From 2017 26th ASNT Research Symposium Proceedings, 13–16 March 2017.

ISBN: 978-1-57117- 434-5

Copyright © 2017 by The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc.

Successful Ultrasonic Inspection of Austenitic Welds

Successful Ultrasonic Inspection of Austenitic Welds
Robert Ginzel
Robert Ginzel
Ginzel & Associates Ltd.
255352
Ginzel Conc.1 RR#1
& Associates Ltd.
255352 Conc.1 Ontario
Williamsford, RR#1
Canada N0H
Williamsford, 2V0
Ontario
email rginzel@ginzelassociates.com
Canada N0H 2V0
email rginzel@ginzelassociates.com

ABSTRACT
Inspection of austenitic steel welds has been performed for many years with varying success. With refinement to our
knowledge of the effects of the weld process, and greater awareness of the effects of the material grain structure on
our sound fields, we can now more confidently approach these often-challenging inspections. With a potentially
wide range of materials being joined it is critical to approach each inspection with a level of caution. Inspectors are
now equipped with many new tools, improved instrumentation, a wide range of transducers, and software which
includes predictive modelling. This paper will convey several logical steps to be performed in order to ensure the
success of the inspection. Founded on initial findings, the technician will be able to assemble a virtual check list of
steps that will ensure they can convey validation and demonstration of the developed technique.

Keywords: Phased Array, Anisotropic, Heterogeneous

Background
Many factors influence the characteristics of coarse grain welds and several questions need to be answered prior to
actually inspecting the weld, along with the adjacent parent material(s). First on the list of questions will be “Is this
new construction or an in-service inspection?” Once we establish the governing codes and specifications that apply,
the next series of questions will complete the initial check list providing foundation knowledge. All inspections
require foundation knowledge; the more information you have about the material, geometry factors and unique
characteristics, the easier and of course, the better the inspection outcome.
As the procedure and techniques are formalized for the application, the first set of known items will be the
completion of the technique content; essential variables, detailing the instrument, location and the numerous other
key facts pertaining to the weld. Recording all the required documentation that captures all the known items
extending to probes, arrays, wedges, and including coupling, must be part of any inspection process. Coarse grain
weld inspection, for our example in this document, will be founded on some standard probes and will include the
Dual Matrix Array technology (DMA) [1]. Reporting, and the ability to accurately repeat the inspection, can
proceed once all these details are assembled. Most of the standard content should be founded on an established and
effective template format to ensure comprehensive recording is in place. The extra detail is where we want to focus
in this paper. Obtaining the as-built drawings, weld procedure specification (WPS) and any prior ultrasonic
inspection or alternative applied NDT method of inspection reports, will all contribute to awareness. For the special
considerations when approaching the unique weld conditions that apply to coarse grain weld, additional information
can extend to state-of-the-art welding charts and visual records (video) of the actual weld material deposit. Knowing
the height of each weld pass will help determine indication detail; potential defect height will be defined by bead
size, founded on the sequence of weld passes and the evaluation of the weld procedure. With this additional detail
the inspector can be in a better position to understand what is being seen on the instrument display. Specialized
welding now offers more information and more control of the conditions applied to maintain grain size control
(cooler welding process, better control) [2]. Depending on the application and demands of the weld, and the clients’
requirements, the ultrasonic inspection can be relatively easy. Modifications may involve slight velocity shifts and
attenuation might be minimal. However, in other cases the impact of grain size can be significant, resulting in

Copyright 2017. This paper is intended for the sole use of registered attendees. No part of this publication or its contents may be copied, uploaded to the internet, or stored in any shared retrieval system.

