Ultrasonic Testing

Part 1

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 NDT Training & Certification

Ultrasonic Testing

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Course Layout
Duration : 9.5 Days (Mon Fri)
Start : 8:30 am
Coffee Break : 10:00 10:30 am
Lunch : 12:30 1:30 pm
Tea Break : 3:00 3:30 pm
Day End : 5:00 pm
Course Objective: To train and prepare
participants to obtain required skill and
knowledge in Ultrasonic Testing and to meet the
examination schemes requirements.

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 NDT
Most common NDT methods:
Penetrant Testing (PT)
Mainly used for
Magnetic Particle Testing (MT) surface testing
Eddy Current Testing (ET)

Radiographic Testing (RT)

Mainly used for
Ultrasonic Testing (UT) Internal Testing

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 NDT
Which method is the best ?
Depends on many factors and conditions

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Basic Principles of Ultrasonic
Testing
To understand and
appreciate the
capability and
limitation of UT

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Basic Principles of Ultrasonic Testing
Sound is transmitted in the material to be tested
The sound reflected back to the
probe is displayed on
the Flaw Detector

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Basic Principles of Ultrasonic Testing
The distance the sound traveled can be displayed on the Flaw Detector
The screen can be calibrated to give accurate readings of the distance

Signal from the backwall

Bottom / Backwall
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 Basic Principles of Ultrasonic Testing
The presence of a Defect in the material shows up on the screen of
the flaw detector with a less distance than the bottom of the material

The BWE signal

Defect signal

Defect

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

60 mm

The depth of the defect can be read with reference

to the marker on the screen

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Thickness / depth measurement
The closer the reflector
to the surface, the signal
will be more to the left of
C B A
the screen

30 46 68
The thickness is read from the screen

The THINNER the material

C the less distance the sound
travel
B

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Ultrasonic Testing

Principles of Sound

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Sound
Wavelength :
The distance required to complete a cycle
Measured in Meter or mm
Frequency :
The number of cycles per unit time
Measured in Hertz (Hz) or Cycles per second (cps)
Velocity :
How quick the sound travels
Distance per unit time
Measured in meter / second (m / sec)

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Properties of a sound wave
Sound cannot travel
in vacuum
Sound energy to be
transmitted /
transferred from one
particle to another

SOLID LIQUID GAS

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Velocity
The velocity of sound in a particular material is CONSTANT
It is the product of DENSITY and ELASTICITY of the
material
It will NOT change if frequency changes
Only the wavelength changes
Examples:
V Compression in steel : 5960 m/s
V Compression in water : 1470 m/s
V Compression in air : 330 m/s

5 M Hz

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

STEEL WATER AIR
 Velocity
What is the velocity difference in steel compared with in
water?
4 times

If the frequency remain constant, in what material does

sound has the highest velocity, steel, water, or air?
Steel
If the frequency remain constant, in what material does
sound has the shortest wavelength, steel, water, or air?
Air
Remember the formula
=v/f
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 ULTRASONIC TESTING
Very High Frequency
5 M Hz

Glass
High Frequency
5 K Hz

DRUM BEAT
Low Frequency Sound
40 Hz

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Ultrasonic
Sound : mechanical vibration

What is Ultrasonic?
Very High Frequency sound above 20 KHz
20,000 cps

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Acoustic Spectrum
Sonic / Audible
Ultrasonic
Human
> 20kHz = 20,000Hz
16Hz - 20kHz

0 10 100 1K 10K 100K 1M 10M 100m

Ultrasonic Testing
0.5MHz - 50MHz
Ultrasonic : Sound with frequency above 20 KHz
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 Frequency
Frequency : Number of cycles per
second

1 second 1 second 1 second

1 cycle per 1 second = 3 cycle per 1 second = 18 cycle per 1 second

1 Hertz 3 Hertz = 18 Hertz

THE HIGHER THE FREQUENCY THE SMALLER THE

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd WAVELENGTH
 Frequency
1 Hz = 1 cycle per second
1 Kilohertz = 1 KHz = 1000Hz
1 Megahertz = 1 MHz = 1000 000Hz

