Ultrasonic Testing (UT)

Ultrasonic waves are sent through a test material until they encounter discontinuities. The ultrasonic waves (echo), which are reflected from a surface of the discontinuity, are measured, thus, location, shape and size of the discontinuity are determined. Almost all materials such as casting/forging, welding seams can be tested by means of UT.

 

 

 

However, planar discontinuities parallel to the transmitted waves (sound) cannot be detected.

 

Ultrasonic waves are produced by a piezoelectric crystal (transducer) inside the probe. For metallic materials, ultrasonic frequency range can be from 0.5 MHz to 20 MHz. A suitable contact fluid (couplant) such as water, oil, gel etc. is applied between the probe and the material to facilitate transmission of ultrasonic waves. Longitudinal and transverse waves are preferred. Longitudinal waves are produced in normal probes with an input angle of 0 °, and transverse waves are produced in angled (45 °, 60 ° and 70 °) probes.

 

 

In reflection (or pulse-echo) method, the transducer performs both the sending and the receiving of the pulsed waves.

In attenuation (or through-transmission) method, on both sides of the material, probes of a transmitter and a receiver are used separately.

 

Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge (UTG) 

Time of Flight Diffraction (ToFD) 

Phased Array Ultrasonic Test (PAUT)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Standards:
ISO 16810: Non-destructive testing – Ultrasonic testing – General principles
TS EN ISO 16811: Non-destructive testing – Ultrasonic testing – Sensitivity and range setting
TS EN ISO 16823: Non-destructive testing – Ultrasonic testing – Transmission technique
TS EN ISO 16826: Non-destructive testing – Ultrasonic testing – Examination for discontinuities perpendicular to the surface
TS EN ISO 16827: Non-destructive testing – Ultrasonic testing – Characterization and sizing of discontinuities
TS EN ISO 16828: Non-destructive testing – Ultrasonic testing – Time-of-flight diffraction technique as a method for detection and sizing of discontinuities
TS EN 12668-X: Non-destructive testing – Characterization and verification of ultrasonic examination equipment
TS EN ISO 2400: Non-destructive testing – Ultrasonic testing – Specification for calibration block No. 1
TS EN ISO 7963: Non-destructive testing – Ultrasonic testing – Specification for calibration block No. 2 (ISO 7963:2006)
TS EN 10308: Non-destructive testing – Ultrasonic testing of steel bars
TS EN ISO 5577: Non-destructive testing – Ultrasonic testing – Vocabulary
TS EN ISO 11666: Non-destructive testing of welds – Ultrasonic testing – Acceptance levels
TS EN ISO 23279: Non-destructive testing of welds – Ultrasonic testing- Characterization of indications in welds
TS EN ISO 17640: Non-destructive testing of welds – Ultrasonic testing – Techniques, testing levels, and assessment
TS EN ISO 10863: Non-destructive testing of welds – Ultrasonic testing – Use of time-of flight diffraction technique (TOFD)
TS EN ISO 22825: Non-destructive testing of welds – Ultrasonic testing – Testing of welds in austenitic steels and nickel-based alloys
TS EN 12680-1: Founding – Ultrasonic examination – Part 1: Steel castings for general purposes
TS EN 12680-2: Founding – Ultrasonic examination – Part 2: Steel castings for highly stressed components
TS EN 12680-3: Founding – Ultrasonic testing – Part 3: Spheroidal graphite cast iron castings
TS EN 10228-3: Non-destructive testing of steel forgings – Part 3: Ultrasonic testing of ferritic or martensitic steel forgings
TS EN 10228-4: Non-destructive testing of steel forgings – Part 4: Ultrasonic testing of austenitic and austenitic-ferritic stainless-steel forgings
TS EN ISO 10893-8: Non-destructive testing of steel tubes – Part 8: Automated ultrasonic testing of seamless and welded steel tubes for the detection of laminar imperfections
TS EN ISO 10893-9: Non-destructive testing of steel tubes – Part 9: Automated ultrasonic testing for the detection of laminar imperfections in strip/plate used for the manufacture of welded steel tubes
TS EN ISO 10893-10: Non-destructive testing of steel tubes – Part 10: Automated full peripheral ultrasonic testing of seamless and welded (except submerged arc-welded) steel tubes for the detection of longitudinal and/or transverse imperfections
TS EN ISO 10893-11: Non-destructive testing of steel tubes – Part 11: Automated ultrasonic testing of the weld seam of welded steel tubes for the detection of longitudinal and/or transverse imperfections
TS EN ISO 10893-12: Non-destructive testing of steel tubes – Part 12: Automated full peripheral ultrasonic thickness testing of seamless and welded (except submerged arc-welded) steel tubes
TS CEN ISO/TS 19397 (2018): Determination of the film thickness of coatings using an ultrasonic gage (ISO/TS 19397:2015)