E07.06 - Ultrasonic Method

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is intended primarily for the testing of flat panel composites and sandwich core panels to an acceptance criteria most typically specified in a purchase order or other contractual document.  
5.2 Basis of Application—There are areas in this practice that require agreement between the cognizant engineering organization and the supplier, or specific direction from the cognizant engineering organization.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers two procedures for ultrasonic testing (UT) of flat panel (parallel surfaces) composites and flat sandwich core panels. Typical as-fabricated lay-ups include uniaxial, cross ply, and angle ply laminates, as well as honeycomb sandwich core materials. These procedures can be used throughout the life cycle of the materials: product and process design optimization, on line process control, after manufacture inspection, and in-service inspection. Contact methods, such as angle-beam techniques using shear waves, are not discussed.  
1.2 Ultrasonic testing is a common subsurface method for detection of laminar discontinuities. Two techniques can be considered based on panel surface accessibility; pulse echo for one sided and through transmission (bubblers/squirters) for two sided. As used in this practice, both require the use of a pulsed straight-beam ultrasonic longitudinal wave followed by observing indications of either the reflected (pulse-echo) or received (through transmission) wave. The general types of anomalies detected by both techniques include foreign materials, delamination, disbond/un-bond, fiber de-bonding, inclusions, porosity, and voids.  
1.3 This practice provides two ultrasonic test procedures. These test procedures can be applied to small area manual scanning and large area automated scanning. Each has its own merits and requirements for inspection and shall be selected as agreed upon in a contractual document.  
1.3.1 Test Procedure A, Pulse Echo (Non-contacting and Contacting), is at a minimum a single transducer transmitting and receiving a longitudinal wave in the range of 0.5 MHz to 20 MHz (see Fig. 1). This procedure requires access to only one side of the specimen. This procedure can be conducted by automated or manual means. Automated and manual test results may be imaged or recorded.
FIG. 1 Test Procedure A, Example Pulse Echo Apparatus Set-ups  
1.3.2 Test Procedure B, Through Transmission,  is a combination of two transducers. One transmits a longitudinal wave and the other receives the longitudinal wave in the range of 0.5 MHz to 20 MHz (see Fig. 2 for an example set-up using squirters). This procedure requires access to both sides of the specimen. This procedure is automated and the examination results are recorded.
FIG. 2 Test Procedure B, Through Transmission Apparatus Set-up Using Squirters  
1.4 This practice does not specify accept-reject criteria.  
1.5 Units—The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is intended for the semi-automated or automated ultrasonic examination of electrofusion joints used in the construction and maintenance of polyethylene piping systems.  
5.2 Polyethylene piping has been used instead of steel alloys in the petrochemical, power, water, gas distribution, and mining industries due to its reliability and resistance to corrosion and erosion.  
5.3 The joining process can be subject to a variety of flaws including, but not limited to: lack of fusion, cold fusion, particulate contamination, inclusions, short stab depth, and voids.  
5.4 Polyethylene material can have a range of acoustic characteristics that make electrofusion joint examination difficult. Polyethylene materials are highly attenuative, which often limits the use of higher ultrasonic frequencies. It also exhibits a natural high frequency filtering effect. An example of the range of acoustic characteristics is provided in Table 1.6 The table notes the wide range of acoustic velocities reported in the literature. This makes it essential that the reference blocks are made from pipe grade polyethylene with the same density cell class as the electrofusion fitting examined. (A) A range of velocity and attenuation values have been noted in the literature (1-9).  
5.5 Polyethylene is reported to have a shear velocity of 987 m/s. However, due to extremely high attenuation in shear mode (on the order of 5 dB/mm (127 dB/in.) at 2 MHz) no practical examinations can be carried out using shear mode (6).  
5.6 Due to the wide range of applications, joint acceptance criteria for polyethylene pipe are usually project-specific.  
5.7 A cross-sectional view of a typical joint between polyethylene pipe and an electrofusion coupling is illustrated in Fig. 1.
FIG. 1 Typical Cross-Sectional View of an Electrofusion Coupling Joint
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers procedures for phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) of electrofusion joints in polyethylene pipe systems. Although high density polyethylene (HDPE) and medium density polyethylene (MDPE) materials are most commonly used, the procedures described may apply to other types of polyethylene.  
Note 1: The notes in this practice are for information only and shall not be considered part of this practice.
Note 2: This standard references HDPE and MDPE for pipe applications defined by Specification D3350.  
1.2 This practice does not address ultrasonic examination of butt fusions. Ultrasonic testing of polyethylene butt fusion joints is addressed in Practice E3044/E3044M.  
1.3 Phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) of polyethylene electrofusion joints uses longitudinal waves introduced by an array probe mounted on a zero degree wedge. This practice is intended to be used on polyethylene electrofusion couplings for use on polyethylene pipe ranging in diameters from nominal 4 in. to 28 in. (100 mm to 710 mm) and for coupling wall thicknesses from 0.3 in. to 2 in. (8 mm to 50 mm). Greater and lesser thicknesses and diameters may be tested using this standard practice if the technique can be demonstrated to provide adequate detection on mockups of the same geometry.  
1.4 This practice does not specify acceptance criteria.  
1.5 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be used independently of the other, and values from the two systems shall not be combined.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recogniz...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 The velocity measurements described in this practice may be used to characterize material variations that affect mechanical or physical properties. This procedure is useful for measuring variations in microstructural features such as grain structure, pore fractions, and density variations in monolithic ceramics.  
