You are on page 1of 2

Larson Feature Spring 09:Layout 1

3/23/09

11:06 AM

Page 24

Ten Criteria for Accurate Ultrasonic


Couplant Selection
Selecting the correct couplant specific to an application is critical to both ensure you do
no harm to the environment and to obtain optimal results

BY MARIAN LARSON

any factors influence which ultrasonic couplant will perform best for each specific application. Couplants can
be selected by utilizing the following ten criteria to
match the testing requirements:
1. Corrosion Inhibition. The couplant selected must not
cause corrosion. Why is corrosion important? Corrosion damage from ultrasonic couplants can take many forms, from reducing the useful life of the component, such as interfering with an
applied coating or plating, to catastrophic failure of the part due
to hydrogen embrittlement, stress corrosion cracking, or deep
pitting. (Detailed information on corrosion follows this list.)
Corrosion damage is often not visible (crevice corrosion,
hydrogen embrittlement; titanium stress corrosion cracking
at elevated temperature).
Corrosion may take place over a long period of time.
Hydrogen embrittlement is a concern with low-alloy, highstrength steel such as bolts and landing gear, while stress corrosion cracking is a concern with titanium components that
are subjected to elevated temperatures.
Corrosion specifications can be used as a guideline for couplant suitability; for example, ASTM F519, Hydrogen
Embrittlement of Steel, and ASTM F-945, Titanium Stress
Corrosion Cracking.
2. Acoustic Impedance. Greater couplant acoustic impedance reduces surface noise and improves coupling on rough
and/or curved metal surfaces. Very high acoustic impedance
(Z) couplants provide improved results for concrete testing and
rough, pitted, or corroded metal surfaces.
3. Viscosity. Higher viscosity couplants provide enhanced
coupling and reduced surface noise on curved surfaces.
Viscosity selection involves exposure (overhead surface drips),
adhesion to the part (vertical surface), and ease of application
(spreading couplant over the area to be inspected). Viscosity
measurements are a relative indicator between couplants using
the same polymers (i.e., comparing couplants that use acrylic
polymers). Couplants using different polymers have very different flow (rheology) characteristics and do not necessarily relate
by viscosity measurement numbers. In considering viscosity
requirements, the presence of surface salts from corrosion or
the environment influence couplant selection. Cellulose polymer couplants (such as Echogel, UT-X Powder, and SonoGlide)
will provide better viscosity stability and will not thin when in
contact with salts.
4. Temperature Range. Temperature of the part to be tested, length of time the inspection will take, and whether the couplant will be left in place (flow meters or acoustic emission) all
influence the temperature range required of a couplant.

Remember, some couplants have a minimum as well as maximum operating temperature.


5. Dr ying Time or Evaporation Rate. Couplant liquid
retention reduces the need to reapply and increases efficiency.
A higher upper limit temperature range in a couplant usually
equates to a longer drying time. Drying time is a crucial consideration when performing a lengthy inspection.
6. Couplant Removal. Consider whether the couplant is to
be removed and how:
Wiping (incomplete removal).
Water wash. For water-soluble products, remove before the
couplant dries. Dried couplant films can be removed with
pressure washing.
Solvents. Selection based on the specific couplant and material compatibility.
Complete removal required. For mandatory removal of all
traces of couplant, select a couplant with a fluorescent tracer
and inspect the part with ultraviolet light after cleaning.
Leave couplant on the part. In many applications, couplants
are selected for long-term compatibility and are not removed
after the inspection.
7. Toxicity. When there is the potential for animal contact or
ingestion, select an appropriate low-toxicity product. Never use
ethylene glycol antifreeze to lower freezing points or to extend
drying time. For pharmaceutical and food-processing equipment, use a couplant with claims specific for the application. For
high-temperature couplants, beware of products that contain fluorocarbons as they can cause polymer fume fever in the ultrasound inspector. Look for the fluoro in the chemical name on
the material safety data sheets (MSDS).
8. Environmental Sensitivity. When couplants will be
introduced directly into the environment without sewage treatment, use products designed for reduced environmental impact.
Typically these products will have low (or no) nitrates or triethanolamine and no heavy metals or chromium components in
the corrosion-inhibiting system.
9. Surface Wetting. If an oil film is present, the ideal couplant quickly cuts through the film to provide an unobstructed
acoustic interface between the transducer and test surface.
Couplants need low surface tension to wet the surface, especially on plastics.
10. Reliability. Choose a couplant supplier that provides
couplants that are homogeneous throughout the entire batch,
thus ensuring product reliability. This typically requires validation of the production process as follows:
Product consistency between and throughout batches is critical. Drop by drop, gallon by gallon, batch by batch product

MARIAN LARSON (mlarson@sonotech-inc.com) is marketing and sales manager, Sonotech, Inc., Bellingham, Wash.
24 INSPECTION TRENDS

Larson Feature Spring 09:Layout 1

3/23/09

11:06 AM

Page 25

chemical uniformity is critical to corrosion inhibition


properties.
Choose a couplant manufacturer that is certified to ISO
9001:2000.
Consider a vendor audit of your couplant supplier.

