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Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
Designation: E114 − 15
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E114 − 15
particular search unit and material may be used for standard- 7.6 For bond/unbond (fusion/lack of fusion) examinations, a
ization. These artificial reflectors may be in the form of reference standard should be used similar to the production
flat-bottom holes, side-drilled holes, or slots. An alternate item being examined containing areas representing both
method of fabricating a reference standard may be the intro- bonded (fused) and unbonded (lack of fusion) conditions, if
duction of known discontinuities during the fabrication process geometry and material permit.
of a production item or other convenient configuration. The
7.7 Standardization with respect to reference standards
surface finish of the reference standard should be similar to the
should be periodically checked to ensure that the ultrasonic
surface finish of the production item (or corrected; see 7.3).
system standardization is not changing. As a minimum, the
The reference standard material and the production material
standardization shall be checked each time there is a change of
should be acoustically similar (in velocity and attenuation).
operators, when search units are changed, when new batteries
The reference standard selected shall be used by the examiner
are installed, when equipment operating from one power
as the basis for signal comparisons.
source is changed to another power source, or when improper
operation is suspected.
7. Standardization of Apparatus
7.1 If quantitative information is to be obtained, vertical or 8. Procedure
horizontal linearity or both should be checked in accordance
8.1 When ultrasonic examinations are performed for the
with Practice E317 or another procedure approved by the users
detection or sizing of discontinuities, or both, reflectors not
of the document. An acceptable linearity performance may be
perpendicular to the ultrasonic beam may be detected at
agreed upon by the users of the document.
reduced amplitudes, with a distorted envelope depending upon
7.2 Prior to examination, standardize the system in accor- the reflector area, whether it is curved or planar, whether it is
dance with the product specification. smooth or rough, perhaps with reflecting facets. Reflector
7.3 Where the surface finishes of the reference standard and characteristics may also cause rapid shifts in apparent depth as
the production item do not match, or where there is an acoustic the search unit approaches or moves away from the low
difference between the standard and the production item, an amplitude indication. Another effect of these reflectors is the
attenuation correction should be made to compensate for the loss of back reflection which occurs when the discontinuity lies
difference. The attenuation correction is accomplished by directly between the search unit and the back surface. Reflec-
noting the difference between signals received from the same tors detectable due to any of the foregoing phenomena cannot
reference reflector (that is, back reflection) in the basic stan- be sized solely on signal amplitude but require special correc-
dardization (reference) block and in the production material, tions for search unit and flaw characteristics.
and correcting for this difference. 8.2 Examination Surface—Surfaces shall be uniform and
7.4 It should be recognized that near-field effects may cause free of loose scale and paint, discontinuities such as pits or
sensitivity inconsistencies when searching for discontinuities gouges, weld spatter, dirt, or other foreign matter which affect
smaller than the effective beam diameter. Suitable delay line examination results. Tightly adhering paint, scale, or coatings
search units or other means such as examining from both sides do not necessarily need to be removed for examining if they
of the item may be considered where the application warrants present uniform attenuation characteristics. The examination
fine scrutiny. When performing examinations in the far-field, it surface must be adequate to permit ultrasonic examination at
is recommended that compensation be made for the acoustic the sensitivity specified. If needed, surfaces may be ground,
attenuation of the test material with respect to a certain sanded, wire brushed, scraped, or otherwise prepared for
reference standard. This compensation may be accomplished examining purposes. Curved surfaces, either concave or
with multiple depth reference reflectors, electronically, with convex, may be examined; however, the standardization sys-
attenuation curves drawn on the face of the A-scan display, or tem should compensate for the effective change in search unit
with charts for distance-amplitude relationships of known transmitting area between the reference standard and produc-
reflectors. For optimum examination performance, compensa- tion item. If practical, the reference standard should have the
tions should be made for both near and far-field effects. same geometry as the item being examined.
7.5 Unless otherwise specified, the initial pulse and at least 8.3 Search Unit—Select a suitable search unit size and
one back reflection shall appear on the A-scan display while frequency after consideration of the acoustic characteristics of
examining for discontinuities in materials having parallel material to be examined, the geometry of the production item,
surfaces. The total number of back reflections depends upon and the minimum size and type of discontinuity to be detected.
