Ultrasonic Testing (UT)

Quality and NDT Solutions, LLC (QNS) delivers quick and affordable support, services and solutions to multiple industries, including Aerospace, Petrochemical, Power Generation.   QNS provides a variety of Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation (NDT/NDE) services, including Ultrasonic Testing (UT) and Advanced Ultrasonic testing, training and support.

Ultrasonic testing is a nondestructive testing method used to evaluate material integrity on a variety of metallic and nonmetallic materials.  High frequency sound waves, or “ultrasound” above 20 kHz, is transmitted through a material using a transducer.  The process and science behind the technology is similar to that used in the medical field.  The obvious difference is the equipment used.

Applications

The aerospace industry regularly utilizes ultrasonic testing for thickness measurement, crack and inclusion detection, as well as detection of disbond’s (voids), porosity and delamination’s in composite and metal bond components.  Raw billet and forging materials are routinely inspected using UT in accordance with AMS-STD-2154.

Petrochemical, power generation and other industrial sectors utilize ultrasonic testing for corrosion detection, tube thinning and weld inspection for various defects.  Heat exchanger and boiler tubes are can inspected using IRIS (internal rotary inspection system) for ferromagnetic materials (see below for Advanced Ultrasonic methods).

Equipment and Training Requirements

Ultrasonic equipment ranges from basic to complex.  Basic flaw detectors are widely available from a variety of manufacturers.  Probes, cables and calibration standards are typically unique to the application and material being tested and can become quite costly. 

Common UT equipment and techniques range from simple handheld units, to complex gantry or robotic machines.  Handheld units today utilize LED flat screen displays instead of the older CRT oscilloscope displays.  Immersion and C-scan gantry or robotic systems have become commonplace, although require significant upfront investment. Advances in equipment and software solutions allows for automated scanning and defect recognition in many cases.

Similar to Eddy Current, Ultrasonic testing training and experience requirements vary by industry.  Regardless of the industry, a thorough training program is essential.  Technicians must have a comprehensive understanding of the test method to ensure a reliable test.  A potential Level 2 technician candidate in the aerospace is required to have 80 hours of classroom training and 800 experience hours prior to becoming certified.  This is due to the complexities of the method and the various applications of the inspection method.