
The three basic techniques used in UT immersion testing are
- the immersion technique: here both the transducer and the test object are immersed in water.
- the bubbler technique or the squirter technique, where the sound beam is transmitted through a column of flowing water.
- the wheel transducer technique: here the transducer is mounted in the axle of a liquid-filled tire that rolls on the test surface.
What is the difference between immersion and ultrasonic testing?
Both techniques are called immersion testing. In immersion testing, the transducer is placed in the water, above the test object, and a beam of sound is projected. Immersion ultrasonic inspection is mainly utilized in shop applications as a method to very accurately locate, classify and size defects in large plate, bar or forged materials.
What is immersion UT and why is it used?
Immersion UT can be used for a wide range of wall thickness and material types, making it a suitable testing method for a variety of applications and industries. Why is it Used? As a non-destructive testing method, ultrasonic testing is ideal for detecting flaws and defects without damaging the object or material being tested.
What is immersion testing?
and test object in a tank of water. Both techniques are called immersion testing. In immersion testing, the transducer Transducer - An electroacoustic or magnetoacoustic device containing an element for converting electrical energy into acoustical energy and vice versa.
Why choose LTI for immersion ultrasonic testing?
At LTI, all immersion UT inspections include chart recording and file maintenance. All immersion ultrasonic testing equipment is computerized for optimum test accuracy and continuous collection of test results for evaluation and archiving. Other products in various shapes and sizes can be tested by the contact method.

What is an immersion test?
Immersion testing evaluates how well your product or component will hold up when submerged in water or other liquids. This is not limited strictly to waterproofing — other factors, such as the ability to withstand rapid changes in pressure or exposure to caustic chemicals, can also be made a part of testing.
What is the difference between contact and immersion testing?
Immersion inspections take place in a liquid which conducts the beam of sound between the probe and test material. With the contact method, an ultrasonic testing probe is run over the surface of the test piece while emitting sound waves through a thin layer of gel couplant.
What is ultrasonic testing used for?
Ultrasonic testing is done in materials to determine whether there are flaws or defects present in a material, and also to determine the thickness of a material. Ultrasonic testing methods use sound waves to find defects and measure thickness.
What are the three types of ultrasonic inspection?
There are three basic ultrasonic inspection methods: pulse echo, through transmission, and resonance.
What tests usually require an immersion tank?
IMMERSION TANK SYSTEMS Inspection of advanced composite structures often requires the use of ultrasonic water immersion systems. The use of composite materials for aerospace structures is increasing and ultrasonic testing using the through transmission immersion technique remains the predominant method of inspection.
What is contact ultrasonic testing?
Contact Us. Ultrasonic testing (UT) comprises a range of non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques that send ultrasonic waves through an object or material. These high frequency sound waves are transmitted into materials to characterise the material or for flaw detecting.
What are the advantages of ultrasonic testing?
Advantages of ultrasonic inspection as a method of Non-Destructive Examination are:Internal defects can be detected and sized when a validated procedure is applied.Thick specimens take no more time to examine than thin ones, assuming correct instrumentation set up.Access to only one side of the component is needed.More items...
Why water is used in ultrasonic testing?
In immersion ultrasonic testing both the transducer and the part are immersed in the couplant, which is typically water. This method of coupling makes it easier to maintain consistent coupling while moving and manipulating the transducer and/or the part.
How accurate is ultrasonic testing?
Under optimum conditions, commercial ultrasonic gages can achieve a level of accuracy as high as ±0.001 mm (0.00004 in.) and ±0.025 mm (0.001 in.) or higher in most common engineering materials.
What is the principle of UT?
Ultrasonic Testing (UT) uses high frequency sound energy to conduct examinations and make measurements. Ultrasonic inspection can be used for flaw detection/evaluation, dimensional measurements, material characterization, and more.
What is the disadvantage of UT?
More expensive than other methods. Difficult to use on thin materials. Part Geometry can cause complications. Needs relatively smooth surface to couple transducer.
What type of defects can be found through ultrasonic testing?