equipment, geometry and material type, information desired, or The higher the frequency selected, the higher the resolving
operator preference. Reduction of the back reflection during capability accompanied with a decrease in penetrating power;
scanning is indicative of increased attenuation or sound scat- conversely, the lower the frequency used, the greater the
tering discontinuities provided that front and back surface penetrating power with decreasing resolving capability. Factors
roughness and parallelism of the production piece are approxi- limiting the use of higher frequencies are the equipment and
mately the same as that of the standard. For non-parallel the material properties. The limiting use of lower frequencies is
surfaces, the time trace of the display shall be standardized by the loss in sensitivity level for the examination and increasing
using standards that include the maximum thickness of the beam spread. Various types of straight-beam search units are
production item being examined. available offering advantages for specific applications. The
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E114 − 15
above statements should be considered when choosing the eration should be given to discontinuities when the signal
search unit size, type, and frequency. When delay materials are amplitude drops to half the maximum amplitude or less, and
used in the search unit, the standardization and examination remains at the lower level over extended distances (for
surface temperatures should be within 25°F (14°C) to avoid example, more than half the search unit diameter).
large attenuation and velocity differences. NOTE 3—For rounded surfaces, geometry must be considered when
NOTE 2—The largest diameter and highest frequency search units using this method.
yielding desired results should be used for maximum resolution and good
beam directivity. 9. Examination Data Record
8.4 Scanning—Scanning may be either continuous or 9.1 The following data should be recorded as a minimum
intermittent, depending upon the geometry, application, and for future reference at the time of each examination:
requirements of the part being examined. For continuous 9.1.1 Part number identification,
scanning, the search unit indexing must be adequate to provide 9.1.2 Operator’s name and level (if certified),
100 % coverage, at uniform examination sensitivity, of the area 9.1.3 Instrument description, make, model, and serial
being examined. Adjust scanning speed or instrument repeti- number,
tion rate or both to permit detection of the smallest disconti- 9.1.4 Setup—Couplant, cable type and length, manual/
nuities referenced in the specification and to allow the record- automatic scanning,
ing or signaling device to function. For manual scanning using 9.1.5 Search unit description—Type, size, frequency, spe-
no recording or alarming device, a maximum scanning speed cial shoes,
of 6 in. (15 cm) per second is recommended. 9.1.6 Reference standards (and standardization data re-
8.4.1 Manual Scanning—Hold the search unit in the hand quired to duplicate the examination).
and move over the surface of the production piece. 9.1.7 Indication information as specified by the applicable
8.4.2 Automated Scanning—The search unit is held by a specification, or results of the examination (number,
suitable fixed device and either the production piece moves or classification, and location of discontinuities). For bond/
is held stationary while the search unit moves mechanically unbond (fusion/lack of fusion) examinations the extent of
along some predetermined path. For automated scanning, unbond (lack of fusion) or bond (fusion) should be reported.
monitor coupling between the search unit and part either
electronically or visually to ensure proper examination sensi- 10. Interpretation of Results
tivity. 10.1 Advance agreement should be reached by users of this
8.5 During the evaluation of indications, maintain the same document as applicable regarding the interpretation of the
relative sensitivities between the reference standard and the results of the examinations and how they shall be recorded. All
production item. Make an evaluation of ultrasonic indications discontinuities having signals that exceed the rejection level as
after response reflections from discontinuities are maximized defined by the material specification, drawing, or purchase
by search unit manipulation. Map discontinuity extremities order shall be rejected unless it is determined from the machine
larger than the sound beam. A recommended method for part drawing that the rejectable discontinuities will not remain
mapping, on the surface of the production piece, the apparent in the finished part.
size (that is, the reflecting surface seen by the search unit) of
11. Report
discontinuities larger than the search unit is by the half-
amplitude method. Position the search unit over the disconti- 11.1 The report resulting from the examination should
nuity for maximum signal response and move in one direction document the pertinent information relative to the application.
until the signal drops rapidly to the base line on the A-scan While each inspection may require different information and
display. Then return the search unit to the position where the levels of detail, at a minimum, the report should include:
signal was half the amplitude that it had at the point where the 11.1.1 Date and time of examination,
indication began to drop rapidly to the base line. At this point 11.1.2 The examination data record, and
the center of the search unit should approximately coincide 11.1.3 Pass/fail examination result.
with the edge of the discontinuity. Repeat this procedure for
other directions as necessary to outline the discontinuity on the 12. Keywords
surface. Search units of other frequencies and sizes may be 12.1 contact; examination; nondestructive testing; pulse-
used for mapping to obtain greater accuracy. Special consid- echo; straight-beam; ultrasonic
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E114 − 15
SUMMARY OF CHANGES
Committee E07 has identified the location of selected changes to this standard since the last issue (E114 - 10)
that may impact the use of this standard.
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