ANDE Course: TOFD

ANDECourse:TOFD
September 24, 2009

TimeofFlightDiffraction(TOFD)

TypicalAScan

TOFD Principle
TOFDPrinciple
Incident wave
Incidentwave
Diffracted
Wave

Reflected wave
Defect

Specular highly directiondependent

Diffracted
Wave

Nonspecular independent ofangle

LTOFDandSTOFD

Bottomtip

GeometricTheoryof
Diffraction (GTD)
Diffraction(GTD)

OptimumanglesforPwavedetectionof
symmetricallyplacedcrackwithnegligible
attenuation

OptimumanglesforSVwavedetectionof
symmetricallyplacedcrack

Raybased
(highfrequencyandfarfield)
Diffractioncoefficientsarederivedto
beusedlikereflectioncoefficients
Modeconversionconsidered
Topandbottomcracktipstreated
independently
Failsatshadowboundaries

Toptip

TOFD: Basics
TOFD:Basics
Widebeamwidthsfor
transmissionandreception
d
Shortpulsewidths(broad
band)
Cracksinthicksamples
(nonoverlappingsignals)
aresimplerbutfor
atten ation
attenuation
Cracksinthinsamples
(overlappingsignals)need
special signal processing
specialsignalprocessing
tools
Bscansaremoreuseful
than A scans
thanAscans

TOFD:BScan

Bscansimulationusingraymethodfordifferentrelativepositionsofavertical
embeddedcrackinthe(a)righthalf,(b)middle,and(c)lefthalfoftheprobe,aswell
asthecorresponding(d)Bscansimulation.
Here1,2,3,and4correspondtolateral,defectechofromthetop,defectechofrom
thebottom,andbackwall echo,respectively.

BScanExamples

TOFDBscanimagecomponentsfora3.25mm
verticaldefectina10mmAlsample

TOFDis sensitivetoalldefects
including volumetric defects.
TOFD imaging ofdefects
TOFDimaging
of defects inweld
in weld

TOFDBScansat5MHzand10MHz
5MHz

10MHz

ComparisonofexperimentalandsimulatedBscanimages.Figures(a),(b),(c),and(d)are
experimentalBscansoverthedefectsofsizes6.5,3.25,1.6,and0.8mm,respectively.
Figures(e),(f),(g),and(h)aresimulatedBscansoverthesamedefects.

TOFD:BScansofInclinedCracks

Measuringthedefectsize(L)andtheangleofinclination()
foraninclineddefect

ComparisonofexperimentalBscanswithsimulatedBscans
ona10mmthickaluminium sample,with60 inclined
defectsofsizes(L),(a)6.5mmand(b)3.25mm

TOFD:BScans
of Inclined
ofInclined
Cracks

Baskaran etal.,JournalofPressureVessel
Technology,Vol.127,pp262268(2005)

Variationofdefectcurveshapefordifferentangleofinclination(),
fromhorizontaldefect(a)toverticaldefect(j),fora6mmdefect
ina10mmthickaluminumplate

TOFDusingPAProbes
UT1

UT2
H crack = (UT2 UT1 ) cos

Relativearrivaltimetechnique(RATT) Crackheight
basedoncracktipandcornertrapsignals

H crack = UT2 cos 2 UT1 cos 1

Detectionofinnersurfacebreakingcracks
usingmodeconversion

Angleofarrivaltimetechnique(AATT) Crackheight
basedoncracktipandcornertrapsignals
atdistinctangles

MoreinspectionoptionswithPAProbes

Detectionofembeddedcracksusingmodeconversion

References
Baskaran, G,
Baskaran
G K.
K Balasubramaniam,
Balasubramaniam C.V.
C V Krishnamurthy and C.L.
C L Rao (2005) A Ray
Based Model for the Ultrasonic Time of Flight Diffraction Simulation of Thin Walled
Structure Inspection. ASME Trans. Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, 127(3), 262-268.
Baskaran, G., K. Balasubramaniam and C.L. Rao (2006) Shear-wave time of flight
diffraction (S
(S-TOFD)
TOFD) technique. NDT & E International, 39, 458
458-467
467
Mondal , S (2000) An overview TOFD method and its Mathematical Model,
http://www.ndt.net/article/v05n04/mondal/mondal.htm, NDT.net. 5 ,No. 04.
Ogilvy, JJ. A
Ogilvy
A. and J.
J A
A. G
G. Temple (1983) Diffraction of Elastic Waves by cracks:
Application to Time of Flight Inspection. Ultrasonics; 7,259-269.
Temple, J. A. G. (1983) Time-of-flight inspection: theory. Nucl. Energy, 22, No. 5, Oct.,
335-348.