ULTRASONIC TESTING

UT Q BANK A-13

1. A substance that reduces the surface tension of a liquid is referred to

as:
a. a couplant
b. an ultrasonic dampener
c. a wetting agent
d. none of the above

2. The transducers most commonly found in ultrasonic search

units(probes) used for discontinuity testing utilize:
a. magnetostriction principles
b. piezoelectric principles
c. mode conversion principles
d. none of the above

3. Mechanical and electrical stability ,insolubility in liquids, and resistance

to aging are three advantages of search units containing transducers
made of:
a. lithium sulfate
b. barium titanate
c. quartz
d. Rochelle salts

4. The formula sinØ1=sinØ2 is referred to as

V1 V2
a. the acoustical impedance ratio formula
b. the phase conversion formula
c. the Fresenel zone formula
d. Snell’s law

5. The formula sinØ1=sinØ2 is used to determine

V1 V2
a. angular relationships
b. phase velocities
c. amount of reflected sound energy
d. acoustic impedance

6. The amount of energy reflected from a discontinuity will be dependent

on:
a. the size of the discontinuity
b. the orientation of the discontinuity
c. the type of discontinuity
 d. all of the above
7. if an ultrasonic wave is transmitted through an interface of two
materials in which the first material has a higher acoustic impedance
value but the same velocity value as the second material the angle of
refraction will:
a. be greater than the angle of incidence
b. be less than the angle of incidence
c. be the same as the angle of incidence
d. be beyond the critical angle

8. Which of the following frequencies would probably result in the greatest

ultrasonic attenuation losses?
a. 1.0 megahertz
b. 2.25 megahertz
c. 10 megahertz
d. 25 megahertz

9. The product of the sound velocity and the density of a material is known
as the
a. refraction value of the material
b. acoustic impedance of the material
c. elastic constant of the material
d. poison’s ratio of the material

10. The amplifier range over which the unsaturated signal response
increases in amplitude in proportion to the discontinuities surface is
the:
a. sensitivity range
b. linear range
c. selectivity range

11. When inspecting a rolled or forged surface with a thin scale that is
generally tightly adhering to the part, what is necessary to do before
testing the part?
a. clean the surface of loose scale
b. have all scale removed
c. rough machine the surface
d. caustic etch the surface

12. The angle of reflection of an ultrasonic beam at an aluminum water

interface is:
a. approximately ½ the angle of incidence
b. approximately 4 times the angle of incidence
c. equal to the angle of incidence
d. 0.256 times the angle of incidence
13. What kind of waves travel at velocity slightly less than shear waves and
their mode of propagation is both longitudinal and transverse with
respect to the surface?
a. Rayleigh waves
b. Transverse waves
c. L-waves
d. Longitudinal waves

14. Which ultrasonic test frequency would probably provide the best
penetration in a 12inch thick specimen of coarse grained steel?
a. 2.25 megahertz
b. 1 megahertz
c. 5 megahertz
d. 10 megahertz

15. During immersion testing of an ASTM ultrasonic Standard Reference

Block, a B-Scan presentation system will show a:
a. “Plan” view of the block, showing the area and position of the hole
bottom as seen from the entry surface
b. basic test pattern showing the height of indication from the hold
bottom and its location in depth from the entry surface
c. cross section of the reference block , showing the top and bottom
surfaces of the block and the location of the hole bottom in the
block
d. none of the above

16. Properties of shear or transverse waves used for ultrasonic testing

include:
a. particle motion normal to propagation direction and a propagation
velocity which is abour ½ the longitudinal wave velocity in the same
material
b. exceptionally high sensitivity due to low attenuation resulting from
longer wavelength when propagating through water.
c. High coupling efficiency because shear waves are less sensitive to
surface variables when traveling from a coupling liquid to the part
d. None of the above statements apply to shear waves

17. One of the most common applications of ultrasonic tests employing

shear waves is
a. detection of discontinuities in welds , tube, and pipe
b. determination of elastic properties of metallic products
c. detection of laminar discontinuities in heavy plate
d. measurement of thickness of thin plate
18. Significant errors in ultrasonic thickness measurement can occur if:
a. the test frequency is varying at a constant rate
b. the velocity of propagation deviates substantially from an assumed
constant value for a given material
c. water is employed as a couplant between the transducer and the
part being measured
d. none of the above should cause errors

19. Generally, the best ultrasonic testing method for detecting

discontinuities oriented along the fusion zone in a welded plate is:
a. an angle-beam contact method using surface waves
b. a contact test using a straight longitudinal wave
c. an immersion test using surface waves
d. an angle beam method using shear wave

20. An ultrasonic testing instrument that displays pulses representing the

magnitude of reflected ultrasound as a function of time or depth of
metal is said to contain:
a. a continuous wave display
b. an A scan presentation
c. a B scan presentation
d. a C scan presentation

21. An a water to steel interface the angle of incidence in water is 7˚ .The

principal mode of vibration that exists in the steel is:
a. longigudinal
b. shear
c. both A and B above
d. surface

22. In a liquid medium, the only mode of vibration that can exist is:
a. longitudinal
b. shear
c. both A and B above
d. surface

23. in an ultrasonic instrument, the number of pulses produced y an

instrument in a given period of time is known as the;
a. pulse length of the instrument
b. pulse recovery time
c. frequency
d. pulse repetition rate
24. in a basic pulse-echo ultrasonic instrument, the component that
coordinates the action and timing of other components is called a:
a. display unit or CRT
b. receiver
c. marker circuit or range marker circuit
d. synchronizer, clock or timer

