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)

Magnetic Particle Testing (MT)

Mainly used for

surface testing

Eddy Current Testing (ET)

Radiographic Testing (RT)
Ultrasonic Testing (UT)

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

Mainly used for

Internal Testing

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

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
the screen

30

46

68

The thickness is read from the screen

C
B
A
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

The THINNER the material

the less distance the sound
travel

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
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

LIQUID

GAS

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
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

=v/f

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
Human
16Hz - 20kHz

10

100

1K

Ultrasonic
> 20kHz = 20,000Hz

10K 100K 1M 10M 100m

Ultrasonic Testing

0.5MHz - 50MHz
Ultrasonic : Sound with frequency above 20 KHz
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

Frequency
Frequency

1 second
1 cycle per 1 second =
1 Hertz

Number of cycles per

second

1 second
3 cycle per 1 second =
3 Hertz

1 second
18 cycle per 1 second
= 18 Hertz

THE HIGHER THE FREQUENCY THE SMALLER THE

WAVELENGTH
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

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

wavelength
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

One cycle

The distance
taken to
complete one
cycle

Wavelength

Velocity

f
Frequency

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

Frequency & Wavelength

1 M Hz
LONGEST

5 M Hz

10 M Hz

25 M Hz
SMALLEST

=v/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:

or

f V

or

V 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
Zone

Side Lobes

The main beam or the centre

beam has the highest
intensity of sound energy
Main Lobe

Main Beam

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

Any reflector hit by the main

beam will reflect the high
amount of energy

Sound Beam
Near Zone
Thickness
measurement
Detection of defects
Sizing of large
defects only

Far Zone
Thickness
measurement
Defect detection
Sizing of all defects

Near zone length as small as possible

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

Near Zone
2

D
Near Zone
4
V

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
2
10 5,000,000

4 5,920,000
21.1mm
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

Near Zone
2

D
Near Zone
4

D f

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
1 M Hz

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

5 M Hz

5 M Hz

Near Zone
2

D
Near Zone
4

D f

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
o
0.1278
7.35
Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

Which of the above probes has the Largest Beam

Spread ?
1 M Hz
1 M Hz

Copyright 2004 WI Ltd

5 M Hz

5 M Hz

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