5.

4 Circular-Disc Reflectors in Oblique Positions 105

Figure 5.13 has been calculated for a reflector diameter of four wavelengths so
that in this case we only receive at the transmitter radiation from the faint side
lobes which is in practice blurred and partially hidden by the edge waves. It is
therefore just possible to receive an indication of a reflector in this way but no indi-
cation of its size.
If the geometry of the specimen allows one can, in this difficult case, consider
the influence of the reflector on the back-wall echo but with all the reservations
dealt with in Section 5.3.
To be able to evaluate the size of a reflector lying in an unknown position and orientation
one would have to use a separate receiver and to vary little by little the positions and directiv-
ity angles of both probes until the maximum reflected signal was received. To do this manu-
ally would be extremely tedious and difficult, even by an immersion technique. It would per-
haps be feasible by using a computer-aided mechanical scanning device.
By using the usual scanning technique, with one transmitter/receiver probe applied at
normal incidence one can obtain the best echo possible, but from this it will not be possible to
evaluate either the size or the position with accuracy. For the position it is necessary that the
directivity axes of both the probe and the reflector coincide. By using a probe with a higher
frequency, and hence with a sharper directivity, one can at least try to bring the axes into
somewhat better coincidence and from this fact arises the usual recommendation to use lower
frequencies in the rapid scanning for defects and subsequently higher ones for localizing
them. However, for applying the DGS technique one should keep in mind that the result ob-
tained with a lower frequency probe is likely to be nearer the true size.
In some cases the position of a defect and the geometry of the specimen allow
the use of special techniques such as those illustrated in Fig. 5.14. For these so-
called pitch and catch techniques, when using obliquely incident transverse waves,
DGS diagrams have also been established [1350].
In practice, the oblique position of such a flaw does not affect the echo wave as
adversely as it might be expected for the following reasons.
Firstly, in the case of short pulses, the secondary lobe region is blurred, giving a
more or less even decrease of the sound pressure with the angle.
Secondly, in the case of flaws which are no longer large compared with the
wavelength, the angular distributions of the echo wave and the shadow wave can no

a R

Fig. 5.14. Detection of flaws by oblique transverse waves

with separate transmitting and receiving probes. Method
b b is called a tandem or pitch and catch technique