ULTRASONIC TESTING OF MATERIALS AT LEVEL 2

1 IAEA-TECDOC-462 ULTRASONIC TESTING OF MATERIALSAT LEVEL 2 TRAINING MANUALFOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING TECHNIQUESA TECHNICAL DOCUMENT ISSUED BY THEINTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, VIENNA, 1988 ULTRASONIC TESTING OF MATERIALS AT LEVEL 2 IAEA, VIENNA, 1988 IAEA-TECDOC-462 Printed by the IAEA in AustriaJune 1988 FOREWORDThe International Atomic Energy Agency is executingregional projects in the Latin American and Caribbean Regionand the Asia and Pacific Region using the syllabi contained inIAEA-TECDOC-407 'Training Guidelines in Non-destructive TestingTechniques . * which has been referenced as being suitable fortraining NOT personnel by the International StandardsOrganisation in the draft standard DP9712, 'The Qualification andCertification of NDT Personnel'.These ULTRASONIC notes have therefore been preparedessentially in accordance with the syllabus for LEVEL 2ultrasonic personnel and have been used as the basis for the 80hour model LEVEL 2 ULTRASONIC regional training coursesconducted by the Asia and and Pacific notes are theresult of contributions from a number of National NDTcoordinators in the Asia and Pacific Region who have beenorganising National NDT Training guidance it is suggested that the minimum 80hours training recommended by ISO DP9712 be divided as follows;1.

2 General knowledge 8 hours2. Terminology physical principlesand fundamentals of ultrasonics 8 "3. TESTING techniques and theirlimitations 8 "4. Equipment and accessories 6 "5. Calibration of the testingsystem 12 "6. Specific applications 12 "7. Codes, standards,specificationsand procedures 10 "8. Recording and evaluation ofresults 109. Special techniques 6 "EDITORIAL NOTEIn preparing this material for the press, staff of the International Atomic Energy Agencyhave mounted and paginated the original manuscripts and given some attention to views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the governments of the Member Statesor organizations under whose auspices the manuscripts were use in this book of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply anyjudgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, oftheir authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their mention of specific companies or of their products or brand names does not imply anyendorsement or recommendation on the part of the INTRODUCTION.

3 Quality and reliability .. Non-destructive TESTING (NDT) methods of quality control .. Liquid penetrant TESTING .. Magnetic particle TESTING .. Eddy current TESTING .. Radiographie TESTING method .. ULTRASONIC TESTING .. Comparison of different NDT methods .. Destructive versus non-destructive TESTING .. 192. TERMINOLOGY, PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES AND FUNDAMENTALSOF ULTRASONICS .. The nature of ULTRASONIC waves .. Characteristics of wave propagation .. Frequency .. Wave length .. Velocity .. Fundamental wave equations .. ULTRASONIC waves .. Acoustic impedance .. Acoustic pressure and intensity .. Types of ULTRASONIC waves .. Longitudinal waves.

4 Transverse or shear waves .. Surface or Rayleigh waves .. Lamb or plate waves .. Velocity of ULTRASONIC waves .. Behaviour of ULTRASONIC waves .. Reflection and transmission at normal incidence .. Reflected and transmitted intensities .. Reflected and transmitted pressures .. Reflection and transmission at oblique incidence .. Refraction and mode conversion .. Snell's Law .. First and second critical angles .. Reflected acoustic pressure at angular incidence .. Piezoelectric and ferroelectric transducers .. Piezoelectric effect .. Types of piezoelectric transducers .. Piezoelectric crystal transducers .. Polarized ceramic transducers .. Comparison of piezoelectric transducers.

5 The characteristics of the ULTRASONIC beam .. The ULTRASONIC beam .. Near field .. Calculation of near field length .. Far field .. Beam spread .. Attenuation of ULTRASONIC beams .. Scattering of ULTRASONIC waves .. Absorption of ULTRASONIC waves .. Loss due to coupling and surface roughness .. Diffraction .. 613. ULTRASONIC TEST METHODS, SENSORS AND TECHNIQUES .. Basic ULTRASONIC test methods .. Through transmission method .. Pulse echo method .. Resonance method .. Sensors .. ULTRASONIC probe construction .. Types of ULTRASONIC probes .. Contact type probes .. Immersion type probe .. Pulse echo TESTING techniques.

6 Contact type techniques .. Normal beam techniques .. Applications of contact type normal beam probes .. Angle beam techniques .. Calculation of various distances for angle beam probes .. Surface wave techniques .. Immersion TESTING techniques .. 834. PULSE ECHO TYPE ULTRASONIC FLAW DETECTOR .. Construction and mode of operation of a pulse echo type flaw detector .. Functions of the electronic elements .. Operation of a pulse echo type flaw detector .. Scan presentation .. A-scan presentation .. B-scan presentation .. C-scan presentation .. Echo amplitude and its control .. Decibel (dB) unit .. 955. CALIBRATION OF THE TEST SYSTEM .. Calibration and reference test blocks.

7 Commonly used test blocks .. (VI) calibration block .. Institute of Welding ( ) beam profile block .. Plotting of beam profile .. ASME reference block .. Area-amplitude blocks .. Distance-amplitude blocks .. Blocks .. Checking equipment characteristics .. Methods of setting sensitivity .. Distance amplitude correction curves .. DOS (distance-gain-size) diagram method .. Setting sensitivity for a normal beam probe .. Setting of sensitivity for angle beam probe .. Grain response on time base at maximum TESTING range .. Measurement of attenuation .. Longitudinal wave attenuation .. Transverse wave attenuation .. Determination of transfer loss for angle beam probes.

8 Couplants .. Influence of the test specimen on the ULTRASONIC beam .. Surface roughness .. Specimen with curved surface .. Coated surfaces .. Mode conversion within the test specimen .. Orientation and depth of flaw .. Selection of ULTRASONIC probe .. Choice of ULTRASONIC beam direction .. Choice of probe frequency .. Choice of probe size .. 1406. SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS .. ULTRASONIC inspection of welds .. Types of weld joints .. Weld defects .. Lack of root penetration .. Lack of fusion .. Slag inclusion .. Tungsten inclusion .. Porosity .. Cracks .. Undercut .. Excessive penetration .. Concavity at the root of the weld.

9 Lamellar tearing .. General procedure for ULTRASONIC TESTING of welds .. Examination of root in single Vee Butt welds without backing stripin plates and pipes .. Scanning procedure .. Selection of probe angle .. Examination of weld body in a single Vee Butt weld withoutbacking strip .. Selection of probe angle .. Inspection of single Vee Butt welds with backing strips or inserts .. Welds with EB inserts .. Welds with backing strips .. Inspection of double Vee welds .. Critical root scan for double Vee welds .. Weld body examination of double Vee welds .. Examination of T-welds .. Examination of nozzle welds .. Fully penetrated set on weld .. Partially penetrated set in weld.

10 Examination of set through nozzle welds .. ULTRASONIC inspection of forgings .. Forging defects .. TESTING of semi-finished products: rods and billets .. Billets .. Rod MATERIALS .. Use of immersion technique for billet or rod MATERIALS .. Tube TESTING .. TESTING of forgings .. ULTRASONIC inspection of castings .. Defects in castings .. Shrinkage defects .. Defects associated with hindered contraction during cooling .. Defects associated with entrapped gas airlocks .. 1817. ULTRASONIC STANDARDS .. Commonly used ULTRASONIC standards .. ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code .. BS 3923: Part 1: Manual examination of fusion welds in ferritic steels .. 1868. RECORDING AND EVALUATION OF RESULTS.