93
ultrasonic inspection not an option. It is critical that accommodation of the specific conditions for the inspection are
resolved early in the process. As noted, in some scenarios the material being tested can be very problematic with
acoustic impedance of the various layers representing significant to almost total reflection at the interface of the
layers. For clad and some welds founded on butting layers of austenitic the proposed shear wave inspection for
fusion zone boundary is potentially not possible, as the boundary region represents a wall, i.e. no meaningful amount
of sound enters. Once the plan of inspection is in place, the selection of the array and wedge will drive the next
steps. Recognize that shear wave pulse echo techniques and the opportunity to reflect or bounce into the weld are
simply not viable when working on most coarse grain applications.
Several instruments and several standard probes and arrays have been applied to achieve the inspection outcome.
The process of selection is founded on experience but is finalized through experimentation and validation that the
proposed inspection approach is in fact viable. Field validation was performed and will be reported in a separate
paper. The goal in this paper is to arrive at an understanding of how to quickly evaluate the weld to enable detection,
accurate interpretation and reporting.
For the discussion application, we will scan weld and adjacent material with a standard zero-degree contact probe.
This affords the technician with validation of thickness and will account for weld volume indications along with any
attachment or other internals. This scan is valuable and should always be performed early in the process to help
confirm assumed detail. The use of a standard shear wave inspection of the parent material is next and this is
targeted at the interrogation of the weld fusion face and provides another level of awareness. The next array is the
dual matrix array with a sectorial sweep covering the far side (ID) and near surface (OD) by virtue of offset positions
for heavy wall applications and is aided by a wide longitudinal sweep angle set. Two groups and two gating
positions are applied to help enable interpretation. The unique characteristics of the DMA probe will require some
specific steps and although presented briefly here, these arrays demand some special consideration when planning
the inspection. ASME 5, Article 1 & Article 4 – provide process and demonstration block criteria, See Figure 1 for
logic applied [3].

Figure 1: ASME Approach overview for coarse grain weld inspection

The ASME approach has been applied to address the problematic nature of the weld and parent material. Although
other options could apply, the selection of ASME accommodates the demonstration approach and provides
precautions that should be taken when performing this form of inspection [4].
The DMA probe will require a specific focal law that will need to be generated and loaded. Focal law files are
generated by various third party software. Calibration is achieved using two or more points and is applied to all
angles. Founded on the unique wide range of angles utilized for scanning, the more traditional calibration, or wizard
options, are not used.

94
Effects of Geometry
Weld cap, weld root and any geometry factors must be accounted for to enable accurate weld overlay and final
optimization of the technique. Producing a weld and component profile will provide the operator with the ability to
further record the detail that will help with final plotting and reporting. If the cap has been removed from the weld
the option to add additional scans using zero or angle scans directly over the weld and extending into the adjacent
parent material, will be beneficial. This removal of weld cap is ideal and can help with the correlation of angled
scans from parent material adjacent to weld. Recognize that with coarse grain materials and clad lined pipe or
vessels the option to bounce into the weld is in most cases simply not a viable option. The demonstration block
target layout is presented in Figure 2 & 3: dimensions 750mm (29.5 inches) x 500mm (19.6 inches) x 52mm (2”) –
tapered to 117mm (4.6”)

Figure 2: Demonstration block showing targets and weld

Special Consideration for Coarse Grain Weld Inspection

With many questions answered and the technique in place, the next set of questions will enable the inspection to be
carried out with confidence. Key will be an understanding of the velocity, velocity changes and attenuation.
Recognize that the proposed approach requires that the demonstration block must have relevant and similar
characteristics. The introduction of the targets and a weld will be our means of presenting the client with confidence
in the effectiveness of our proposed technique and of course will also provide the technician with the confidence and
signal awareness to ensure the successful inspection. Detection and repeatable reporting will result if the checklist
has been followed.

95
 (a) (b)
Figure 3: (a) zero degree contact array inspection (b) shear wave inspection of parent and fusion boundary

