Omniscan Tip of The Month: Tip Diffraction or DB Drop For Sizing of Weld Flaws?
Omniscan Tip of The Month: Tip Diffraction or DB Drop For Sizing of Weld Flaws?
Omniscan Tip of The Month: Tip Diffraction or DB Drop For Sizing of Weld Flaws?
V4.1R8
The answer to this question depends on the flaw type, size, and orientation.
The intent of this presentation is to provide a general overview of length, depth, and
height sizing of common flaw types and under which condition a dB drop or tip
diffraction sizing technique is most beneficial.
OmniScan SX \ MX2 \ OmniPC Tip dB Drop for Height and Depth Sizing
Height sizing is performed on the S-scan and A-scan by placing the cursors on the
extremities of the flaw.
Again, because the flaw is larger than the beam size and there is near perpendicular
orientation, a dB drop sizing technique for lack of fusion flaws will result in precision
depth and height sizing accuracy.
OmniScan SX \ MX2 \ OmniPC Tip dB Drop for Height and Depth Sizing cont.
The vertical purple scale on the UT axis ruler is angle corrected for true depth.
The green UT cursor is placed at 25mm as the flaw is determined to be connected to
the ID . (25mm thickness at B0)
The red UT cursor is placed at the flaw upper extremity based on -6dB drop sizing
using the color palette or manipulating the data cursor in the S-scan.
OmniScan SX \ MX2 \ OmniPC Tip dB Drop for Height and Depth Sizing cont.
The upper extremity of the lack of fusion is identified with the cursor for a through
wall dimension of 5mm measured from the pipe ID.
The -6dB drop technique is precise for a lack of fusion measurement because of the
flaw size and perpendicular orientation of the beam to the flaw.
OmniScan SX \ MX2 \ OmniPC Tip dB Drop for Height and Depth Sizing cont.
The DA reading displays the true depth of the maximum amplitude signal in gate A
for the selected beam.
Placing the S-scan blue data cursor on the flaw extremity updates the trigonometry
readings that are automatically calculated based on gate max amplitude position.
Using the gate data from the 64.5 degree beam, the true depth position of the upper
extremity of the lack of fusion is 19.99mm deep measured from the part surface.
OmniScan SX \ MX2 \ OmniPC Tip dB Drop for Height and Depth Sizing cont.
Manipulation of the OmniScan color palette can assist in precision dB drop
measurements as well.
In the example below all data <50% amplitude in gate A was excluded from the Sscan resulting in a -6dB drop precision measurement of the flaw height.
OmniScan SX \ MX2 \ OmniPC Tip Tip Diffraction for Crack Sizing cont.
The flaw start and stop position for length sizing were detected from different sides of
the weld for a total length of 50mm.
Although length sizing of cracks is also performed using the amplitude color palette,
cracks will vary in amplitude, depth, and height along the weld line.
For this reason a rapid dB drop technique on the flaw extremities is used regardless
of flaw maximum amplitude detected along weld line.
OmniScan SX \ MX2 \ OmniPC Tip Tip Diffraction for Crack Sizing cont.
Using the same 5MHz focused phased array probe, the shear wave tip diffracted
signal from the crack ligament will be smaller than the beam size and dB drop sizing
of the A-scan amplitude and S-scan color palette will play no part in the sizing.
Cursor placement is made based on the center of energy of the crack ligament.
The color palette is used to determine the center of the energy in the tip diffraction
signal but is not used for amplitude drop to determine flaw extremity.
Palette adjustment
OmniScan SX \ MX2 \ OmniPC Tip Tip Diffraction for Crack Sizing cont.
Cursor position is at the center of energy of deepest and shallowest tip signals from
the crack ligaments.
In this case the deep and shallow tip extremities were detected from different sides of
the weld with different probes.
OmniScan SX \ MX2 \ OmniPC Tip Tip Diffraction for Crack Sizing cont.
The embedded crack has a through wall dimension of 10.78mm, the deepest
ligament at 13.29mm and it is not connected to the outside diameter pipe surface.
OmniScan SX \ MX2 \ OmniPC Tip Tip Diffraction for Crack Sizing cont.
The blue cursor on the C-scan displays the S-scan slice of the weld at that position.
After height sizing the flaw, the C-scan data cursor is moved along the scan axis to
ensure the crack is wholly contained within the area defined by the UT axis cursors.