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

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
S = STAND OFF DISTANCE FROM ANY CONVENIENT DATUM
POINT

R= RANGE READ FROM THE FLAWDETECTOR SCREEN

 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. THE BEAM ANGLE MUST BE ACCURATELY KNOWN.
3. THE WELD CENTRELINE MUST BE ACCURATELY KNOWN.
4. THE MATERIAL THICKNESS MUST BE ACCURATELY
KNOWN.
5. THE FLAWDETECTOR MUST BE ACCURATELY
CALIBRATED.
DEFECT SIZING TECHNIQUES

1. 6 dB DROP TECHNIQUE (SOMETIMES

CALLED HALF AMPLITUDE OR BEAM
SPLITTING TECHNIQUE).
2. 20 dB DROP TECHNIQUE (SOMETIMES
CALLED BEAM BOUNDARY TECHNIQUE).
3. MAXIMUM AMPLITUDE TECHNIQUE.
 6 dB DROP

LENGTH
 6 dB DROP

1. THE DIMENSION OF THE REFLECTOR WHICH

IS BEING MEASURED MUST EXCEED THE
BEAM WIDTH.
2. THE ULTRASONIC BEAM MUST BE
SYMMETRICAL IN THE DIRECTION OF PROBE
MOVEMENT.
3. WORKS BEST ON UNIFORM REFLECTORS
WITH RELATIVELY STRAIGHT EDGES
 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.
2. THE ULTRASONIC BEAM NEED NOT BE
SYMMETRICAL IN THE DIRECTION OF
PROBE MOVEMENT.
3. THE BEAM SPREAD PARALLEL TO THE
DIRECTION OF PROBE MOVEMENT MUST BE
KNOWN.
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.
2. 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.
4. VOLUMETRIC REFLECTORS CAN BE SIZED VERY
ACCURATELY IF THEY CAN BE APPROACHED FROM
A VARIETY OF ANGLES.
3. PLANAR REFLECTORS CAN OFTEN BE SIZED USING THIS
TECHNIQUE DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF TIP MAXIMA.
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.
2. WILL WORK WITH ALMOST ANY
REFLECTOR.
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.
3. TO SCAN FOR POSSIBLE TRANSVERSE
IMPERFECTIONS
ULTRASONIC EXAMINATION OF WELDS

600

20
2
4

SINGLE SIDED BUTT WELD

 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 80

23 23

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

40
GOUGE

DOUBLE SIDED “T” JOINT

 ULTRASONIC
EXAMINATION OF COVERAGE
WELDS OF FUSION
FACES

COVERAGE
OF WELD
100 VOLUME
(approx.)
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 IT’S 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:
PLANAR
POINT THREADLIKE (NEAR NORMAL INCIDENCE)

DEPTH
SCAN

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 B. PROBABLE HAZ CRACK

CENTRELINE 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 SLAG

ORBITAL
SCAN

ROTATIONAL
SCAN