4.2 Velocity measurements described herein can assess subtle variations in porosity within a given material or component, as, for example, in ceramic superconductors and structural ceramic specimens (2, 3).  
4.3 In addition to ceramics and ceramic composites, the velocity measurements described herein may be applied to polycrystalline and single crystal metals, metal matrix composites, and polymer matrix composites.  
4.4 An alternative technique for velocity measurement is given in Practice E494.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a procedure for measurement of ultrasonic velocity in structural engineering solids such as monolithic ceramics, toughened ceramics, and ceramic matrix composites.  
1.2 This practice is based on the broadband pulse-echo contact ultrasonic method. The procedure involves a computer-implemented, frequency-domain method for precise measurement of time delays between pairs of echoes returned by the back surface of a test sample or part.  
1.3 This practice describes a procedure for using a digital cross-correlation algorithm for velocity measurement. The cross-correlation function yields a time delay between any two echo waveforms (1).2  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is intended primarily for the manual ultrasonic scanning of electrofusion joints used in the construction and maintenance of polyethylene piping systems.  
5.2 Polyethylene piping has been used instead of steel alloys in the petrochemical, power, water, gas distribution, and mining industries due to its reliability and resistance to corrosion and erosion.  
5.3 This practice is not intended to provide 100 % joint examination. This practice specifies a minimum scanning grid that represents only a portion of the welded interface. As such, there exists a possibility of omitting flaws. In addition, selected areas of the welded interface may not be accessible. The extent of examination shall be specified in the contractual agreement.  
5.4 The joining process can be subject to a variety of flaws including, but not limited to, lack of fusion, particulate contamination, short-stab depth, inclusions, and voids.  
5.5 Polyethylene material can have a range of acoustic characteristics that make electrofusion joint examination difficult. Polyethylene materials are highly attenuative, which often limits the use of higher ultrasonic frequencies. It also exhibits a natural high frequency filtering effect. An example of the range of acoustic characteristics is provided in Table 1.6 The table notes the wide range of acoustic velocities reported in the literature. This makes it essential that the reference blocks are made from pipes with the same Specification D3350 density cell classification as the electrofusion fitting examined. (A) A range of velocity and attenuation values have been noted in the literature (1-9).  
5.6 Polyethylene is reported to have a shear velocity of 987 m/s. However, due to extremely high attenuation in shear mode (on the order of 5 dB/mm [127 dB/inch] at 2 MHz) no practical examinations can be carried out using shear mode (6).  
5.7 Due to the wide range of applications, joint acceptance criteria for polyethylene pipe are usually ...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice establishes a procedure for ultrasonic testing (UT) of electrofusion joints in polyethylene pipe systems. This practice provides one ultrasonic examination procedure for ultrasonic pulse-echo straight beam contact testing, using straight-beam longitudinal waves introduced by direct contact of the search unit with the material being examined.  
1.2 The practice is intended to be used on polyethylene electrofusion socket (for example, couplings) and saddle (for example, tees) fittings for use on polyethylene pipe ranging in diameters from nominal 0.5 in. to 12 in. [12 mm to 300 mm] with pipe dimension ratios (DR) ranging from 6.3 to 17. Greater and lesser thicknesses and greater and lesser diameters may be tested using this practice if the technique can be demonstrated to provide adequate detection on mockups of the same wall thickness and geometry.  
1.3 This practice does not address ultrasonic examination of butt fusions. Ultrasonic testing of polyethylene butt fusion joints is addressed in Practice E3044/E3044M.
Note 1: The notes in this practice are for information only and shall not be considered part of this practice.
Note 2: This standard references HDPE and MDPE materials for pipe applications defined by Specification D3350.  
1.4 This practice does not specify acceptance criteria. Refer to Specification F1055 and Practice F1290 for destructive acceptance criteria.  
1.5 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be used independently of the other, and values from the two systems shall not be combined.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safet...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is useful for characterizing material microstructure or measuring variations in microstructure that occur because of material processing conditions and thermal, mechanical, or chemical exposure (3). When applied to monolithic or composite ceramics, the procedure should reveal microstructural gradients due to density, porosity, and grain variations. This practice may also be applied to polycrystalline metals to assess variations in grain size, porosity, and multiphase constituents.  
5.2 This practice is useful for measuring and comparing microstructural variations among different samples of the same material or for sensing and measuring subtle microstructural variations within a given sample.  
5.3 This practice is useful for mapping variations in the attenuation coefficient and the attenuation spectrum as they pertain to variations in the microstructure and associated properties of monolithic ceramics, ceramic composites and metals.  
5.4 This practice is useful for establishing a reference database for comparing materials and for calibrating ultrasonic attenuation measurement equipment.  
5.5 This practice is not recommended for highly attenuating monolithics or composites that are thick, highly porous, or that have rough or highly textured surfaces. For these materials Practice E664/E664M may be appropriate. Guide E1495/E1495M is recommended for assessing attenuation differences among composite plates and laminates that may exhibit, for example, pervasive matrix porosity or matrix crazing in addition to having complex fiber architectures or thermomechanical degradation (3). The proposed ASTM Standard Practice for Measuring Ultrasonic Velocity in Advanced Ceramics (C1331) is recommended for characterizing monolithic ceramics with significant porosity or porosity variations (4).
