Ultrasonic Testing

Ultrasonic inspection is a non-destructive method in which high frequency sound waves are introduced into the material being inspected. Most ultrasonic inspection is done at frequencies between 0.5 and 20 MHz, well above the range of human hearing which is about 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The sound waves travel through the material with some loss of energy (attenuation) due to material characteristics. The intensity of sound waves is either measured, after reflection (pulse echo) at interfaces (or flaw) or is measured at the opposite surface of the specimen (pulse transmission). The reflected beam is detected and analyzed to define the presence and location of flaws. The degree of reflection depends largely on the physical state of matter on the opposite side of the interface, and to a lesser extent on specific physical properties of that matter, for instance, sound waves are almost completely reflected at metal-gas interfaces. Partial reflection occurs at metal-liquid or metal-solid interfaces. Ultrasonic testing has a superior penetrating power than radiography and can detect flaws deep in the test specimen (say up to about 6 to 7 metre of steel). It is quite sensitive to small flaws and allows the precise determination of the location and size of the flaws.

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