UT technology can detect small defects such as corrosion, pitting, abrasions, and cracking. It can also spot abnormalities on a volumetric level and can detect anomalies that other NDT methods may miss. However, certain UT techniques are more adept at reading flaws than conventional UT.
What is the basic principle of ultrasonic testing?
The basic principles of ultrasonic testing involve the propagation and reflection of sound waves. This 8-minute, 14-second video shows how defects and abnormalities can be detected using the pulse-echo method.
What are ultrasonics and how they are detected?
(a)Using radiometer: Ultrasonic waves can be detected using Radiometer. In this method ultrasonic beam is made to fall on a thin mica fan suspended by a thin wire carrying a small mirror from one end of a light rod. Due to pressure exerted by ultrasonic waves the fan gets detected along with the mirror.
What are the applications of ultrasonic waves?
Ultrasonic waves are used in echocardiography It is used to construct the image of the heart(it) .Ultrasonic waves are used in the detection of cracks in metal blocks.Ultrasonic waves are used to kill bacteria in liquid.Ultrasonic waves for determining the depth of the sea.More items...
How does Immersion Ultrasonic Testing work?
The test object, part or component is positioned in a water-filled tank. An ultrasound probe is then moved over the surface of the part. Sound trav...
What are the advantages?
Efficient inspection of large components, with high resolution compared to conventional ultrasonic inspectionHigh versatility of the inspected comp...
What are the limitations?
Not applicable for in-service inspections due to the immersion tank requiredComponents must be submerged in water, and may be susceptible to corros...
What is immersion ultrasonic testing?
Immersion ultrasonic testing, is an advanced form of ultrasonic testing, and is a more effective method of inspecting than manual ultrasonic testing.
What is Intertek testing?
Intertek specialises in using immersion ultrasonic testing for the aerospace and power industries to inspect raw material and components such as rectilinear discs. However, the technique is also suitable for use in other industrial or manufacturing sectors.
What is immersion ultrasonic?
Immersion ultrasonic testing is a laboratory-based or factory-based non-destructive test that is best suited to curved components, complex geometries and for ultrasonic technique development. In this method, the component or material is submerged in a water, which acts as a couplant in place of the gels used for contact ultrasound.
What is ultrasonic inspection?
Periodic ultrasonic inspections can also be used to check for corrosion or for growth of known flaws, and thus potentially prevent to a failure of a part, component or entire asset. It is used in a wide range of industries including aerospace, automotive, construction, medical, metallurgy, and manufacturing.
What are the advantages of ultrasonic testing?
The advantages of ultrasonic testing include: 1 High penetration power, allowing for flaw detection deep within a part 2 High sensitivity, allowing for the detection of very small flaws 3 Can be used to test when only one side of an object is accessible 4 Greater accuracy, when compared to other non-destructive testing methods, for determining depth of internal flaws and the thickness of parts with parallel surfaces 5 Able to estimate size, shape, orientation and nature of defects 6 Able to estimate alloy structures of components with differing acoustic properties 7 Non-hazardous to nearby personnel, equipment or materials 8 Highly automated and portable operations possible 9 Immediate results can be obtained, allowing for immediate decisions to be made
How does ultrasonic testing work?
What is Ultrasonic Testing and How Does it Work? Ultrasonic testing (UT) comprises a range of non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques that send ultrasonic waves through an object or material. These high frequency sound waves are transmitted into materials to characterise the material or for flaw detecting.
How to perform ultrasonic testing?
Ultrasonic testing can be performed using two basic methods – pulse-echo and through-transmission. With pulse echo testing, the same transducer emits and receives the sound wave energy. This method uses echo signals at an interface, such as the back of the object or an imperfection, to reflect the waves back to the probe.
Why is ultrasonic imaging used?
Ultrasonic technology has been successfully employed in the medical sector for many decades, and is increasingly the preferred option for both routine diagnostic imaging and medical research because of the absence of ionising radiation.
What is UT testing?
