Standardized Techniques of Manual

Ultrasonic Examination

Ultrasonic Examination (UT)

Level 3

European Standards for

Manual Ultrasonic Examination

„ EN 531-1
Ultrasonic examination –
General principles
„ EN 531-2
Ultrasonic examination –
Sensitivity and range setting
„ EN 531-5
Ultrasonic examination –
Characterisation and sizing of discontinuities

Information about the Test Object

„ Test object, product sector

„ Field of application of the product
„ Size and shape of the test object
„ Material (metallurgical condition)
„ Production process
„ Types of imperfections
„ Critical size and location of defects

1
Determination of the Test Technique
„ Sensitivity
„ size of defect – reflectivity of a defect
„ Resolution
„ axial – lateral – surface near
„ selection of probes
„ contact technique - immersion technique
„ Test direction and scanning path
„ axial, radial, tangential (forging)
„ longitudinal, transverse (weld)
„ Orientation of Reflectors
„ parallel to scanning surface
• straight beam probe
„ perpendicular to scanning surface
• angle beam probe, low frequency
• tandem technique

Determination of the Test Technique

„ Extent of coverage and scanning lines

„ grid scanning
„ 100 % scanning
„ three scanning directions perpendicular one to the
other
„ surface near area
„ Examination area and examination volume
„ half or full skip distance
„ 100 % - random test
„ Time of examination
„ state of fabrication
„ after last heat treatment
„ condition of test surface

Coupling

„ Immersion testing technique

„ high frequency
• better detection sensitivity (λ/2)
• short pulses – high axial resolution
„ Contact technique testing
„ large test objects

2
 Probe selection (contact testing technique)

„ Frequency, size of transducer

„ angle of divergence, beam width
• sound pressure, detection sensitivity
„ directional characteristic
• ability to detect plane reflectors not perpendicular to the
beam
„ Damping, frequency
„ width of echo
• axial resolution
„ sound attenuation

Adaption of probe to scanning surface

Convex scanning
Dobj < 10 lps
Dobj < 10 wps
Concave scanning
probe face shall always be contourd

Class 1:
no adaption
Class 2 and 4:
Examination in x direction:
Adaption in
longitudinal direction
Examination in y-direction:
Adaption in
transverse direction
Class 3 and 5:
Examination in x- or y-direction:
Adaption in
longitudinal or transvers
direction

Setting the sensitivity

„ Test object
„ low effort, not practical for all applications
„ Reference block
„ piece of material containing well defined reflectors used
to adjust the amplification in order to compare detected
indications with those arising from the known reflector
„ high effort – near to the test object
„ Calibration block
„ piece of material or specified composition, surface
finish, heat treatment and geometric form, by means of
which ultrasonic equipment can be assessed and
calibrated
„ K1 according to EN 12223
„ K2 according to EN 27963

3
 Reference
Blocks

„ EN 583-2

Calibration Block

EN 27963 EN 12223

Reference Reflector – Backwall

Beam width

e e5

e4

e 2 sλ
e<
Deff
Straight beam Angle beam
probe probe sλ
e 4, e 5 >
Deff
angle of incidence = 0°

4
Reference Reflector – Side Drilled Hole

beam width DSDH

DSDH ≥ 1,5λ
e e5 2 sλ
e>
e4 Deff
sλ
e 4, e 5 >
e5 e4 Deff
e4 e5

2
Straight beam probe Angle beam probe DKSR = λ sDSDH
π
with
s > 1,5 Neff

Reference Reflector – Disc Shaped Reflector

Beam width

DDSR e5

e4

e4 e5 sλ
DDSR <
Deff
Straight beam probe Angle beam probe
s > 0,7 Neff
sλ
e 4, e 5 >
Deff
angle of incidence = 0°

Reference Reflector – Sherical Shaped Reflector

Beam width

s > 1,5 Neff

DSSH β
λ
DDSR = DSSH
π
DSSH
β≤ 60°
Straight beam probe Angel beam probe
λs
e 4, e5 >
Deff