20 KHz = 20 000 Hz
5 M Hz = 5 000 000 Hz

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Wavelength
Wavelength is the distance required to complete a cycle.
Sound waves are the vibration of particles in solids, liquids or
gases.
Particles vibrate about a mean position.
wavelength
Displacement

The distance
taken to
wavelength complete one
cycle

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd One cycle

 Wavelength Velocity

V

f

Frequency

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Frequency & Wavelength

1 M Hz 5 M Hz 10 M Hz 25 M Hz

LONGEST SMALLEST
=v/f

F F
Which probe has the smallest wavelength?

Which probe has the longest wavelength?

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Wavelength is a function of frequency and velocity.
Therefore:
V f V
or or V f
f
5MHz compression
wave probe in steel

5,900,000
1.18mm
5,000,000
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 Which of the following compressional
probe has the highest sensitivity?
1 MHz
2 MHz
5 MHz
10 MHz

10 MHz

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Wavelength and frequency
The higher the frequency the smaller the
wavelength
The smaller the wavelength the higher the
sensitivity
Sensitivity : The smallest detectable
flaw by the system or
technique
In UT the smallest detectable flaw is
(half the wavelength)
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 The Sound Beam
Dead Zone
Near Zone or Fresnel Zone
Far Zone or Fraunhofer Zone

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 The Sound Beam

NZ FZ Main
Beam

Intensity
varies

Exponential Decay

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd Distance

 The side lobes has multi
minute main beams
Two identical defects may
give different amplitudes of
signals

Near
Side Lobes
Zone
The main beam or the centre
beam has the highest
intensity of sound energy

Main Lobe Any reflector hit by the main

beam will reflect the high
amount of energy
Main Beam

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Sound Beam
Near Zone Far Zone
Thickness Thickness
measurement measurement
Detection of defects Defect detection
Sizing of large Sizing of all defects
defects only

Near zone length as small as possible

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Near Zone

2
D
Near Zone
4
V

f
2
D f
Near Zone
4V
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 Near Zone
What is the near zone length of a 5MHz
compression probe with a crystal diameter
of 10mm in steel?
2
D f
Near Zone
4V
10 5,000,000
2

4 5,920,000
21.1mm
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 Near Zone
2 2
D D f
Near Zone
4 4V
The bigger the diameter the bigger the
near zone
The higher the frequency the bigger the
near zone
The lower the velocity the bigger the near
zone
Should large diameter crystal probes have a high
or low frequency?
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 Which of the above probes has the longest Near Zone ?

1 M Hz
5 M Hz
1 M Hz 5 M Hz

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Near Zone
2 2
D D f
Near Zone
4 4V
The bigger the diameter the bigger the
near zone
The higher the frequency the bigger the
near zone
The lower the velocity the bigger the near
zone
Should large diameter crystal probes have a high
or low frequency?
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 Beam Spread
In the far zone sound pulses spread out
as they move away from the crystal

/2

K KV
Sine or
2 D Df
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 Beam Spread
K KV
Sine or
2 D Df
Edge,K=1.22
20dB,K=1.08
6dB,K=0.56
Beam axis
or Main Beam

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Beam Spread
K KV
Sine or
2 D Df
The bigger the diameter the smaller the
beam spread
The higher the frequency the smaller
the beam spread

Which has the larger beam spread, a compression

or a shear wave probe?
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 Beam Spread
What is the beam spread of a 10mm,5MHz
compression wave probe in steel?

KV
Sine
2 Df
1.08 5920

5000 10
0.1278 7.35 o

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Which of the above probes has the Largest Beam
Spread ?

1 M Hz
5 M Hz
1 M Hz 5 M Hz

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

 Beam Spread
K KV
Sine or
2 D Df
The bigger the diameter the smaller the
beam spread
The higher the frequency the smaller
the beam spread

Which has the larger beam spread, a compression

or a shear wave probe?
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd
 Testing close to side walls

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd