Faster Weld Inspection with Multi-

group TFM
November 19, 2020

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Frédéric Reverdy

Senior Application and Products Engineer

Butt weld inspection with an ultrasonic technique involves investigating

the total weld volume plus the heat affected zone region on each side
of the weld. This implies that inspection on both sides of the weld is
required when accessible. Weld inspection using the Total Focusing
Method (TFM) also requires assessment of both sides. A system with
multi-group TFM capabilities is thus required if one wishes to perform
the weld inspection from both sides simultaneously. This article
focuses on exactly that.

The TFM technique was introduced to ASME code in 2019, and the ISO standard is entering the
final stage before publication. TFM is used today for various applications such as weld
inspection, High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA), and Hydrogen Induced Cracking
(HIC) detection. Eddyfi Technologies has tremendously invested to improve the technique on
its various systems —Mantis™, Gekko®, and Panther™— with the ultimate goal of proposing
a technique that’s compatible with the productivity and sensitivity expected by service
companies and asset owners.

 Scanning speed has been improved several times through a fast Full Matrix
Capture (FMC)/TFM mode and Plane Wave Imaging (PWI).
 Time Corrected Gain (TCG) has been implemented to ensure uniform amplitude
with depth and position across TFM images.
 The experimental Amplitude Fidelity described in the ISO standard has been
implemented to make sure that TFM images are properly discretized while
avoiding oversampling them. With all the means in place to propose code
compliant inspections, Capture™ software version 3.2 now offers additional
tools to perform weld inspection from both sides at a scanning speed of 100
millimeters (4 inches) per second.

Multi-group/Multi-modes
Capture 3.2 brings multi-group, i.e., several probes, and multi-mode capability together. It is
possible to combine up to four groups/modes. Multi-group is particularly helpful when dealing
with weld inspection as butt welds must be inspected from both sides. With an architecture up to
64x128, the Gekko portable Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) and TFM instrument can
use two 64-element probes to perform TFM on both sides of the weld with large apertures
providing optimum spatial resolution.
The following images show examples of multi-group (top) and multi-mode (bottom)
configurations for a 25-millimeter (1-inch) V-weld plate containing three defects: toe crack,
lack of sidewall fusion, and root crack.
The multi-group configuration shown has two groups using different 64-element probes each
performing a PWI inspection with all the calibration tools described before (element check,
wedge delay calibration, TCG, Amplitude Fidelity). The TFM uses the TT mode taking into
account the first and second legs which allows the user to simultaneously see the TT and TTTT
modes. This configuration allows the detection and characterization of all the defects.

The multi-mode configuration shows four modes, TT, TTT, TTTT and TLL, simultaneously
using a fast FMC acquisition. The TT mode is calculated based on the first and second legs
while the other modes are only calculated within one thickness of the plate. One can compare
the detectability of the various defects using the various modes.

Both configurations are illustrated in the following video.

Productivity Improvements
Scanning speed when using TFM depends upon several factors.

 System architecture: a system needs to be able to record data on all channels

simultaneously. Eddyfi Technologies developed the Gekko from the very
beginning with an architecture that allows data recording on 64 elements
simultaneously. Systems with a 32:128 architecture can only record the
information on 32 channels simultaneously forcing them to fire all the elements
twice to record a full 64-element TFM. This leads to a drop of the scanning
speed by a factor of 2.
 Number of elements firing: the number of times a system needs to fire impacts
directly the number of elementary signals that the system needs to process to
calculate the TFM image. That’s why we implemented the PWI technique which
allows a significant drop in element firing thus in elementary signals. Element
firing also has an impact on Pulse Rate Frequency (PRF), and decreasing it
allows for higher PRF.
 Number of pixels: a system is limited by its processing power; it can only
calculate a given number of pixels per second. When doing multi-group or
multi-mode configurations, the extra modes and groups essentially add more
pixels to the system to calculate. You can see the importance of minimizing the
number of pixels within each group/mode.

Capture 3.2 offers two more improvements for productivity. The first is the possibility to
calculate the envelope of the TFM image. The envelope requires a reduced grid resolution to
obtain the same amplitude fidelity using less pixels and thus improving productivity. For
resolution less than 93 kpixels, the TFM calculation has been improved by 60%.

We illustrate these capabilities using the multi-group explained before. To inspect the 25-
millimeter (1-inch) plate, we use a 50x52mm (1.97x2.08in) Region of Interest (ROI) area to
make sure we inspect the full volume of the weld and the heat affected zone. The two images
below show the scan plan performed for the inspection. A PWI configuration is used with a
sectorial scan performed between 40 and 85 degrees with a step of 7 degrees. This means that
we are only using 7 excitations instead of 64 for an FMC. Some new features of Capture 3.2 are
all the indications superimposed on the 3D view (element numbers, index offset, component
thickness, etc.) and the angle between the refracted angle and the bevel. The latter is available
for both PWI and PAUT. The values turn green when the angle between the refracted angle and
the bevel is less than 6 degrees and orange if less than 8 degrees allowing inspectors to set their
scan plan perfectly.

A 50x52mm (1.97x2.08in) ROI would require 202 kpixels to respect the Amplitude Fidelity as
a pixel size of λ/6 is necessary. In the following image, you can see that by using the envelope
the number of pixels drops to 77kpixels as λ/3.5 is sufficient to respect the Amplitude Fidelity.
Dropping below 93 kpixels also unlocks the 60% speed increase.

A normal FMC acquisition (not fast mode) with 202 kpixels would lead to a scanning speed of 7
millimeters (0.3 inches) per second for a single group. Combining PWI with envelope and the
60% boost leads to a scanning speed of 207 millimeters (8 inches) per second. Going to a multi-
group configuration, the final scanning speed is about 103 millimeters (4 inches) per second,
which is on par or greater than most PAUT weld inspection while offering optimum spatial
resolution across the ROI.

Data can still be exported in the 3D view of the component as shown in the following image
with scan position indication. You can also see on the right of the C-scan that video smoothing
has been added to make images look nicer.
Lower productivity was previously seen as a drawback of the TFM technique. Capture software
now provides multi-group and multi-mode capabilities at scanning speeds equal to or faster than
PAUT inspections while providing optimum spatial resolution.