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Ultrasonic Testing
Part 1
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Ultrasonic Testing
NDT Training & Certification
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Course Layout
Duration : 9.5 Days (Mon Fri)
Start : 8:30 am
Coffee Break : 10:00 10:30 am
Lunch : 12:30 1:30 pm
Tea Break : 3:00 3:30 pm
Day End : 5:00 pm
Course Objective: To train and prepare
participants to obtain required skill and
knowledge in Ultrasonic Testing and to meet the
examination schemes requirements.
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NDT
Most common NDT methods:

Penetrant Testing (PT)
Magnetic Particle Testing (MT)
Eddy Current Testing (ET)
Radiographic Testing (RT)
Ultrasonic Testing (UT)
Mainly used for
surface testing
Mainly used for
Internal Testing
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NDT
Which method is the best ?
Depends on many factors and conditions
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Basic Principles of Ultrasonic
Testing
To understand and
appreciate the
capability and
limitation of UT

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Basic Principles of Ultrasonic Testing
Sound is transmitted in the material to be tested
The sound reflected back to the
probe is displayed on
the Flaw Detector
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Basic Principles of Ultrasonic Testing
The distance the sound traveled can be displayed on the Flaw Detector
The screen can be calibrated to give accurate readings of the distance
Bottom / Backwall
Signal from the backwall
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Basic Principles of Ultrasonic Testing
The presence of a Defect in the material shows up on the screen of
the flaw detector with a less distance than the bottom of the material
The BWE signal
Defect signal
Defect
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The depth of the defect can be read with reference
to the marker on the screen
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
60 mm
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Thickness / depth measurement
A
A
B
B
C
C
The THINNER the material
the less distance the sound
travel
The closer the reflector
to the surface, the signal
will be more to the left of
the screen
The thickness is read from the screen
68 46 30
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Ultrasonic Testing
Principles of Sound
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Ultrasonic
Sound : mechanical vibration
What is Ultrasonic?
Very High Frequency sound above 20 KHz
20,000 cps
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Acoustic Spectrum
0 10 100 1K 10K 100K 1M 10M 100m
Sonic / Audible
Human
16Hz - 20kHz
Ultrasonic
> 20kHz = 20,000Hz
Ultrasonic Testing
0.5MHz - 50MHz
Ultrasonic : Sound with frequency above 20 KHz
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DRUM BEAT
Low Frequency Sound
40 Hz
Glass
High Frequency
5 K Hz
ULTRASONIC TESTING
Very High Frequency
5 M Hz
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Sound waves are the vibration of particles in solids
liquids or gases
Particles vibrate about a mean position
One cycle
Displacement
The distance
taken to
complete one
cycle
wavelength

wavelength
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Properties of a sound wave
Sound cannot travel
in vacuum
Sound energy to be
transmitted /
transferred from one
particle to another
SOLID LIQUID GAS
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Sound
Wavelength :
The distance required to complete a cycle
Measured in Meter or mm
Frequency :
The number of cycles per unit time
Measured in Hertz (Hz) or Cycles per second (cps)
Velocity :
How quick the sound travels
Distance per unit time
Measured in meter / second (m / sec)

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f
V
=
Velocity
Frequency
Wavelength
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High Frequency Sound
f
V
=
5MHz compression
wave probe in steel
mm 18 . 1
000 , 000 , 5
000 , 900 , 5
= =
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Frequency
Frequency : Number of cycles per
second
1 second
1 cycle per 1 second =
1 Hertz
18 cycle per 1 second
= 18 Hertz
3 cycle per 1 second =
3 Hertz
1 second 1 second
THE HIGHER THE FREQUENCY THE SMALLER THE
WAVELENGTH
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Frequency
1 Hz = 1 cycle per second
1 Kilohertz = 1 KHz = 1000Hz
1 Megahertz = 1 MHz = 1000 000Hz

20 KHz =
20 000 Hz
5 M Hz = 5 000 000 Hz
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Frequency
1 M Hz 5 M Hz 10 M Hz 25 M Hz
Which probe has the smallest wavelength?
SMALLEST LONGEST
Which probe has the longest wavelength?
= v / f
F
F
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Wavelength and frequency
The higher the frequency the smaller the
wavelength
The smaller the wavelength the higher the
sensitivity
Sensitivity : The smallest detectable
flaw by the system or
technique
In UT the smallest detectable flaw is
(half the wavelength)
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Which of the following compressional
probe has the highest sensitivity?
1 MHz
2 MHz
5 MHz
10 MHz
10 MHz
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Acoustic Spectrum
0 10 100 1K 10K 100K 1M 10M 100m
Ultrasonic
> 20kHz = 20,000Hz
Ultrasonic : Sound with frequency above 20 KHz
Sonic / Audible
Human
16Hz - 20kHz
Testing 0.5MHz - 50MHz
Very high frequency = Very small wavelength
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Velocity
The velocity of sound in a particular material is CONSTANT
It is the product of DENSITY and ELASTICITY of the
material
It will NOT change if frequency changes
Only the wavelength changes
Examples:
V Compression in steel : 5960 m/s
V Compression in water : 1470 m/s
V Compression in air : 330 m/s