SCOPE
1.1 This practice describes a procedure for measurement of ultrasonic attenuation coefficients for advanced structural ceramic materials. The procedure is based on a broadband buffered piezoelectric probe used in the pulse-echo contact mode and emitting either longitudinal or shear waves. The primary objective of this practice is materials characterization.  
1.2 The procedure requires coupling an ultrasonic probe to the surface of a plate-like sample and the recovery of successive front surface and back surface echoes (refer to Fig. 3). Power spectra of the echoes are used to calculate the attenuation spectrum (attenuation coefficient as a function of ultrasonic frequency) for the sample material. The transducer bandwidth and spectral response are selected to cover a range of frequencies and corresponding wavelengths that interact with microstructural features of interest in solid test samples.  
1.3 The purpose of this practice is to establish fundamental procedures for measurement of ultrasonic attenuation coefficients. These measurements should distinguish and quantify microstructural differences among solid samples and therefore help establish a reference database for comparing materials and calibrating ultrasonic attenuation measurement equipment.  
1.4 This practice applies to monolithic ceramics and also polycrystalline metals. This practice may be applied to whisker reinforced ceramics, particulate toughened ceramics, and ceramic composites provided that similar constraints on sample size, shape, and finish are met as described herein for monolithic ceramics.  
1.5 This practice sets forth the constraints on sample size, shape, and finish that will assure valid attenuation coefficient measurements. This practice also describes the instrumentat- ion, methods, and data processing procedures for accomplishing the measurements.  
1.6 This practice is not recommended for highly attenuating materials such as very thick, very porous, rough-surfaced monolithics or composites. This practice is not recommended for highly nonuniform, heterogeneous, cracked, defective, or otherwise flaw...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The procedures described in this practice have proven utility in the inspecting (1) monolithic polymer matrix composites (laminates) for bulk defects, (2) metals for corrosion during the service life of the part of interest, (3) thickness checks, (4) adhesive bonding of metals, composites, and sandwich core constructions, (5) coatings, and (6) composite filament windings. Both unpressurized, and with suitable precautions, pressurized materials and components are inspected.  
5.2 This practice provides guidelines for the application of longitudinal wave examination to the detection and quantitative evaluation of damage, discontinuities, and thickness variations in materials.  
5.3 This practice is intended primarily for the testing of parts to acceptance criteria most typically specified in a purchase order or other contractual document, and for testing of parts in-service to detect and evaluate damage.  
5.4 MAUT search units provide near-surface resolution and detection of small discontinuities comparable to phased array transducers. They may or may not be capable of beam steering. The advantage of MAUT for straight-beam longitudinal wave inspections is the ability to provide real-time C-scan data, which facilitates data interpretation and shortens inspection time. Depending on inspection needs, data can be displayed as A-, B- or C-scans, or three-dimensional renderings. Toggling between pulse-echo and through transmission ultrasonic (TTU) modes without having to use another system or changing transducers is also possible.  
5.5 The MAUT technique has proven utility in the inspection of multi-ply carbon-fiber reinforced laminates used in primary aircraft structures.11  
5.6 For ultrasonic testing of laminate composites and sandwich core materials using conventional UT equipment consult Practice E2580. Consult Practice E114 for ultrasonic testing of materials by the pulse-echo method using straightbeam longitudinal waves introduced by a piezoelectric elemen...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers procedures for matrix array ultrasonic testing (MAUT) of monolithic composites, composite sandwich constructions, and metallic test articles. These procedures can be used throughout the life cycle of a part during product and process design optimization, on line process control, post-manufacturing inspection, and in-service inspection.  
1.2 In general, ultrasonic testing is a common volumetric method for detection of embedded or subsurface discontinuities. This practice includes general requirements and procedures which may be used for detecting flaws and for making a relative or approximate evaluation of the size of discontinuities and part anomalies. The types of flaws or discontinuities detected include interply delaminations, foreign object debris (FOD), inclusions, disbond/un-bond, fiber debonding, fiber fracture, porosity, voids, impact damage, thickness variation, and corrosion.  
1.3 Typical test articles include monolithic composite layups such as uniaxial, cross ply and angle ply laminates, sandwich constructions, bonded structures, and filament windings, as well as forged, wrought and cast metallic parts. Two techniques can be considered based on accessibility of the inspection surface: namely, pulse echo inspection for one-sided access and through-transmission for two-sided access. As used in this practice, both require the use of a pulsed straight-beam ultrasonic longitudinal wave followed by observing indications of either the reflected (pulse-echo) or received (through transmission) wave.  
1.4 This practice provides two ultrasonic test procedures. Each has its own merits and requirements for inspection and shall be selected as agreed upon in a contractual document.  
1.4.1 Test Procedure A, Pulse Echo (non-contacting and contacting) is at a minimum a single matrix array transducer transmitting and receiving longitudinal waves in the range of 0.5 MHz to 20 MHz (see Fig. 1). Th...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 IEM Applications and Capabilities—IEM has been successfully applied to a wide range of NDT applications in the manufacture, maintenance, and repair of metallic and non-metallic parts. Examples of anomalies detected are discussed in 1.1 and 6.2. IEM has been proven to provide fast, cost-effective, and accurate NDT solutions in nearly all manufacturing, maintenance, or repair modalities. Examples of the successful application focuses include, but are not limited to: sintered powder metals, castings, forgings, stampings, ceramics, glass, wood, weldments, heat treatment, composites, additive manufacturing, machined products, and brazed products.  
