferential sensitivity range for applying the point focus tandem probe technique using the phased array ultrasonic test is very narrow, i.e., about 1mm, as shown Figure 13, in

-20 -30 -40 -50 -60 0 1 2 3 4

Noise lebel Preferred range 2mm 12mm Applicable range 0.52.5mm 0.52.5mm

Beam width (mm) Fig. 9 Relationship between beam width and S/N ratio.

Figure 10 shows examples of waveforms obtained using the developed nondestructive inspection method. Figure 10(a) is a waveform for a 1.6mm drilled hole, which is commonly used for calibration in ultrasonic testing. Figure 10(b) is an example of a waveform observed in base metal parts with the increased sensitivity of 20dB. Figure 10 shows that the noise level is sufficiently low. The signal to noise ratio for electrical noise was more than 45dB, and that for echo noise was more than 38dB.

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comparison with the circumferential sensitivity range of the conventional ultrasonic test, which is about 7mm-10mm [8]. To relax the allowance of the circumferential sensitivity range, the authors examined the allowance in the tandem probe technique using the phased array ultrasonic test, and developed a new scan technique called Circumferential multi-point simultaneous receiving technique.
Weld bead cutting Welding Edge miller Heat treatment Cut off

moves in the circumferential direction in order to track the absolute weld seam position, which is calculated based on the temperature distribution obtained from thermal images.
Transmitting from one group Receiving and processing simultaneously in N groups 1 2 3 4 5 N

Hot coil

Roll forming Ultrasonic testing

Sizing

Fig. 12 Manufacturing process for electrical resistance welding steel pipe

Fig. 14 Circumferential multi-point simultaneous receiving technique

Offsetcompensation

About 1mm
0

Seam tracking controller

Seam detection

Evaluation for weld seam of ERW pipes

Echo level [dB]

Outer surface

-6
Inner surface

Seam detection Sensor head for array UT thermal image Manipulator

Sensitivity range

-12

Circumferential direction

-18 -5 0 5

Circumferential direction [mm]

Roll Wellder Bead cutting Roll Conventional UT Seam cooling zone

Fig. 13 Sensitivity range in circumferential direction

Fig. 15 Composition of precise seam tracking system When the number of inspection points in the circumferential direction is increased to N inspection points by an electronic scan using a phased array ultrasonic test, the allowance also increases. However, the scan rate frequency is smaller, since the number of electronic scans per unit of circumferential crosssection is N times. Consequently, it is difficult to ensure a sufficient pulse density in the pipe axial direction. The developed scan technique increases the circumferential sensitivity range by simultaneously receiving reflection waves from the intersection of N points in the tandem arrangement for transmitting and performing processing in parallel, as shown Figure 14. In an experiment using a pipe having a 12.7mm thickness and 323.8mm outside diameter, when simultaneous receiving was performed in 5 groups, the allowance of the circumferential sensitivity range could be increased from 1mm to 2.5mm. In this case, the number of scans using the developed technique is about 1/4 that with a simple electronic scan. The authors also developed the precise seam tracking system shown Figure 16. The sensor head with the phased array probe is tracked on the weld seam by the manipulator. The manipulator To solve this problem, the authors applied a seam detection technique using thermal images [9]. Taking advantage of the fact that the heat distribution after welding has a symmetrical distribution around the weld seam position, the center of the skirts in the temperature distribution after welding is output as the weld seam position. The accuracy of the seam detection technique using thermal images was evaluated by comparison with cross-sectional observation at the position of the thermal images. The results showed that it is possible to detect the weld seam position with good accuracy of 0.5mm. When the temperature of the weld seam is high at the position of the phased array probe, acoustic coupling by local immersion is unstable. In this case, it is necessary to cool the weld seam in advance of inspection using the phased array probe. It is necessary to track the weld seam considering deviation due to twisting of the pipe and the installation positions of the infrared camera and manipulator. Nevertheless, there had been no way of knowing the deviation. Focusing on the existence of micro penetrators, the authors developed a new technique for detecting the weld seam. The absolute position of the weld seam in the circumferential

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Elements group for transmitting Transmitting beam (Plane wave)

Circumferential Direction [mm]

direction at the position of the phased array probe can be detected using this new technique. As a result, deviation can be obtained based on the seam position detected using the thermal images and the new technique for detecting the seam position. The new technique, Ultrasonic seam detection technique, can detect the weld seam at the position of the phased array probe by inspecting for micro penetrators. Figure 16 shows the principle of the ultrasonic seam detection technique. The reflection from a small micro penetrator that does not affect weld seam quality is detected with high sensitivity by a non-focus tandem technique using a phased array probe. When intersection of the tandem arrangement is scanned in the circumferential direction, the reflection from the weld seam can be detected at any position. The circumferential position where the reflection is detected is the true weld seam position. The results of laboratory experiments demonstrated that the movement of the weld seam in the circumferential direction can be detected, as shown Figure 16. As described above, a seam tracking system that compensates for deviations in the weld seam position by correcting the output of the thermal image weld seam detection technique based on information obtained by the ultrasonic seam detection technique was successfully constructed.