STEEL WATER AIR
5 M Hz
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Velocity
4 times
What is the velocity difference in steel compared with in
water?
If the frequency remain constant, in what material does
sound has the highest velocity, steel, water, or air?
Steel
If the frequency remain constant, in what material does
sound has the shortest wavelength, steel, water, or air?
Air
Remember the formula
= v / f
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Sound Waveforms
Sound travels in different waveforms in
different conditions
Compression wave
Shear wave
Surface wave
Lamb wave
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Compression / Longitudinal
Vibration and propagation in the same
direction / parallel
Travel in solids, liquids and gases
Propagation
Particle vibration
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Shear / Transverse
Vibration at right angles / perpendicular to
direction of propagation
Travel in solids only
Velocity ~ 1/2 compression (same material)
Propagation
Particle vibration
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Surface Wave
Elliptical vibration
Velocity 8% less than shear
Penetrate one wavelength deep
Easily dampened by heavy grease or wet finger
Follows curves but reflected by sharp corners or
surface cracks
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Lamb / Plate Wave
Produced by the manipulation of surface
waves and others
Used mainly to test very thin materials /
plates
Velocity varies with plate thickness and
frequencies
SYMETRIC ASSYMETRIC
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Compression v Shear
Frequency
0.5MHz
1 MHz
2MHz
4MHz
6MHZ
Compression
11.8
5.9
2.95
1.48
0.98
Shear
6.5
3.2
1.6
0.8
0.54
The smaller the wavelength the better the
sensitivity
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Sound travelling through a material
Velocity varies according to the material
Compression waves

Steel 5960m/sec
Water 1470m/sec
Air 344m/sec
Copper 4700m/sec
Shear waves
Steel 3245m/sec
Water NA
Air NA
Copper 2330m/sec
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Loses intensity
due to
Sound travelling through a material
Attenuation
Sound beam comparable
to a torch beam
Reduction differs for small
and large reflectors
Energy losses due to
material
Made up of absorption
and scatter
Beam Spread
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Scatter
The bigger the grain
size the worse the
problem
The higher the
frequency of the
probe the worse the
problem
1 MHz 5 MHz
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Beam Spread
The sound beam
spread out and the
intensity decreases
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Beam spread and Attenuation combined
80%
FSH
40%
FSH
No attenuation,only beam
spread. 6dB reduction
80%
FSH
36%
FSH
Attenuation and beam
spread. 6dB+ reduction
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Sound at an Interface
Sound will be either transmitted across
or reflected back
Reflected
Transmitted
Interface
How much is reflected and
transmitted depends upon the
relative acoustic impedance of
the 2 materials
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Acoustic Impedance
Definition
The Resistance to the
passage of sound
within a material
Formula

V Z =
Measured in
kg / m
2
x sec
Steel 46.7 x 10
6

Water 1.48 x 10
6
Air 0.0041 x 10
6
Perspex 3.2 x 10
6
= Density , V = Velocity
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% Sound Reflected at an
Interface
ref lected
Z Z
Z Z
% 100
2
2 1
2 1
=
(

% Sound Reflected + % Sound Transmitted = 100%

Therefore
% Sound Transmitted = 100% - % Sound Reflected
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Sound at an Interface
Sound will be either transmitted across
or reflected back
Reflected
Transmitted
Interface
How much is reflected and
transmitted depends upon the
relative acoustic impedance of
the 2 materials
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How much sound is reflected at a steel to water
interface?
Z
1
(Steel) = 46.7 x 10
6

Z
2
(Water) =1.48 x 10
6
reflected % 100
48 . 1 7 . 46
48 . 1 7 . 46
2
=
(

reflected % 100
18 . 48
22 . 45
2
=
(

reflected % 88.09 100 93856 . 0

2
=
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How much sound transmitted?
100 % - the reflected sound
Example : Steel to water
100 % - 88 % ( REFLECTED) = 12 % TRANSMITTED
The BIGGER the Acoustic Impedance Ratio
or Difference between the two materials:
More sound REFLECTED than transmitted.
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Steel
Air
Steel
Air
Steel
Steel
Aluminum
Steel
Large Acoustic Impedance
Ratio
Large Acoustic Impedance
Ratio
No Acoustic Impedance
Difference
Small Acoustic Impedance
Difference
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Ultrasonic Displays
A scan
The CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
display
The Horizontal axis :
Represents time base /
beam path length /
distance / depth
The Vertical axis :
Represent the amount of
sound energy
returned to the crystal

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Ultrasonic Displays
B scan
The End View Display



B
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Ultrasonic Displays
A scan
The CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
display
The Horizontal axis :
Represents time base /
beam path length /
distance / depth
The Vertical axis :
Represent the amount of
sound energy
returned to the crystal

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Ultrasonic Displays
C scan
The Plan View Display



C
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Ultrasonic Displays
D scan
The Side View Display



D