Ultrasonic Couplants and Ferrous Corrosion


Do No Harm. Hippocrates most famous dictum is primum
non nocere, meaning first do no harm. The same message
applies to nondestructive examination. As implied by the name,
NDE is intended to have no detrimental effect on the part being
inspected. With ultrasonic flaw inspection and thickness gauging, the greatest possibility of causing harm is through corrosion. Ultrasonic couplants are often not completely removed
after inspection. Thus, couplants must be selected that will not
cause corrosion. Corrosion damage often requires a long time
frame to fully develop, may not be obvious, and can cause catastrophic failure.
Critical Parts Inspections. Many metal parts in a broad
range of applications are ultrasonically inspected using couplants. Examples include jet engine turbine blades during both
the manufacturing process and routine maintenance, nuclear
power plant components, helicopter rotors, aircraft landing gear,
automotive components, high-strength bolts, and welds on ski
lifts, ship hulls, amusement park rides, rocket engine casings,
high-pressure steam piping and oil pipelines, etc. The list of metals and alloys inspected is also broad and includes titanium, aluminum, composite materials, and the ferrous metals cast iron
and steel. Cast iron is commonly used for engine blocks and
wind turbine blades; steel is used in high-strength bolts, boiler
tubes, aircraft landing gear, and aircraft engine fuse pins; titanium is used for jet engines, turbine blades, and aircraft; stainless
steels are used in nuclear power plants and nuclear submarines;
aluminum is used in aircraft; and composite materials are used
in fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, etc.

Ferrous Corrosion Potential from Ultrasonic Couplants


Ferrous metals contain iron. Ferrous metals may be pure
iron (like wrought iron), or may be alloys of iron such as gray
cast iron and steel, which are alloys of iron and carbon. Ferrous
metals are usually, but not always, magnetic. Oddities exist,
such as austenitic stainless steel, which is ferrous but nonmagnetic while cobalt is magnetic but nonferrous.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the most common ultrasonic couplants used for ferrous metals were petroleum-based
oils and greases. Petroleum-based couplants provided superior
corrosion inhibition, protecting machined surfaces and unprotected metal for very long periods of time. If the petroleum couplant was not abraded away and the part was stored out of the
elements, corrosion inhibition would last for years. Inspectors
could be confident that ferrous materials, such as machined
parts, would not corrode between manufacturing operations as
a consequence of ultrasonic inspection or thickness gauging.
Today, petroleum-based oils and greases are seldom used
due to environmental concerns, fire hazard, and operator dermatitis. Ultrasonic couplants must have a sophisticated balance
of corrosion inhibition agents, and uniformity of the couplant is
critical to ensure that each drop of couplant contains the same
amount of corrosion inhibitors.

Testing Ferrous Corrosion Properties of Ultrasonic


Couplants
Some inspectors conduct their own internal testing of NDE
ultrasonic couplants for compatibility with the parts inspected.
Most inspectors using ultrasonic NDE, however, rely on the

Fig. 1 Sonotechs Ultragel II (left) vs. a couplant with


inadequate corrosion inhibition (right). Crevice corrosion
simulated under a glass microscope slide over the top bead of
couplant on each coupon. (Photo courtesy of Sonotech, Inc.)

couplant manufacturer to accurately state the known corrosion


characteristics of the couplant.
One method of ferrous corrosion testing (as exhibited in Fig.
1) is to use 1018 low-alloy steel and gray cast iron surface-ground
coupons. Couplant is applied onto the surface, in two beads. A
glass plate is then placed over one bead to simulate crevice corrosion or concentration cell conditions. The corrosion mechanisms of action differ significantly for crevice vs. surface corrosion. Thus, a combination of both tests is a good predictor of the
couplants balance between cathode and anode corrosion inhibition, and the negative effects of any chemicals or precipitates that
contribute to accelerated corrosion in a concentration cell.
Concentration cells are formed by pitting corrosion (a self-serving crevice), and by crevices formed from washers, overlapping
metal parts, lifting paint chips, or any type of mating surface. In a
metal-ion concentration cell, the accelerated crevice corrosion
occurs at the edge or slightly outside the crevice, while in an oxygen-concentration cell the accelerated corrosion usually occurs
within the crevice, between the mating surfaces.

Ultrasonic Couplant Quality and Reliability


It is not possible to test each drop of ultrasonic couplant for
chemical and corrosion inhibition properties, just as it is not
possible to test drugs drop by drop, or pill by pill in the pharmaceutical industry. To accomplish and ensure a homogeneous,
reproducible ultrasonic couplant, the couplant manufacturing
process must establish a high degree of assurance that, even in
a gelled or high-viscosity product, the entire batch will be
homogeneous.
Ensuring product uniformity requires a quality management
system to establish and maintain a controlled process in which
the key parameters include documented raw material specifications, established purchasing and receiving inspection procedures, documented work instructions and procedures, documented final product test procedures, use of ISO-compliant
third-party testing laboratories as required, and compliance
with international standards applicable to quality management
system ISO 9001:2000.
Selecting the correct couplant specific for an application is critical to both ensure you do no harm and to obtain optimal results.
Applying the ten criteria presented previously will help you select
the most appropriate ultrasonic couplant for your job.

SPRING 2009 25

You might also like