4.2 General Approach and Equipment Requirements for IEM:  
4.2.1 IEM systems are comprised of hardware and software capable of inducing vibrations, recording the component response to the induced vibrations, and executing analysis of the data collected.  
4.2.2 Hardware Requirements—Examples of a tabletop impact excitation system and a production-grade drop excitation system are shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, respectively. IEM systems include: an excitation device (for example, modal hammer / impact device / dropping system) providing an impulse excitation to the object, a vibration detector (for example., microphone), a signal amplifier, an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), an embedded logic, and a data User Interface (UI). Tested parts can typically be on any surface type, but they can also be supported (for example, foam support, held with an elastic) in consideration of possible damping influences. The following schematics show the basic parts for an impact excitation approach (Fig. 3) and a drop excitation approach (Fig. 4).
FIG. 1 IEM Tabletop Testing System Using a Non-Instrumented Impactor
FIG. 2 Production-Grade Drop Excitation System
FIG. 3 Schematic of Impact Excitation Approach
FIG. 4 Schematic of Drop Excitation Approach  
4.3 Constraints and Limitations:  
4.3.1 IEM needs a change in structural i...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a general procedure for using the Impulse Excitation Method (IEM) to facilitate natural frequency measurement and detection of defects and material variations in metallic and non-metallic parts. This test method is also known as Impulse Excitation Technique (IET), Acoustic Resonance Testing (ART), ping testing, tap testing, and other names. IEM is listed as a Resonance Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS) method. The method applies an impulse load to excite and then record resonance frequencies of a part. These recorded resonance frequencies are compared to a reference population or within subgroups/families of examples of the same part, or modeled frequencies, or both.  
1.2 Absolute frequency shifting, resonance damping, and resonance pattern differences can be used to distinguish acceptable parts from parts with material differences and defects. These defects and material differences include, cracks, voids, porosity, material elastic property differences, and residual stress. IEM can be applied to parts made with manufacturing processes including, but not limited to, powdered metal sintering, casting, forging, machining, composite layup, and additive manufacturing (AM).  
1.3 This practice is intended for use with instruments capable of exciting, measuring, recording, and analyzing multiple whole body, mechanical vibration resonance frequencies in acoustic or ultrasonic frequency ranges, or both. This practice does not provide inspection acceptance criteria for parts. However, it does discuss the processes for establishing acceptance criteria specific to impulse testing. These criteria include frequency acceptability windows for absolute frequency shifting, scoring criteria for statistical analysis methods (Z-score), Gage Repeatability & Reproducibility (R&R) for diagnostic resonance modes, and inspection criteria adjustment (compensation) for manufacturing process and environmental variations.  
...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
6.1 This guide provides procedures for the application of contact straight-beam examination for the detection and quantitative evaluation of discontinuities in materials.  
6.2 Although not all requirements of this guide can be applied universally to all examinations, situations, and materials, it does provide basis for establishing contractual criteria between the users, and may be used as a general guide for preparing detailed specifications for a particular application.  
6.3 This guide is directed towards the evaluation of discontinuities detectable with the beam normal to the entry surface. If discontinuities or other orientations are of concern, alternate scanning techniques are required.
SCOPE
1.1 This guide covers procedures for the contact ultrasonic examination of bulk materials or parts by transmitting pulsed ultrasonic waves into the material and observing the indications of reflected waves. This guide covers only examinations in which one search unit is used as both transmitter and receiver (pulse-echo). This guide includes general requirements and procedures that may be used for detecting discontinuities, locating depth and distance from a point of reference and for making a relative or approximate evaluation of the size of discontinuities as compared to a reference standard.  
1.2 This guide complements Practice E114 by providing more detailed procedures for the selection and standardization of the examination system and for evaluation of the indications obtained.  
1.3 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.4 This guide does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this guide to establish the appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This guide is intended to evaluate performance assessment of combinations of phased-array probes and instruments. It is not intended to define performance and acceptance criteria, but rather to provide data from which such criteria may be established.  
5.2 Recommended procedures described in this guide are intended to provide performance-related measurements that can be reproduced under the specified test conditions using simple targets and the phased-array test system itself. It is intended for phased-array flaw detection instruments operating in the nominal frequency range of 1 MHz to 20 MHz, but the procedures are applicable to measurements on instruments utilizing significantly higher frequency components.  
5.3 This guide is not intended for service calibration, or maintenance of circuitry for which the manufacturer’s instructions are available.  
5.4 Implementation of specific assessments may require more detailed procedural instructions in a format of the using facility.  
5.5 The measurement data obtained may be employed by users of this guide to specify, describe, or provide performance criteria for procurement and quality assurance, or service evaluation of the operating characteristics of phased-array systems.  
5.6 Not all assessments described in this guide are applicable to all systems. All or portions of the guide may be used as determined by the user.
SCOPE
1.1 This guide covers procedures for evaluating some performance characteristics of phased-array ultrasonic examination instruments and systems.  
1.2 Evaluation of these characteristics is intended to be used for either comparing instruments and systems or, by periodic repetition, for detecting long-term changes in the characteristics of a given instrument or system. Significant changes may be indicative of impending failure, and, if beyond certain limits, will require corrective maintenance. Some electronic instrument characteristics in phased-array units are similar to non-phased-array units and may be measured as described in Practice E1065 or Guide E1324.  
