WHAT IS ULTRASONIC INSPECTION?

The Ultrasonic Testing is a method of Non Destructive Inspection which is based on the phenomenon of the reflection of acoustic waves when they encounter discontinuities in a material. The wave will be reflected back to its source if the discontinuity is in a normal position relative to the incident beam. SCI has a variety of different techniques to carry out the Ultrasonic tests:

CONVENTIONAL ULTRASOUND

Conventional Ultrasound test equipment works on the principle of sending a pulsed beam of high-frequency ultrasound from a handheld transducer or probe, which is placed on the surface of the object to be tested.

In this manual method the inspecting engineer is directly responsible for the proper application of the inspection procedures, both in handling the probe and in the interpretation of the data.

 ADVANCED ULTRASOUND

SCI has also spent more than a decade developing its own Automated Ultrasonic Inspection Equipment, whether it be conventional techniques based on pulse-echo, or the more innovative systems such as Phased Array or TOFD.

The Automatic Ultrasonic Testing (AUT) with the pulse-echo method is performed by dividing up the welding areas and using a specific probe for each zone. This method involves using a varying number of feelers for each zone, depending on the profile and thickness of the weld. The probes, mounted on a carriage moving circumferentially around the welding, maintain a constant distance from the center line.

Today, the use of Phased Array technology, has enabled considerable progress in method and execution in this area. The Phased Array system is based on using probes with multiple crystals. By selecting a particular set of probes and applying appropriate delays, different angles can be obtained. But recent advances means that the procedure can now be carried out by a single probe.

Automatic Ultrasounds provide some significant advantages such as::

  • Minimising the time between the test performance and the reporting of results allows the immediate correction of defects in the system occurring during construction and so consequently reduces the number of repairs
  • Since exclusion zones are unnecessary as radioactive resources are not used, personnel can now carry out testing in front of the welding.
  • There is better detection of linear defects such as lack of fusion.
  • The depth of defects can be easily localised, facilitating the repair process.
  • Allowing sizing defects in height, in order to employ alternative acceptance criteria, for example, the Engineering Critical Assessment (ECA).

For more information related to this service

Contact SCI in our phone (+001 713 943 12 20) or through our e-mail sci@sciusacorp.com. You can visit us at our offices in USA, Spain, France, China, Mexico, Peru or Chile.