The DMA probe is set up and calibrated to achieve several potential modes of detection. The upper angles provide
the near surface coverage (so called creeping wave, lateral wave, head wave etc.) and the secondary far surface
secondary creep generation is also useful. The DMA also enables the direct and some indirect longitudinal wave
detection and because of the angles used is prone to generating mode converted shear signals from geometry,
targets/indications. Awareness of these signals is a benefit, but can also cause some confusion. Shown in Figure 4 is
the ray-trace and calibration founded on the side drilled holes (SDH’s) located within the weld. Two thickness
examples are shown to help understand principles, up to 30mm thick material and over 30mm. Multimode array
technology results in target/indication responses potentially arriving at two time intervals, the fast longitudinal or
direct longitudinal arrives first with mode converted or secondary shear responses later in time. Thin wall, up to
30mm has clear mode converted signals shown while welds over 30mm have a reduced multiple presence. It is not
practical to acquire very long time intervals to attempt to include the various shear and mode converted signals as
thickness increases beyond the noted 30mm. Tip signals and corner trap signals from direct longitudinal and mid-
wall discrete responses, those from weld fusion or volume indications, are easy to detect and size with some
cautions. The upper angle responses, those from creep signals, are more challenging, impacted by distance from
array and limitations to effectively size for vertical extent. The creep signal weakens with distance and indications at
or near the surface will not be discriminated, so alternative NDT disciplines will be beneficial to establish if response
is surface breaking.

96
 (a) (b)
Figure 4: (a) Ray-trace showing block model (b) Overlay showing S-scan data and alignment of SDH’s
Detection at Upper Angles
Several special requirements have been recognized for the DMA probe use. Listed below are the first step items and
these will be further supported with the addition of subsequent steps. A simplified if-then flow has been presented to
convey the concepts and as with all check-list approaches, refinement dictated by the specific mandates of the
inspection will mature the process. Consider your procedure and process. Adding several more steps in the sizing
process can help refine how operators achieve highly repeatable results.

Figure 5: Upper angle surface breaking and sub-surface sizing logic

With the two key conditions noted, near surface and volume/far wall conditions, the sizing logic that is applied needs
to accommodate the unique conditions that apply. Upper angles have limitations, in that the response from sub-
surface indications can appear to be connected to the surface. Founded on the established primary reference level
(PRL) the scanning gain level can be +6dB or more. It is critical to ensure review for data quality, and the practice
of return to PRL as part of the review process will enable the observation of the upper angle responses. Saturating
signals from the lateral wave will appear as surface connected. Return to PRL gain levels in some cases will show
clear sub-surface isolation rather than the appearance of surface breaking. The goal is to enable the operators to
move quickly through logical steps to enable making the correct calls.

97
Figure 6: Volume and far wall indications, detection and sizing logic
Conclusion and Recommendation
Although a brief summary for the concept of developing an “if – then” logic has been presented, the individual
performing the coarse grain material inspection should enhance this approach with experience gained from each
unique inspection. There is no one perfect approach.

• Weld preparation such as flat top or removal of cap and root are beneficial to our inspection
• Shear wave inspection for fusion, along with normal beam inspection of the weld volume and adjacent
plate/pipe is required
• DMA probes have shown good performance and excellent SNR for sample welds (cautions still apply –
inspection of some welds will not be possible)
• Working with ray-trace or predictive modeling can help the operator account for various signal times

Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank Janusz Bialach, P.Eng, Liburdi Automation Inc., for images and dialog on welding of
coarse grain material. Thanks to Edward Ginzel, Materials Research Institute, for support and modeling of DMA
probes. Thanks to Chris Magruder, Olympus, for helping with focal laws and a greater understanding of how to best
utilize the DMA – DLA probes used for the weld samples and field inspection. Special thanks to James Pennie,
InPhase Integrity, for drawings, support and data from the field validation process.

REFERENCES
[1] Olympus Webinar: Setup and Use of Olympus Dual Matrix Array Probes with OmniScan MX2 Flaw Detector –
Getting Started: http://www.olympus-ims.com/en/resources/webinars/setup-and-use-of-olympus-dual-matrix-
array-probes-with-omniscan-mx2-flaw-detector-getting-started/
[2] Technical Evaluation of Ultrasound Phased Array Inspection in Welded Joints of AISI 304L Austenitic Stainless
Steel, Ramon Ferreira Ferreira1, Maurício Saldanha Motta2, Lincoln Silva Gomes3, Maurício Ogawa4, André,
Rocha Pimenta5
[3] Section V ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
[4] ISO 22825 Non-destructive testing of welds — Ultrasonic testing — Testing of welds in austenitic steels and
nickel-based alloys

98