5
 Reference Block
Scanning Surface and Wall Thickness
Straight beam probe Angle beam probe

d > dead zone of

transmittion pulse
DPK d d > 5λ when
α > 0°
lps1 lps2 d

e1 > 1,5 lps1

e3 e2 > 1,5 lps2

e1 e2
e3 > 1,5 Dpk

e3

Sensitivity setting –
Echo Height Evaluation

„ Single Reflector technique

„ Only one reference echo may be used (back wall,
notch) when evaluating echos occuring within the
same range of sound path distance
„ DAC technique
„ A serial of reference echo are used (side drilled
holes, flat bottom holes) when evaluating echos
with different sound path distance
„ DGS technique
„ Using a serial of theoretically derived curves
relating the sound path length, the equipment
gain, and the diameter of a disc shaped reflector
perpendicular to the sound beam

Sound Attenuation

Transmitter Receiver Pos. 1 Receiver Pos. 2

∆V − ∆VS
α=
2 ⋅ (s 2 − s1)

Pos. 1 Pos. 2

S1 = 25 mm, H1 = 80 % S2 = 50 mm, H2 = 30 %

6
 Transfer ∆VT = ∆V 2 − ∆V 1 − ∆VS

Calibration Block Test Object

Pos. 1 Pos. 2

S1 = 25 mm, H1 = 80 % S2 = 25 mm, H2 = 70 %

DAC Technique

„ Transfer correction

DGS-Diagram – Screen Presentation

100

80

60

40

20

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

7
DGS-Diagram – Screen Presentation

100

80

60

40

20

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

DGS-Diagram – Screen Presentation

100

80

60

40

20

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

DGS-Diagram – Screen Presentation

100

80

60

40

20

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

8
DGS-Diagram – Screen Presentation

100

80

60

40

20

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

DGS-Diagram – Screen Presentation

100

80

60

40

25
20

6
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

DGS-Diagram – Screen Presentation

100

80

60

40

25
20

6
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

9
DGS-Diagram – Logarithmic Presentation

100,0

25,0

10,0
6,3

1,6
1,0

0,4

0,1
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

DGS-Diagram – Gain dB

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
0

-12

-24

-36

-48

-60

DGS-Diagram - logarithmic sound path length

10 100 1000
0

-12

-24

-36

-48

-60

10
 DGS-Diagram
100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0

80,0 25,0 25,0 25,0

10,0
60,0 6,3 6,3 6,3

1,6
40,0 1,6 1,6
1,0

25,0 25,0 25,0

20,0 0,4
0,4

6,3 6,3 6,3 1,6

1,6 1,6 0,4
0,0 0,1
0,4 0,1
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 10 100 1000
0 0

-6 -6

-12 -12

-18 -18

-24 -24

-30 -30

-36 -36

-42 -42

-48 -48

-54 -54

-60 -60

General DGS-Diagram

A=s/N

G=DKSR/deff

Specific DGS-Diagram

„ depends on
„ Data of probe
• size of
transducer
• frequency
„ Material
• wave length,
nearfield,
divergence
„ Test object
• coupling
conditions
• curved
surface

11
 Evaluation of Indications
by means of DGS Diagram

Testability

„ Sound scatter
„ Elastic anisotropy
„ Grain size
„ Optimized examination technique

Elastic Anisotropy

• orientated anisotropic structure • anisotropic structure

• low anisotropy without orientation
• high sound transmission in a
• low scatter • low sound transmission
distict direction

12
 Heat Treatment

before normalizing

After normalizing

Influence
of grain size

Reflectivity

„ depends on frequency
„ low frequency – large divergece
„ high frequency – low divergence

13
Width of Beam

high scattering due to

wide beam

low scattering due to

narrow beam

Wave Mode

„ Longitudinal wave
„ low scatter
„ Transversale wave
„ high scatter

Disadvantage of Longitudinal Waves

Splitting of the ultrasound beam into longitudinal und transverse wave

during refraction into the test object during reflection at the back wall

14
Examination with TR Probes

A SE-Prüfkopf
B Einschwinger
Prüfkopf

Sound beam of a TR-probe sensitivity of probes

Damping of the Pulse

low dampened puls

amplification of echos
from grain structure
when long echos
interacts

no interation when
only short pulses are
high dampend puls
used

Beam Angle

Direction of grain in an austenitic steel sound attenuation depends on

growth along more than one weld layer the direction of sound path

15
Optimized Examination Technique

„ Longitudinal waves
„ Narrow sound beam
„ Low frequency
„ TR probes
„ Choice of good beam angle
„ Examination in more of one depth zones
„ High damping

Performance of the Examination

„ Width of coupling area

„ Overlap of scans
„ Scanning Speed

16