1.3 Ultrasonic examination systems using pulsed-wave trains and A-scan presentation (rf or video) may be evaluated.  
1.4 This guide establishes no performance limits for examination systems; if such acceptance criteria are required, these shall be specified by the using parties. Where acceptance criteria are implied herein, they are for example only and are subject to more or less restrictive limits imposed by customer’s and end user’s controlling documents.  
1.5 The specific parameters to be evaluated, conditions, frequency of test, and report data required shall be determined by the user.  
1.6 This guide may be used for the evaluation of a complete examination system, including search unit, instrument, interconnections, scanner fixtures, connected alarm, and auxiliary devices. This guide is not intended to be used as a substitute for calibration or standardization of an instrument or system to inspect any given material.  
1.7 Required test apparatus includes selected test blocks and position encoders in addition to the instrument or system to be evaluated.  
1.8 Alternate procedures, such as examples described in this document, or others, may only be used with customer approval.  
1.9 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.10 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.11 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendatio...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 This practice is intended primarily for the examination of wrought metals, forged, rolled, machined parts or components to an ultrasonic class most typically specified in the purchase order or other contract document.
SCOPE
1.1 Purpose—This practice establishes the minimum requirements for ultrasonic examination of wrought products.
Note 1: This practice was adopted to replace MIL-STD-2154, 30 Sept. 1982. This practice is intended to be used for the same applications as the document which it replaced. Users should carefully review its requirements when considering its use for new, or different applications, or both.  
1.2 Application—This practice is applicable for examination of materials such as, wrought metals and wrought metal products having a thickness or cross section equal to 0.250 in. (6.35 mm) or greater.  
1.2.1 Wrought Aluminum Alloy Products—Examination shall be in accordance with Practice B594. Angle beam scans of wrought aluminum alloy products shall be performed in accordance with this practice as agreed upon by the purchaser and supplier.  
1.3 Acceptance Class—When examination is performed in accordance with this practice, engineering drawings, specifications, or other applicable documents shall indicate the acceptance criteria. Five ultrasonic acceptance classes are defined in Table 1. One or more of these classes may be used to establish the acceptance criteria or additional or alternate criteria may be specified.  
1.4 Order of Precedence—Contractual requirements and authorized direction from the cognizant engineering organization may add to or modify the requirements of this practice. Otherwise, in the event of conflict between the text of this practice and the references cited herein, the text of this practice takes precedence. Nothing in this practice, however, supersedes applicable laws and regulations unless a specific exemption has been obtained.  
1.5 Measurement Values—The values stated in inch-pounds are to be regarded as standard. The metric equivalents are in parentheses.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The purpose of this practice is to provide a procedure for locating, detecting and estimating the relevance of longitudinally oriented crack-like discontinuities which have been previously indicated by AE examination.  
5.2 This practice may be used for a pressure vessel that is situated in such a way as to limit access to the vessel's wall. Typical examples include tube trailers and gas tube railroad cars. Since the pressure vessels are stacked horizontally in a frame, with limited space between them, the circumferential location of a discontinuity may be a distance away from the search unit (several skip distances).  
5.3 This practice has been shown to be effective for cylinders between 9 in. (229 mm) and 24 in. (610 mm) in diameter and wall thicknesses between 1/4 in. (6.4 mm) to 1 in. (26 mm) with discontinuities that are oriented longitudinally in pressure vessel sidewall.  
5.4 To reliably detect discontinuities by the procedure in this practice, a significant part of the reflecting surface must be transverse to the beam direction.  
5.5 Evaluation of possible discontinuity in the end faces indicated by AE is not covered by this practice.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice describes a contact angle-beam shear wave ultrasonic technique to detect and locate the circumferential position of longitudinally oriented discontinuities and to compare the amplitude of the indication from such discontinuities to that of a specified reference notch. This practice does not address examination of the vessel ends. The basic principles of contact angle-beam examination can be found in Practice E587. Application to pipe and tubing, including the use of notches for standardization, is described in Practice E213.  
1.2 This practice is appropriate for the ultrasonic examination of cylindrical sections of gas-filled, seamless, steel pressure vessels such as those used for the storage and transportation of pressurized gasses. It is applicable to both isolated vessels and those in assemblies.  
1.3 The practice is intended to be used following an Acoustic Emission (AE) examination of stacked seamless gaseous pressure vessels (with limited surface scanning area) described in Test Method E1419.  
1.4 This practice does not establish acceptance criteria. These are determined by the reference notch dimensions, which must be specified by the using parties.
Note 1: Background information relating to the technical requirements of this practice can be found in the references sited in Test Method E1419, Appendix X1.  
1.5 Dimensional values stated in inch-pound units are regarded as standard; SI equivalents, in parentheses may be approximate.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is intended to provide standardized procedures for evaluating linear phased-array ultrasonic probes. It is not intended to define performance and acceptance criteria, but rather to provide data from which such criteria may be established.  
5.2 Implementation may require more detailed procedural instructions in a format of the using facility.  
5.3 The measurement data obtained may be employed by users of this guide to specify, describe, or provide performance criteria for procurement and quality assurance, or service evaluation of the operating characteristics of linear phased-array ultrasonic probes. All or portions of the standard practice may be used as determined by the user.  
5.4 The measurements are made primarily under pulse-echo conditions. To determine the relative performance of a probe element as either a transmitter or a receiver may require additional tests.  
