Advantages of Ultrasonic Thickness Gages over Flaw

Detectors for Corrosion Thickness Measurements

Greg Bauer | Product Specialist, Ultrasonic Thickness Gages

January 11, 2017
Advantages of Flaw Detectors
§  More versatile
–  Straight beam, angle beam, scanning
§  Includes specialized software for sizing defects:
–  Distance Amplitude Correction (DAC)
–  Time Varied Gain (TVG)
–  Distance/Gain/Size (DGS)

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Instrument Priority
§  Flaw detectors
–  Accuracy of signal amplitude
§  Thickness gages
–  Consistency and accuracy of the time of flight measurement
§  Use the right tool for the job

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Why were flaw detectors used for measuring thickness?
§  History of ultrasonic (UT) equipment
–  Ultrasonic instruments were released in the late 1940s
–  Digital thickness gages released in the 1960s
–  No waveform = less confidence
–  Thickness gage with on-board waveform released in 1980s

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Additional Information from Live A-Scan

Waveform 1 Waveform 2

Detection of noise Detection of backwall

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Additional Information from Live A-Scan

Waveform 1 Waveform 2

Cleaner backwall Heavily corroded backwall

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Advantages of Thickness Gages over Flaw Detectors
§  Size and cost
§  Ease of calibration and operation
§  More consistent and accurate time of flight measurement
§  Specialized features or software for special applications

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Thickness Gage Measurement Advantages
§  Auto zero compensation
§  V-path correction
§  Auto probe recognition
§  Detection algorithms and digital signal processing (DSP)
Auto Zero Compensation

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Why are dual element transducers used for corrosion applications?

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V-Path Correction When Using Thickness Gages

TX RX

Sample

True Thickness

Angular Sound Path

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Thickness Measurement Error When Using a Flaw Detector

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Auto Probe Recognition
§  Optimizes setup and receiver gain
–  Easier and faster setup for the user
§  Recalls transducer V-path correction
–  Accurate measurements over large thickness ranges

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V-Path Builder on Olympus 38DL PLUS® Thickness Gage
Step 1 Step 2

Step 3 Step 4

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Flaw Detector Detection Mode — Flanking/Edge Gate
§  Thickness reading changes 0.011 in. (0.280 mm) from a 6 dB change

Detection point at 60 dB Detection point at 54 dB

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Flaw Detector Detection Mode — Peak Gate

Signal from the pit

Majority of signal not from thinnest area

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Corrosion Thickness Gages Use Algorithms and Digital Signal
Processing (DSP)

Detection Threshold

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Thickness Gage Application Advantages
§  Temperature compensation
§  Electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT)
§  Internal oxide
§  Encoded B-scan
§  Echo-to-echo measurement
§  THRU-COAT® technology
High-Temperature Applications
§  Setup adjustments
–  Increase gain
–  Highest update rate
–  Auto zero
–  Temperature compensation

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Olympus 38DL PLUS Thickness Gage Temperature Compensation
§  Sound velocity changes with temperature
–  Approximately 1% for every 100 °F (55 °C) change in temperature for
carbon steel

–  V0: Sound velocity at calibration

–  T0: Temperature at calibration (user inputted)
–  T1: Temperature at measurement (user inputted)
–  k: Temperature coefficient (user inputted)

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Olympus 38DL PLUS Thickness Gage Temperature Compensation

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Boiler Tube Applications
§  Two solutions
–  Measuring tube wall thickness using EMAT
–  Measuring tube wall and internal scale thickness using 38DLP-OXIDE

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Olympus 38DL PLUS Thickness Gage — Measurements with the
E110-SB EMAT
§  Electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT)
–  Requires external oxide scale to measure tube wall thickness
–  No couplant required
–  Fast and easy

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Olympus 38DL PLUS Thickness Gage — Optional 38DLP-OXIDE
Software
§  Measure boiler tube wall thickness and internal scale thickness
–  Minimum scale with M2017: 0.010 in. (0.250 mm)
–  Minimum scale with M2091: 0.006 in. (0.150 mm)
–  Shear wave couplant (SWC-2) required

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Olympus 38DL PLUS Thickness Gage — Optional 38DLP-EBSCAN
Software
§  Enables the 38DL PLUS thickness gage to perform encoded B-scans
–  Data is transferrable
–  Less expensive

Distance traveled

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Measuring Thickness on Painted Metal Applications
§  Echo-to-echo
–  Used to ignore coatings and measure only the true metal thickness

Auto echo-to-echo Manual echo-to-echo

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Echo-to-Echo Limitations
§  Measuring thin materials
–  About 0.080 to 0.100 in. (2.0 to 2.5 mm) minimum

0.080 in. (2.0 mm) sample 0.040 in. (1.0 mm) sample
Valid echo-to-echo measurement No separation, false reading

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Echo-to-Echo Limitations
§  Samples with a heavily corroded back surface
–  No multiple backwalls

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Measuring Thickness on Painted Metal Applications
§  THRU-COAT technology
–  Used to measure paint thickness and steel thickness at the same time

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Advantages of THRU-COAT Technology
§  Measure thinner samples
–  Minimum of about 0.040 in. (1.0 mm)
§  Measure thicker samples
§  Measuring painted samples with corroded back surfaces

Echo-to-echo THRU-COAT technology

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THRU-COAT Transducers (D7906-SM, D7906-RM, D7908)
§  Used in standard, THRU-COAT, and echo-to-echo mode
§  Limitations
–  Rough or textured surfaces
–  Coating has to be at least 0.005 in. (0.127 mm)
–  Cannot be used for high temperatures

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Thickness Gage Feature Advantages
§  Doubling warning
§  Gain optimization
Thickness Gage Feature — Doubling Warning
§  Definition of doubling
–  Gage detects the second backwall reflection and misses the first backwall
signal

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Dual Element Transducers — Measuring Thick and Thin Samples

Thick sample Thin sample

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Calibration Doubling Warning

Potentially wrong echo detected!

CAL VEL on thick CAL ZERO on thin

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Doubling Issue with Dual Element Transducers
§  How to correct the doubling issue
–  Increase gain so the first backwall is above the 20% detection threshold

Waveform 1 Waveform 2

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Gain Optimization Calibration
§  Advantages
–  Increase useful life of transducer
–  Help prevent calibration and measurement errors

Default gain of 66 dB for this D790 Default gain of 59 dB for this D790

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Thank You for Attending!

Questions?

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