TWI

Training & Certification

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 NDT Training & Certification

Ultrasonic Testing
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 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.
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 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

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

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

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 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

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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 mmz 2003

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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

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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
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 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

A
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Ultrasonic Testing

Principles of Sound

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 Ultrasonic
 Sound : mechanical vibration

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

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 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
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 ULTRASONIC TESTING
Very High Frequency
5 M Hz

Glass
High Frequency
5 K Hz

DRUM BEAT
Low Frequency Sound
40 Hz
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 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
One cycle
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 Properties of a sound wave
 Sound cannot travel
in vacuum
 Sound energy to be
transmitted /
transferred from one
particle to another

SOLID LIQUID GAS

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 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)

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Wavelength Velocity

V

f

Frequency

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 High Frequency Sound
V

f
5MHz compression
wave probe in steel

5,900,000
  1.18mm
5,000,000 mmz 2003
 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

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THE SMALLER THE
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
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 Frequency

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?

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 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 ½ 
(half the wavelength)
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 Which of the following compressional
probe has the highest sensitivity?
 1 MHz
 2 MHz
 5 MHz
 10 MHz

10 MHz

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

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

Testing 0.5MHz - 50MHz

Ultrasonic : Sound with frequency above 20 KHz

Very high frequency =
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Very small wavelength
 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

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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
 mmz
= 2003
v/f
 Sound Waveforms
Sound travels in different waveforms in
different conditions

•Compression wave
•Shear wave
•Surface wave
•Lamb wave

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 Compression / Longitudinal
 Vibration and propagation in the same
direction / parallel
 Travel in solids, liquids and gases

Particle vibration

Propagation mmz 2003

 Shear / Transverse
 Vibration at right angles / perpendicular to
direction of propagation
 Travel in solids only
 Velocity  1/2 compression (same material)

Particle vibration

Propagation
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 Surface Wave
 Elliptical vibration
 Velocity 8% less than shear
 Penetrate one wavelength deep

Easily dampened by heavy grease or wet finger

Follows curves but reflected by sharp corners or

surface cracks mmz 2003
 Lamb / Plate Wave
 Produced by the manipulation of surface
waves and others
 Used mainly to test very thin materials /
plates
 Velocity varies with plate thickness and
frequencies

SYMETRIC mmz 2003

ASSYMETRIC
 Compression v Shear
Frequency Compression Shear
 0.5MHz  11.8  6.5
 1 MHz  5.9  3.2
 2MHz  2.95  1.6
 4MHz  1.48  0.8
 6MHZ  0.98  0.54

The smaller the wavelength the better the

sensitivity
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Sound travelling through a material
 Velocity varies according to the material
Compression waves Shear waves

• Steel 5960m/sec • Steel 3245m/sec

• Water 1470m/sec • Water NA

• Air 344m/sec • Air NA

• Copper 4700m/sec • Copper 2330m/sec

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 Sound travelling through a material
Loses intensity
due to

Beam Spread Attenuation

• Sound beam comparable • Energy losses due to
to a torch beam material
•Reduction differs for small •Made up of absorption
and large reflectors and scatter

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 Scatter
 The bigger the grain
size the worse the
problem
 The higher the
frequency of the
probe the worse the
problem

1 MHz 5 MHz

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Beam Spread

The sound beam

spread out and the
intensity decreases

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 Beam spread and Attenuation combined

80% Attenuation and beam

FSH spread. 6dB+ reduction

80%
40%
FSH
FSH
36%
FSH

No attenuation,only beam
spread. 6dB reduction
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 Sound at an Interface
 Sound will be either transmitted across
or reflected back
Reflected

How much is reflected and

Interface transmitted depends upon the
relative acoustic impedance of
the 2 materials

Transmitted mmz 2003

 Acoustic Impedance
 Definition  Formula
The Resistance to the
passage of sound Z   V
within a material  = Density , V = Velocity

 Steel 46.7 x 106

 Measured in
 Water 1.48 x 106
kg / m2 x sec
 Air 0.0041 x 106
 Perspex 3.2 x 106
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 % Sound Reflected at an
Interface
2
 Z1  Z 2 
  100  % reflected
 Z1  Z 2 

% Sound Reflected + % Sound Transmitted = 100%

Therefore
% Sound Transmitted = 100% - % Sound Reflected
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 Sound at an Interface
 Sound will be either transmitted across
or reflected back
Reflected

How much is reflected and

Interface transmitted depends upon the
relative acoustic impedance of
the 2 materials

Transmitted mmz 2003

 How much sound is reflected at a steel to water
interface?
 Z1 (Steel) = 46.7 x 106
 Z2 (Water) =1.48 x 106
 46.7  1.48 
2

 46.7  1.48   100  % reflected

2
 45.22 
 48.18  100  % reflected

0. 93856 100  88.09% reflected

2

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 How much sound transmitted?

100 % - the reflected sound

Example : Steel to water

100 % - 88 % ( REFLECTED) = 12 % TRANSMITTED

The BIGGER the Acoustic Impedance Ratio

or Difference between the two materials:
More sound REFLECTED than transmitted.

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 Air Steel

Steel
Air
Large Acoustic Impedance Large Acoustic Impedance
Ratio Ratio

Steel Aluminum

Steel
Steel

No Acoustic Impedance Small Acoustic Impedance

Difference Difference
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 Ultrasonic Displays
 A scan
The CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
display
The Horizontal axis :
Represents time base /
beam path length /
distance / depth
The Vertical axis :
Represent the amount of
sound energy
returned to the crystal
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 Ultrasonic Displays
 B scan
The End View Display

B mmz 2003
 Ultrasonic Displays
 A scan
The CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
display
The Horizontal axis :
Represents time base /
beam path length /
distance / depth
The Vertical axis :
Represent the amount of
sound energy
returned to the crystal
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 Ultrasonic Displays
 C scan
The Plan View Display

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 Ultrasonic Displays
 D scan
The Side View Display

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