5.5 While these procedures relate to many of the significant parameters, others that may be important in specific applications may not be treated. These might include power handling capability, breakdown voltage, wear properties of contact units, radio-frequency interference, and the like.  
5.6 Care must be taken to ensure that comparable measurements are made and that users of the standard practice follow similar procedures. The conditions specified or selected (if optional) may affect the test results and lead to apparent differences.  
5.7 Interpretation of some test results, such as the shape of the frequency response curve, may be subjective. Small irregularities may be significant. Interpretation of the test results is beyond the scope of this practice.  
5.8 Certain results obtained using the procedures outlined may differ from measurements made with phased-array ultrasonic test instruments. These differences may be attributed to differences in the nature of the experiment or the electrical characteristics of the instrumentation.  
5.9 The pulse generator used t...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers measurement procedures for evaluating certain characteristics of phased-array ultrasonic probes that are used with phased-array ultrasonic examination instrumentation.  
1.2 This practice describes means for obtaining performance data that may be used to define the acoustic and electric responses of phased-array ultrasonic probes including contact (with or without a wedge) and immersion linear phased-array probes used for ultrasonic nondestructive testing with central frequencies ranging from 0.5 MHz to 10 MHz. Frequencies outside of this range may use the same methods but the testing equipment may vary.  
1.3 When ultrasonic values dependent on material are specified in this practice, they are based on carbon steel with an ultrasonic wave propagation speed of 5920 m/s (±50 m/s) for longitudinal wave modes and 3255 m/s (±30 m/s) for transverse or shear wave modes.  
1.4 This practice describes some of the characterization and verification procedures that can be carried out at the end stage of the manufacturing process of linear phased array probes. This practice does not describe the methods or acceptance criteria used to verify the performance of the combined phased array ultrasonic instrument and probe system.  
1.5 While this practice is intended to provide standardized procedures for evaluating linear phased-array ultrasonic probes, it may, with suitable modifications, be used for evaluation of configurations other than linear; for example, 1.5D or 2D matrix array probes.  
1.6 Units—The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses after SI units are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practice...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The methods described provide indirect measurement of the thickness of sections of materials not exceeding temperatures of 1200°F [650°C]. Measurements are made from one side of the object, without requiring access to the rear surface.  
5.2 Ultrasonic thickness measurements are used extensively on basic shapes and products of many materials, on precision machined parts, and to determine wall thinning in process equipment caused by corrosion and erosion.  
5.3 Recommendations for determining the capabilities and limitations of ultrasonic thickness gages for specific applications can be found in the cited references (1,2).6
SCOPE
1.1 This practice provides guidelines for measuring the thickness of materials using Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMAT), a non-contact pulse-echo method, at temperatures not to exceed 1200°F [650°C].  
1.2 This practice is applicable to any electrically conductive or ferromagnetic material, or both, in which ultrasonic waves will propagate at a constant velocity throughout the part, and from which back reflections can be obtained and resolved.  
1.3 Units—The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other. Combining values from the two systems may result in nonconformance with the standard.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The practices referenced in this document are applicable to measuring the height of planar flaws open to the surface that originate on the far-surface or near-surface of the component. These practices are applicable to through-wall sizing of mechanical or thermal fatigue flaws, stress corrosion flaws, or any other surface-connected planar flaws.  
5.2 The techniques outlined describe proven ultrasonic flaw sizing practices and their associated limitations, using refracted longitudinal wave and shear wave techniques as applied to ferritic or austenitic components. Other materials may be examined using this guide with appropriate standardization reference blocks. The practices described are applicable to both manual and automated examinations.  
5.3 The techniques recommended in this standard guide use Time of Flight (TOF) or Delta Time of Flight (ΔTOF) methods to accurately measure the flaw size. This guide does not include the use of signal amplitude methods to determine flaw size.  
5.4 Generally, with these sizing methods the volume of material (or component thickness) to be sized is divided into thirds; the inner 1/3 , the middle 1/3 and the near 1/3. Using the far-surface Creeping Wave Method the user can qualitatively segregate the flaw into the approximate 1/3 zone.  
5.5 The sizing methods are used in 1/3 zones to quantitatively size the crack, that is, Tip-diffraction for the far 1/3 , Bi-Modal method for the middle 1/3 , and the Focused Longitudinal Wave or Focused Shear Wave Methods for the near 1/3 . These 1/3 zones are generally applicable to most sizing applications, however, the various sizing methods have applications outside these 1/3 zones provided a proper reference block and technique is demonstrated.
SCOPE
1.1 This guide provides tutorial information and a description of the principles and ultrasonic examination techniques for measuring the height of planar flaws which are open to the surface. The practices and technology described in this standard guide are intended as a reference to be used when selecting a specific ultrasonic flaw sizing technique as well as establishing a means for instrument standardization.2  
1.2 This standard guide does not provide or suggest accuracy or tolerances of the techniques described. Parameters such as search units, examination surface conditions, material composition, etc. can all have a bearing on the accuracy of results. It is recommended that users assess accuracy and tolerances applicable for each application.  
1.3 This guide does not purport to provide instruction to measure flaw length.  
1.4 This standard guide does not provide, suggest, or specify acceptance standards. After flaw-sizing evaluation has been made, the results should be applied to an appropriate code or standard that specifies acceptance criteria.  