developed. As mentioned earlier, weld seam detection uses the thermal image weld seam detection technique, and the manipulator is operated to track the weld seam. In an online evaluation of manipulator accuracy, it was found that the accuracy of the tracking mechanism is 0.75mm. Considering the accuracy of the thermal image seam detection technique, the overall accuracy of the equipment is 1.25mm. Figure 17 shows the overall accuracy of the precise seam tracking system in the online test. The chart shown in Figure 17 is the output of the ultrasonic seam detection technique. In the online test, the manipulator was first operated without automatic compensation, and automatic compensation began from around 30m. From 0m to 30m, the weld seam position tended to deviate strongly to one side, but after automatic compensation began, the seam position remained near the center. It was found that the developed seam tracking system can track the absolute weld seam position with good accuracy of 1.0mm.
Tracking system OFF Tracking system ON

Tracking accuracy 1.0mm

-3.0 -2.0 -1.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0

10 20 30 40 50 60 Length of coil [m]

70 80

Fig. 17 Overall tracking accuracy

Elements group for receiving Receiving beam Pipe

Far Circumferential direction

Weld seam

Near Peak = Seam position

Far

Center

Near
-24 -18 -12 -6 0

Echo lebel [dB]

Fig.16 Principle of ultrasonic seam detection technique 5-5. Property and performance qualification test of online evaluation system for weld seam quality The developed ultrasonic testing system consisting of the point focused beam tandem technique using a phased array probe and the precise seam tracking system was installed at an actual ERW steel pipe manufacturing line in 2011. Because a precise seam tracking capability is required, a manipulator that can operate with high accuracy was also

The ultrasonic echo level obtained using the online evaluation system was compared with the ultrasonic echo level obtained using a manual evaluation technique. In the manual evaluation technique, a local immersion holder was applied with the point focus tandem technique using a phased array probe. The results of inspections by the two techniques were in good agreement, as shown Figure 18. The results showed that the online evaluation system can evaluate weld seam quality with sensitivity comparable to that of the manual technique. An example of a C-scan obtained by combining the precise seam tracking system and the circumferential multi-point simultaneous receiving technique is shown in Figure 19. The C-scan is obtained along the entire length of the weld seam in real time. Therefore, the absorbed energy of low temperature toughness can be evaluated in real time based on the ultrasonic echo of the C-scan. The developed nondestructive evaluation system can also record the C-scan map for the entire length of the weld seam.

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100
Off-line echo level [%]

50

0 0 50 100 Online echo level [%]

Fig. 18 Online detection performance of point focus tandem technique using phased array
Outer surface
100 80 60 40

Inner surface

20 0

50 100 Length of coil [m]

150

Fig. 19 Example of C-scan of entire length of weld seam 6. CONCLUSIONS As a result of a comparison of an ultrasonic C-scan with the actual quality of the weld seam in ERW steel pipes, it was found that a scattered-type penetrator consisting of distributed micro Si-Mn oxides, each with a size ranging from 5m to 20m, affected low temperature toughness. This research showed that it is possible to evaluate low temperature toughness based on the echo level of the ultrasonic C-scan using the optimized focused beam size. In order to evaluate the density of the scattered-type penetrator in the weld seam with the optimized focused beam size in pipes, the authors developed a nondestructive evaluation system by applying a point focused tandem technique using a phased array probe. Since the allowance for applying the focused beam to the weld seam is very narrow (about 1mm), a precise seam tracking system and a circumferential multi-point simultaneous receiving technique were also developed. The developed ultrasonic phased array testing system has been used in evaluating low temperature toughness at the 24 ERW mill at East Japan Works (Keihin District) of JFE Steel Corporation since March 2011. The combination of the ultrasonic testing system and an oxide control technique [3] now contributes to production of highperformance, high-quality ERW pipe Mighty Seam for use in frigid environments.

REFERENCES [1] Nakata, H., Kami, C., Matsuo, N., 2007, API X80 Grade Electric Resistance Welding Line Pipe with Excellent Low Temperature Toughness, JFE Technical Report No. 17, pp37-41 [2] Koide, T., Kondo H., Itadani S., 2007, Development of High Performance ERW Pipe for Linepipe, JFE Technical Report No. 9, pp25-29 [3] Yokoyama, H., et al., 2010 Development of ERW Steel Pipe with Excellent Low Temperature Toughness of Weld Seam, CAMP-ISIJ Vol. 23, 252 [4] Ito, Y., et al., 1977, Developments of In-line Ultrasonic Testing System for ERW Mill, IEEE Industry Application Society Annual Meeting, pp. 866-872 [5] ISIJ Quality Management Committee, 2008, Ultrasonic testing methods for welded steel pipe, pp. 42-54 [6] Haga, H., et al., 1978, Effect of the inclusion and weld flaws on the properties of impact in the weld seam Tetsu-tohagane Vol. 64 No.11, S903 [7] Iizuka, Y., 2009, Point focus beam tandem probe technique by use of phased array ultrasonic testing. CAMP-ISIJ Vol. 22, pp. 1052 [8] Iizuka, Y., Nagamune, A., Masamura, K., 2007, NonDestructive Inspection Technologies for Steel Pipe Products JFE Technical Report No. 9, pp40-45 [9] Ode, F., et al., 1986, Automatic Seam Tracing System for ERW Pipe Mill, Kawasaki Steel Technical Report, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp88-93

Echo level

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