VIBRANT NDT SERVICES

ULTRASONIC INSPECTION

LEVEL II
Module No.110, SIDCO,
AIEMA Tower, 1st Main Road,
Ambattur Industrial Estate,
Chennai-600058,
Phone:044-43108884
Tele fax:044-4310888
Email: info.vibrant@yahoo.com
OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
 DIFFRACTION AND ATTENUATION OF SOUND
 PIEZO ELECTRIC EFFECT
 REVERSE PIEZO ELECTRIC EFFECT
 ULTRASONIC PROBES
 SOUND FIELD
 NEAR FIELD
 DEAD ZONE
 BEAM SPREAD
 ULTRASONIC INSTRUMENT
 ULTRASONIC TESTING METHODS
 PULSE ECHO CONTACT AND ANGLE BEAM METHOD
 TWO TRANSDUCER METHOD
 THROUGH TRANSMISSION METHOD
DIFFRACTION AND ATTENUATION

 Attenuation Due to Absorption and

Scattering of the Sound wave by the
material
 PIEZO ELECTRIC EFFECT
 Electrical Energy is converted into Mechanical
Energy

+
Battery

Piezoelectrical
Crystal (Quartz)
PIEZO ELECTRIC EFFECT – CONTD.
Sound wave
with
frequency f

U(f)
 REVERSE PIEZO ELECTRIC EFFECT
 Mechanical Energy is converted into Electrical
Energy

Electrical Piezoelectrical
crystal Ultrasonic wave
energy
 ULTRASONIC PROBES

socket Delay / protecting face

crystal Electrical matching
Damping Cable

Straight beam TR-probe Angle beam probe

probe
 SOUND FIELD

Crystal Focus Angle of divergence

Accoustical axis
6
D0

N
Near field Far field
NEAR FIELD or FRESNEL ZONE
 The area just below the surface of a test object that can
not be inspected because of the transducer is still
ringing down and not yet ready to receive signals
 Constructive and Destructive Interference

Near Field Length, N = D2 – λ2 / 4 λ

Where,
N Length of Near Zone
D Diameter of the Crystal
λ Wavelength of sound
NEAR FIELD or fresnel zone

If λ << D

Near Field Length, N = D2 / 4 λ

 DEAD ZONE EFFECT

 The Dead Zone in ultrasonic testing, is the

interval following the initial pulse where the
transducer ring down prevents detection or
interpretation of reflected energy (echoes)
 BEAM SPREAD

Where:
θ = Beam divergence angle from centerline to point where signal is at half
strength.
V = Sound velocity in the material. (inch/sec or cm/sec)
D = Diameter of the transducer. (inch or cm)
F = Frequency of the transducer. (cycles/second)
ULTRASONIC TESTING EQUIPMENT

amplifier

screen horizontal
IP
BE sweep

clock

pulser
probe
work piece
ULTRASONIC TESTING METHODS
Immersion method

 Pulse Echo method

Contact method
 Two Transducer Method
 Through Transmission Method
 Resonance Method
PULSE ECHO CONTACT METHOD
 The transducer is brought in contact with the test
specimen through the use of couplant
 Straight as well as angle beam can be used for
testing of materials

T ransducer
Initial pulse

Back Surface Echo

Crack
Echo

Crack
Plat e
0 2 4 6 8 10

CONTACT METHOD
 CONTACT METHOD – CONTD.
s

Probe
Sound travel path
Flaw

Work piece
CONTACT METHOD – NORMAL BEAM,
Basic Principles of Ultrasonic
ANGLE BEAMTesting
Plate testing

IP

BE

FLAW 0 2 4 6 8 10
plate
IP = Initial pulse
NORMAL BEAM F = Flaw ANGLE BEAM
BE = Backwall echo
 WALL THICKNESS MEASUREMENT

s
s

Corrosion 0 2 4 6 8 10
 IMMERSION TESTING
Direct contact, Direct contact,
single element probe dual element probe

Through transmission Immersion testing

 IMMERSION TESTING – CONTD.
1 2
surface = water delay
sound entry

backwall flaw

IP 1 IP 2
IE IE

BE BE
F

0 2 4 6 8 10 0 2 4 6 8 10
THROUGH TRANSMISSION TESTING
Through transmission signal

1 T R 1

2 T R 2
0 2 4 6 8 10

Flaw