1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 General—Ultrasonic testing is a widely used nondestructive method for the examination of a material. The majority of ultrasonic examinations are performed using transducers that directly convert electrical energy into acoustic energy through the use of piezoelectric crystals. This guide describes an alternate technique in which electromagnetic energy is used to produce acoustic energy inside an electrically conductive or ferromagnetic material. EMATs have unique characteristics when compared to conventional piezoelectric ultrasonic search units, making them a significant tool for some ultrasonic examination applications.  
4.2 Principle—An electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) generates and receives ultrasonic waves without the need to contact the material in which the acoustic waves are traveling. The use of an EMAT requires that the material to be examined be electrically conductive or ferromagnetic, or both. There are two basic components of an EMAT system, a magnet and a coil. The magnet may be an electromagnet or a permanent magnet, which is used to produce a magnetic field in the material under test. The coil is driven using alternating current at the desired ultrasonic frequency. The coil and AC current also induce a surface magnetic field in the material under test. In the presence of the static magnetic field, the surface current experiences Lorentz forces that produce the desired ultrasonic waves. Upon reception of an ultrasonic wave, the surface of the conductor oscillates in the presence of a magnetic field, thus inducing a voltage in the coil. The transduction process occurs within an electromagnetic skin depth. The EMAT forms the basis for a very reproducible noncontact system for generating and detecting ultrasonic waves.  
4.3 Specific Advantages—Since an EMAT technique does not have to be in contact with the material under examination, no fluid couplant is required. Important consequences of this include applications to moving objects, in...
SCOPE
1.1 This guide is intended primarily for tutorial purposes. It provides an overview of the general principles governing the operation and use of electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) for ultrasonic examination.  
1.2 This guide describes a non-contact technique for coupling ultrasonic energy into an electrically conductive or ferromagnetic material, or both, through the use of electromagnetic fields. This guide describes the theory of operation and basic design considerations as well as the advantages and limitations of the technique.  
1.3 This guide is intended to serve as a general reference to assist in determining the usefulness of EMATs for a given application as well as provide fundamental information regarding their design and operation. This guide provides guidance for the generation of longitudinal, shear, Rayleigh, and Lamb wave modes using EMATs.  
1.4 This guide does not contain detailed procedures for the use of EMATs in any specific applications; nor does it promote the use of EMATs without thorough testing prior to their use for examination purposes. Some applications in which EMATs have been applied successfully are outlined in Section 9.  
1.5 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as the standard. The SI values given in parentheses are for information only.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Co...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The purpose of this practice is to outline a procedure for detecting and locating significant discontinuities such as pits, voids, inclusions, cracks, splits, etc., by the ultrasonic pulse-reflection method.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice2 covers a procedure for detecting discontinuities in metal pipe and tubing during a volumetric examination using ultrasonic methods. Specific techniques of the ultrasonic method to which this practice applies include pulse-reflection techniques, both contact and non-contact (for example, as described in Guide E1774 and Practice E1816), and angle beam immersion techniques, both conventional and phased array. Artificial reflectors consisting of longitudinal, and, when specified by the using party or parties, transverse reference notches placed on the surfaces of a reference standard are employed as the primary means of standardizing the ultrasonic system.  
1.2 This practice is intended for use with tubular products having outside diameters approximately 1/2 in. (12.7 mm) and larger, provided that the examination parameters comply with and satisfy the requirements of Section 11. These procedures have been successful with smaller sizes. These may be specified upon contractual agreement between the using parties. These procedures are intended to ensure that proper beam angles and beam shapes are used to provide full volume coverage of pipes and tubes, including those with low ratios of outside diameter-to-wall thickness, and to avoid spurious signal responses when examining small-diameter, thin-wall tubes.  
1.3 The procedure in Annex A1 is applicable to pipe and tubing used in nuclear and other special and safety applications. The procedure in Annex A2 may be used to determine the helical scan pitch.  
1.4 This practice does not establish acceptance criteria; they must be specified by the using party or parties.  
1.5 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is intended primarily for the automated or semi-automated ultrasonic examination of butt fusion joints used in the construction of polyethylene piping systems.  
5.2 Polyethylene piping has been used in lieu of steel alloys in the petrochemical, power, water, gas distribution and mining industries due to its reliability and resistance to corrosion and erosion. Recently, polyethylene pipe has also been used for nuclear safety-related cooling water applications.  
5.3 Two ultrasonic techniques have proven useful to provide examination of fusion joint integrity; Ultrasonic time-of-flight-diffraction (TOFD) and phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT). These techniques are often considered complementary but may be used independently of each other. The choice of the technique used may depend on a variety of parameters including diameter, thickness, surface access, detection capabilities near surfaces, and quality level required.  
5.4 The joining process can be subject to a variety of flaws including, but not limited to: lack of fusion, particulate contamination, inclusions, and voids.  
5.5 Polyethylene material can have a range of acoustic characteristics that make butt joint examination difficult. Acoustic velocity of the material is similar to that commonly used for ultrasound wedge materials, making it difficult to use these materials to achieve appropriate refraction of sound at the interface. Polyethylene materials are highly attenuative, which often limits the use of higher ultrasonic frequencies. It also exhibits a natural high frequency filtering effect. An example of the range of acoustic characteristics is provided in Table 1. The table notes the wide range of acoustic velocities reported in the literature. This makes it essential that the reference blocks are made of the same cell classification6 as that examined. This shall be confirmed by measuring the acoustic velocity of the pipe being examined as described in Practice E494. The acous...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice establishes procedures for ultrasonic testing (UT) of butt fusion joints in polyethylene pipe. Although high density polyethylene (HDPE) and medium density polyethylene (MDPE) materials are most commonly used, the procedures described may apply to other types of polyethylene.
