1.

Ultrasonic Testing Part 1 TWI

2. Ultrasonic Testing NDT Training & Certification
3. Course Layout
o Duration : 9.5 Days (Mon Fri)
o Start : 8:30 am
o Coffee Break : 10:00 10:30 am
o Lunch : 12:30 1:30 pm
o Tea Break : 3:00 3:30 pm
o Day End : 5:00 pm
o Course Objective: To train and prepare participants to obtain required skill
and knowledge in Ultrasonic Testing and to meet the examination schemes
requirements.
4. NDT
o Most common NDT methods:
Penetrant Testing (PT) Magnetic Particle Testing (MT) Eddy Current Testing (ET)
Radiographic Testing (RT) Ultrasonic Testing (UT) Mainly used for surface testing Mainly
used for Internal Testing
5. NDT
o Which method is the best ?
o Depends on many factors and conditions
6. Basic Principles of Ultrasonic Testing
o To understand and appreciate the capability and limitation of UT
7. Basic Principles of Ultrasonic Testing Sound is transmitted in the material to be tested The
sound reflected back to the probe is displayed on the Flaw Detector
8. Basic Principles of Ultrasonic Testing The distance the sound traveled can be displayed on
the Flaw Detector The screen can be calibrated to give accurate readings of the distance
Bottom / Backwall Signal from the backwall
9.
10. Basic Principles of Ultrasonic Testing The presence of a Defect in the material shows up
on the screen of the flaw detector with a less distance than the bottom of the material Defect
The BWE signal Defect signal
11. The depth of the defect can be read with reference to the marker on the screen 60 mm 0
10 20 30 40 50 60
12. Thickness / depth measurement A A B B C C The THINNER the material the less
distance the sound travel The closer the reflector to the surface, the signal will be more to the
left of the screen The thickness is read from the screen 68 46 30
13. Ultrasonic Testing Principles of Sound
14. Sound
o Wavelength :
o The distance required to complete a cycle
Measured in Meter or mm
o Frequency :
o The number of cycles per unit time
Measured in Hertz (Hz) or Cycles per second (cps)
o Velocity :
o How quick the sound travels

Distance per unit time

Measured in meter / second (m / sec)
15. Properties of a sound wave
o Sound cannot travel in vacuum
o Sound energy to be transmitted / transferred from one particle to another
SOLID LIQUID GAS
16. Velocity
o The velocity of sound in a particular material is CONSTANT
o It is the product of DENSITY and ELASTICITY of the material
o It will NOT change if frequency changes
o Only the wavelength changes
o Examples:
o V Compression in steel : 5960 m/s
o V Compression in water : 1470 m/s
o V Compression in air : 330 m/s
STEEL WATER AIR 5 M Hz
17. Velocity 4 times What is the velocity difference in steel compared with in water? If the
frequency remain constant, in what material does sound has the highest velocity, steel,
water, or air? Steel If the frequency remain constant, in what material does sound has the
shortest wavelength, steel, water, or air? Air Remember the formula = v / f
18. DRUM BEAT Low Frequency Sound 40 Hz Glass High Frequency 5 K Hz ULTRASONIC
TESTING Very High Frequency 5 M Hz
19. Ultrasonic
o Sound : mechanical vibration
What is Ultrasonic? Very High Frequency sound above 20 KHz 20,000 cps
20. Acoustic Spectrum 0 10 100 1K 10K 100K 1M 10M 100m Sonic / Audible Human 16Hz 20kHz Ultrasonic > 20kHz = 20,000Hz Ultrasonic Testing 0.5MHz - 50MHz Ultrasonic :
Sound with frequency above 20 KHz
21. Frequency
o Frequency : Number of cycles per second
1 second 1 cycle per 1 second = 1 Hertz 18 cycle per 1 second = 18 Hertz 3 cycle per 1
second = 3 Hertz THE HIGHER THE FREQUENCY THE SMALLER THE WAVELENGTH 1
second 1 second
22. Frequency
o 1 Hz = 1 cycle per second
o 1 Kilohertz = 1 KHz = 1000Hz
o 1 Megahertz = 1 MHz = 1000 000Hz
20 KHz = 20 000 Hz 5 M Hz = 5 000 000 Hz
23. Sound waves are the vibration of particles in solids, liquids or gases. Particles vibrate
about a mean position. One cycle Displacement The distance taken to complete one cycle
wavelength wavelength Wavelength Wavelength is the distance required to complete a
cycle.
24. Velocity Frequency Wavelength
o

25. Frequency & Wavelength 1 M Hz 5 M Hz 10 M Hz 25 M Hz Which probe has the smallest

wavelength? SMALLEST LONGEST Which probe has the longest wavelength? = v / f F F

26. Wavelength is a function of frequency and velocity. 5MHz compression wave probe in
steel Therefore: or or f V V f V f
27.
o Which of the following compressional probe has the highest sensitivity?
o 1 MHz
o 2 MHz
o 5 MHz
o 10 MHz
10 MHz
28. Wavelength and frequency
o The higher the frequency the smaller the wavelength
o The smaller the wavelength the higher the sensitivity
o Sensitivity : The smallest detectable flaw by the system or technique
o In UT the smallest detectable flaw is (half the wavelength)
29. The Sound Beam
o Dead Zone
o Near Zone or Fresnel Zone
o Far Zone or Fraunhofer Zone
30. The Sound Beam NZ FZ Main Beam Distance Intensity varies Exponential Decay
31. Main Lobe Side Lobes Near Zone Main Beam The main beam or the centre beam has
the highest intensity of sound energy Any reflector hit by the main beam will reflect the high
amount of energy The side lobes has multi minute main beams Two identical defects may
give different amplitudes of signals
32. Sound Beam
o Near Zone
o Thickness measurement
o Detection of defects
o Sizing of large defects only
o Far Zone
o Thickness measurement
o Defect detection
o Sizing of all defects
Near zone length as small as possible
33. Near Zone
34. Near Zone
o What is the near zone length of a 5MHz compression probe with a crystal
diameter of 10mm in steel?
35. Near Zone
o The bigger the diameter the bigger the near zone
o The higher the frequency the bigger the near zone
o The lower the velocity the bigger the near zone
Should large diameter crystal probes have a high or low frequency?
36. Which of the above probes has the longest Near Zone ? 1 M Hz 5 M Hz 1 M Hz 5 M Hz

37. Near Zone

o The bigger the diameter the bigger the near zone
o The higher the frequency the bigger the near zone
o The lower the velocity the bigger the near zone
Should large diameter crystal probes have a high or low frequency?
38. Beam Spread
o In the far zone sound pulses spread out as they move away from the
crystal
/2
39. Beam Spread Edge,K=1.22 20dB,K=1.08 6dB,K=0.56 Beam axis or Main Beam
40. Beam Spread
o The bigger the diameter the smaller the beam spread
o The higher the frequency the smaller the beam spread
Which has the larger beam spread, a compression or a shear wave probe?
41. Beam Spread
o What is the beam spread of a 10mm,5MHz compression wave probe in
steel?
42. Which of the above probes has the Largest Beam Spread ? 1 M Hz 5 M Hz 1 M Hz 5 M
Hz
43. Beam Spread
o The bigger the diameter the smaller the beam spread
o The higher the frequency the smaller the beam spread
Which has the larger beam spread, a compression or a shear wave probe?
44. Testing close to side walls