UT is also capable of detecting finer defects and planar flaws which may not be assessed as readily with radiographic testing. Applications for UT include those within the aerospace, automotive, construction, rail, medical and oil and gas industries.
How is ultrasonic testing performed?
Ultrasonic testing is performed either by the immersion or contact method. Immersion inspections take place in a liquid which conducts the beam of sound between the probe and test material. With the contact method, an ultrasonic testing probe is run over the surface of the test piece while emitting sound waves through a thin layer of gel couplant. Immersion ultrasonic inspection is preferred in many applications because it is generally faster, more accurate and eliminates the need for direct contact with the test item.
What is the purpose of reflected signals in ultrasonic testing?
As reflected signals are processed by the ultrasonic testing machine, they provide useful information about the condition which caused the reflection. Changes in the reflected energy from the sound waves can identify location and size of defects or inconsistencies in the material or part.
What is an ultrasound probe?
An ultrasound probe connected to an ultrasonic testing machine transmits high frequency sound waves along the exterior of the test material or part. These sound waves are then reflected from the interior surface back to the probe.
What is immersion ultrasonic?
Explain what an immersion ultrasonic#N#Ultrasonic - A term referring to acoustic vibration frequencies greater than about 20,000 hertz.#N# test is and why they are needed in NDT#N#NDT - Acronym for N on d estructive T esting.#N#.
What is immersion method?
Immersion Method - The test method in which the test object and the transducer are submerged in a liquid (usually water) that acts as the coupling medium. The transducer is not usually in contact with the test object. is slightly different. Between the initial pulse.
What is a transducer?
Transducer - An electroacoustic or magnetoacoustic device containing an element for converting electrical energy into acoustical energy and vice versa. See search unit. over the surface of the component in such a way that he inspects all the area that is required to be tested by means of a scanning.
What is the limit for a test using ultrasonic waves?
Ultrasound - A test using ultrasonic waves to create an image of the inside of an object. (slower testing). Detection limits are in the order of 0.1 to 0.2 mm, although smaller defects (typically 0.04mm diameter) can be detected under laboratory conditions.
What is the image on the left of an ultrasound?
The image on the left is the result of an immersion ultrasound. Ultrasound - A test using ultrasonic waves to create an image of the inside of an object. test.
How does an immersion transducer work?
In UT immersion testing, both the transducer and the test object are immersed in water. The sound beam is directed through the water into the material, using either longitudinal waves or shear waves. in immersion testing, longitudinal wave transducers are used to accomplish both longitudinal and shear wave testing of the submerged test object. The entry angle of the ultrasonic wave is adjusted manually or by computer setting to produce the precise angle of refraction through the material that will result in a thorough test for anticipated discontinuity orientations.
What is a wheel transducer?
The wheel transducer technique is a variant of the UT immersion method in that the sound beam is projected through a water filled tire into the test object. The transducer, mounted in the wheel axle, is held in a fixed position while the wheel and the tire rotate freely. The wheel may be mounted on a mobile apparatus that runs across the material, or it may be mounted on a stationary fixture where the material is moved past it.
What is bubbler test?
The bubbler technique is a variation of the UT immersion testing method. The bubbler is typically used with an automated system for high-speed scanning of plate, sheet, strip, rail, tubing, and other regularly shaped forms. The sound beam is projected into the material through a column of flowing water and is directed perpendicular to the test surface to produce longitudinal waves. It can also be adjusted at an angle to the surface to produce shear waves.
What thickness of steel is required for a back wall echo?
When the specimen is steel the water path must be longer than ¼ steel thickness otherwise 1 st back wall echo overlaps the 2 nd surface echo and defects near the back wall may not be seen.
Where is the wheel transducer mounted?
the wheel transducer technique: here the transducer is mounted in the axle of a liquid-filled tire that rolls on the test surface.
What is a bubbler scanner?
The bubbler is typically used with an automated system for high-speed scanning of plate, sheet, strip, rail, tubing, and other regularly shaped forms . The sound beam is projected into the material through a column of flowing water and is directed perpendicular to the test surface to produce longitudinal waves.
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