An Introduction To Ultrasonic Inspection

By Rena Hudson


Ultra sonic testing utilizes high frequency energy of sound to take measurements and facilitate examinations. It can be used for flaw evaluation or detection, material characterization, dimensional measurements, and many more. Ultrasonic inspection can be an incredibly fast, precise and economical way of identifying and plotting discontinuities such as laminations and inclusions in a wide variety of finished and wrought metals. It can also be applied in plated and composite items.

The testing method is used in examining fully penetrated groove welds and machine parts that rotate in high velocities. Thicknesses of materials can also be measured with this method. Complex electronic equipment are applied, connected to one transducer or more.

These transducers are capable of generating and detecting high-frequency sound waves transmitted through the material being tested. After transmission, the sound waves bounce back to calculate the thickness of the material or reveal defects. Since ultrasonic testing requires access to only one side of the specimen under test, it is in most cases applied in situations where radio graphic testing is not possible.

An archetypal system for ultra sonic testing consists of several functional units such as the receiver, the transducer, and the display screen. A receiver is an electronic appliance whose role is to produce ultrasonic sound energy in very high frequencies. The receiver operates the transducer in a way that it generates the ultrasonic sound energy in frequencies that are quite high. The energy is then directed to pass through the test material and propagates through it in wave from.

A transducer produces the sound waves as well as receives them. Normally, it sends the waves either in form of an angle beam or straight beam. On the surface of the test material, a couplant is applied to transmit sound waves to the surface.It also prevent loss of the waves thus increasing the tests accuracy. Time taken to travel by the signal can be computed to give to the distance that is travels. Data concerning some of the requirements for completing the test can in some cases be gained from the signal.

Ultrasonic testing is quite a versatile and useful Non-Destructive inspection way that comes with several merits. Notable advantages includes being able to figure out defects that convection pressure test using water cannot figure, such as undershooting in the material wall thickness.

More merits are seen in that every flaw that is found out is reproducible. In addition, no damage is dome to the material being tested, and it can be tested in an operative condition.This significantly decreases the workload. The method also takes place quickly hence no time is wasted, and is quite economical and accurate.

This testing method can be used to take other measurements in addition to detecting flaws, like measuring thickness. If automated systems are applied in it, highly comprehensive images can be gotten.

This introduction above gives a simplified overview of ultrasonic inspection as an Non-Destructive Testing method. However, the real process is quite complicated, and one has to go through it in detail in order to perform an inspection with the help of ultrasonics.




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