Ultrasonic Inspection

Fundamentals

UT is a volumetric inspection utilizing sound waves to “see” into material. Echoes are depicted on a small computer for the operator to evaluate. UT works best with square, rectangular, or circular shapes. It is often requested post heat-treat to ensure that the raw material has maintained its internal consistency prior to machining. It relies on the flaw to be oriented such that the sound wave will reflect back to the probe (transducer) similar to a dolphin using echo-location. For this reason, there exists an unavoidable possibility that a given defect can be oriented in a manner that makes it invisible to ultrasonic inspection.

 

UT is safer, faster, and less expensive than radiography (a different volumetric inspection) and has been an industry-wide practice for decades. To increase the likelihood of finding defects, Tejas has developed a patent-pending phased array UT process that offers you the most comprehensive ultrasonic inspection on the market.

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Requirements

Surface of material to be inspected must be clean and free of any grease, oils, dirt, and other contaminants. Additional fees may apply if our technician cleans material. Minor rust, thin coatings, and minimal scale are permissible. UT inspections are generally performed prior to machining bolt holes, threads, keys, tapers, etc. For bar/tubing inspections at your facility, please have material on racks or timbers to permit easy rolling.