Phase Shift Test for Bond Integrity

Application: Using nondestructive testing to evaluate the integrity of bonds between

dissimilar materials of low acoustic impedance and high acoustic impedance such as
plastic, fiberglass, rubber or epoxy bonded to metal, glass, or ceramic.
Among the specific applications for this test are bonding of carbon/fiber/resin
composites to a steel substrate, bonding of plastic liners in metal pipes and tanks,
plastic safety coatings over glass, rubber coatings on metal rollers, and epoxy coatings
on metal parts. The technique has also been used on metal bearings where soft, low
impedance metal such as babbit is bonded over hard, high impedance metal (steel or
brass).
Problem: The most common technique for ultrasonically evaluating the integrity of a
bond or weld is to look at the amplitude of the signal reflected from the interface
between the two materials. This method works well when the two joined materials have
similar acoustic impedance such as metal to metal or plastic to plastic. However, when
the two bonded materials differ greatly in acoustic impedance such as a plastic to metal
bond, the change in the amplitude of reflected signals between good and bad bonds is
less dramatic. In these cases, the most readily visible difference between bonds and
disbonds is a reversal in the phase or polarity of the echo from the boundary when the
bond is tested from the low impedance side.
Equipment: This test may be performed with any ultrasonic instrument that provides
an unrectified RF waveform display such as the EPOCH XT, EPOCH LTC, EPOCH
600, EPOCH 650, and EPOCH 1000 portable flaw detectors. If portability is not
required, any one of a number
of Pulser/Receivers (Models5072PR, 5073PR, 5077PR, 5058PR) may be used along
with an oscilloscope or digitized waveform display. Select the transducer type and
frequency based on the specific application Broadband transducers are recommended
in all cases to maximize the effect.
Procedure: Both the phase (or polarity) and amplitude of a reflected signal at the
boundary between two materials are determined by the relative acoustic impedance of
the two materials. The phase or polarity of the echo from the boundary between the
materials is reversed or inverted when the order of relative acoustic impedances is
reversed (low to high versus high to low).
Testing must be performed from the low impedance side of the bond. Also, it is
important to note that this test identifies the presence or absence of an acoustic bond,

but it does not quantify the strength of the bond.

Figures 1 and 2 show echoes from a plastic/air and plastic/metal boundary
respectively, demonstrating phase inversion. Photos made with an EPOCH flaw
detector and V109 5 MHz broadband contact transducer.
Figure 1 shows the echo from the back side of a 0.2 in/5 mm flat piece of Plexiglas
plastic, as seen by a 5 MHz broadband contact transducer with an EPOCH 600 flaw
detector set up in the RF mode. In this case the sound energy is reflecting from a
boundary between a relatively high impedance material (plastic) and a very low
impedance material (air). With this setup, the returning echo from this high to low
impedance boundary is seen as a negative polarity echo.

Figure 1: Echo from unbonded Plexiglas plastic

In Figure 2, the same piece of Plexiglas is coupled to a piece of aluminum. The sound
energy is now reflecting from a boundary between a relatively low impedance material
(plastic) and a high impedance material (aluminum). Plastic has higher acoustic
impedance than air, but lower than aluminum, steel, or other materials and we are
concerned not with the absolute acoustic impedances but rather the high to low or low
to high relationship at the boundary. The result is a positive echo, inverted with respect
to the signal from the plastic to air boundary.

Figure 2: Echo from Plexiglas plastic bonded to aluminum

In general, there will be a clear difference in echo phase or polarity between bonded
and air-backed materials that can be quickly seen through the use of calibration
standards. It is best to optimize echoes on a bonded sample and then observe the
phase change from an unbonded sample. Adjustment of pulser damping and receiver
filtering will often optimize this effect. The same pattern described above would result
from using a pulser-receiver such as aModel 5072PR with an analog or digital
oscilloscope. Again, a lack of bonding creates a plastic/air boundary that produces a
negative echo, while a solid bond inverts the echo to positive.
Note : Displayed echo polarity is arbitrary depending on signal processing within the
instrument. While Olympus IMS flaw detectors and pulser/receiversproduce
displays of the type shown here,equipment from other manufacturers may display
signals that are the reverse. A test block can help determine this factor. The basic
principle of phase inversion at a low to high impedance boundary applies in any case.

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