25. In a basic pulse-echo ultrasonic instrument, the component that

produces the voltage that activates the search unit is called
a. an amplifier
b. a receiver
c. a pulser
d. a synchronizer

26. In a basic pulse echo ultrasonic instrument the component that

produces the time base line is called a:
a. sweep circuit
b. receiver
c. pulser
d. synchronizer

27. in a basic pulse echo ultrasonic instrument, the component that

produces visible signals on the CRT which are used to measure
distance is called a
a. sweep circuit
b. marker circuit
c. receiver circuit
d. synchronizer
28. ……….
29. the cathode ray tube screen will display a plan view of the part outline
and defects when using?
a. automatic read-out equipment
b. an A scan presentation
c. a B scan presentation
d. a C scan presentation

30. The incident angles at which 90˚ refraction of longitudinal and shear
waves occurs are called:
a. the normal angles of incidence
b. the critical angles
c. the angles of maximum reflection
d. none of the above
31. Compression waves whose particle displacement is a parallel to the
direction of propagation are called
a. longitudinal waves
b. shear waves
c. lamb waves
d. rayleigh waves

32. which of the following modes of vibration are quickly damped out when
testing by the immersion method?
a. longitudinal waves
b. shear waves
c. transverse waves
d. surface waves

33. The motion of particles in a shear wave is:

a. parallel to the direction of propagation of the ultrasonic beam
b. transverse to the direction of beam propagation
c. limited to the material surface and elliptical in motion
d. polarized in a plane at 45˚ to the direction of beam propagation

34. An ultrasonic longitudinal wave travels in aluminum with a velocity of

635,000 cm./sec and has a frequency of one megahertz. The wave length
of the ultrasonic wave is
a. 6.35 feet
b. 3.10 inches
c. 6.35 millimeters
d. 30,000 angstrom units

35. the refraction angle of longitudinal ultrasonic waves passing from water
into a metallic material at angles other than normal to the interface is
primarily a function of
a. the impedance ratio (r=ZxZm) of water to metal
b. the relative velocities of sound in water and metal
c. the frequency of the ultrasonic beam
d. the density ratio of water to metal

36. In contact testing, shear waves can be induced in the test material by:
a. placing an X-cut crystal directly on the surface of the materials, and
coupling through a film of oil
b. using two transducers on opposite sides of the test specimen
c. placing a spherical acoustic lens on the face of the transducer
d. using a transducer mounted on a plastic wedge so that sound
enters the part at an angle
37. As frequency increases in ultrasonic testing, the angle of beam
divergence of a given diameter crystal:
a. deceases
b. remains unchanged
c. increases
d. varies uniformly through each wavelength

38. which of the following is not an advantage of contact ultrasonic search

units(probes) adapted with Lucite shoes?
a. eliminates most of the crystal wear
b. permits adaptation to curved surfaces
c. increases sensitivity
d. allows ultrasound to enter part’s surface at oblique angles

39. In which medium listed below would the velocity of sound be lowest?
a. air
b. water
c. aluminum
d. stainless steel

40. A longitudinal ultrasonic wave is transmitted from water into steel at an

angle of 5˚ from the normal .In such a case , the refracted angle of the
transverse wave is:
a. less than the refracted angle of the longitudinal wave
b. equal to the refracted angle of the longitudinal wave
c. greater than the refracted angle of the longitudinal wave
d. not present at all

41. The velocity of longitudinal waves will be highest in :

a. water
b. air
c. aluminum
d. stainless steel

42. In steel, the velocity of sound is greatest in which of the following

modes of vibration?
a. longitudinal
b. shear
c. surface wve
d. sound velocity is identical in all modes, in a given material
43. The acoustic impedance is
a. used to calculate the angle of reflection
b. the product of the density of the material ad the velocity of sond in
the material
c. found by Snell’s law
d. used to determine resonance values

44. Thin sheet ma inspected with the ultrasonic wave directed normal to the
surface by observing
a. the amplitude of the front surface reflection
b. the multiple reflection pattern
c. all from surface reflections
d. none of the above

45. A diagram in which the entire circuit stage or sections are shown by
geometric figures and the path of the signal or energy by lines and/or
arrows is called a:
a. schematic diagram
b. blueprint
c. block diagram
d. none of the above
46. ……………
47. A discontinuity that occurs during the casting of molten metal which
may be caused by the splashing, surging, interrupted pouring, or the
meeting of two streams of metal coming from different directions is
called:
a. a burst
b. a cold shut
c. flaking
d. a blow hole

48. The ratio between the wave speed in one material and the wave speed in
a second material is called
a. the acoustic impedance of the interface
b. young’s modulus
c. Poisson’s ratio
d. The index of refraction

49. The expansion and contraction of a magnetic material under the

influence of a changing magnetic field is referred to as:
a. piezoelectricity
b. refraction
c. magnetostriction
d. rarefaction
 ULTRASONIC TESTING
UT Q BANK A-13
ANSWERS

QUESTIONS ANSWERS QUESTIONS ANSWERS

1 C 26 A
2 B 27 B
3 C 28 B
4 D 29 D
5 A 30 B
6 D 31 A
7 C 32 D
8 D 33 B
9 B 34 C
10 B 35 B
11 A 36 D
12 C 37 A
13 A 38 C
14 B 39 A
15 C 40 A
16 A 41 C
17 A 42 A
18 B 43 B
19 D 44 B
20 B 45 C
21 A 46 D
22 A 47 B
23 D 48 A
24 D 49 A
25 C