Note 1: The notes in this practice are for information only and shall not be considered part of this specification.
Note 2: This practice references HDPE and MDPE for pipe applications as defined by Specification D3350.  
1.2 This practice does not address ultrasonic examination of electrofusion joints (coupling joints), socket joints, or saddles.  
1.3 This practice provides two ultrasonic examination procedures. Each has its own merits and requirements for examination and shall be selected as agreed upon in a contractual document.  
1.3.1 Examination Procedure A, Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD), uses a pair of probes, one transmitting and the other receiving. The procedure usually, although not necessarily, requires access to both sides of the joint from one surface. Provided that position encoding is used, the procedure can be conducted by semi-automated or automated means that provide recoded imaging.  
1.3.2 Examination Procedure B, Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT), uses low velocity refracting wedges or water gaps to produce angled compression mode pulses. The procedure can be applied where access is limited to one side of the joint from one surface. Provided that position encoding is used, the procedure can be conducted by semi-automated or automated means that provide recoded imaging.  
1.4 The practice is intended to be used on thicknesses of 9 to 60 mm [0.375 to 2.4 in.] and diameters 100 mm [4 in.] and greater. Greater and lesser thicknesses and lesser diameters may be tested using this standard practice if the technique can be demonstrated to provide adequate detection on mockups of the same wall thickn...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
6.1 This practice provides guidelines for the application of immersed longitudinal wave examination to the detection and quantitative evaluation of discontinuities in materials.  
6.2 Although not all requirements of this practice can be applied universally to all examination situations and materials, it does provide a basis for establishing contractual criteria between suppliers and purchasers of materials for performing immersed pulse-echo examination, and may be used as a general guide for writing detailed specifications for particular applications.  
6.3 This practice is directed towards the evaluation of discontinuities detectable at normal beam incidence. If discontinuities at other orientations are of concern, alternate scanning techniques are required.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice describes procedures for the ultrasonic examination of bulk materials or parts by transmitting pulsed, longitudinal waves through a liquid couplant into the material and observing the indications of reflected waves (see Fig. 1). It covers only examinations in which one search unit is used as both transmitter and receiver (pulse-echo) and in which the part or material being examined is coupled to the part by a liquid column or is totally submerged in the couplant (either method is considered to be immersion testing). This practice includes general requirements and procedures which may be used for detecting discontinuities and for making a relative or approximate evaluation of the size of discontinuities.
FIG. 1 Basic Immersion Setup  
1.2 This practice replaces Practice E214 and provides more detailed procedures for the selection, standardization, and operation of an examination system and for evaluation of the indications obtained.  
1.3 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 This practice is intended primarily for the mechanized ultrasonic examination of pipe girth welds used in the construction of gas and oil pipelines. This practice, with appropriate modifications due to changes in weld profile, may also be used to examine repaired welds. Manual techniques such as described in Practice E164 may also be used to examine production or repaired welds. This practice, with appropriate modifications, may also be used to examine other forms of butt welds including long seams.  
4.2 Techniques used are to be based on zonal discrimination whereby the weld is divided into approximately equal vertical examination sections (zones) each being assessed by a pair of ultrasonic search units. See Fig. 1 for typical zones.
FIG. 1 Schematic Representation of Weld Zones and Discontinuities  
4.3 Thicknesses of material examined are normally 7 to 25 mm (0.28 to 1.00 in.) and pipe diameters 15 cm (6.0 in.) and greater but this standard may apply to other thicknesses and diameters if the techniques can be proven to provide the required zonal discrimination.  
4.4 Examination zones are typically 2 to 3 mm (0.08 to 0.12 in.) in height. For most applications this will require the use of contact focused search units to avoid interfering signals originating from off-axis geometric reflectors and to avoid excessive overlap with adjacent zones.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the requirements for mechanized ultrasonic examination of girth welds. Evaluation is based upon the results of mechanized ultrasonic examination. Acceptance criteria are based upon flaw limits defined by an Engineering Critical Assessment (ECA) or other accept/reject criteria defined by the Contracting Agency.  
1.2 This practice shall be applicable to the development of an examination procedure agreed upon between the users of this practice.  
1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The inch-pound units given in parentheses are for information only.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice describes procedures applicable to both shop and field conditions. More comprehensive or precise measurements of the characteristics of complete systems and their components will generally require laboratory techniques and electronic equipment such as oscilloscopes and signal generators. Substitution of these methods is not precluded where appropriate; however, their usage is not within the scope of this practice.  
5.2 This document does not establish system acceptance limits, nor is it intended as a comprehensive equipment specification.  
5.3 While several important characteristics are included, others of possible significance in some applications are not covered.  
5.4 Since the parameters to be evaluated and the applicable test conditions must be specified, this practice shall be prescribed only by those familiar with ultrasonic NDT technology and the required tests shall be performed either by such a qualified person or under his supervision.  
5.5 Implementation may require more detailed procedural instructions in the format of the using facility.  
5.6 In the case of evaluation of a complete system, selection of the specific tests to be made should be done cautiously; if the related parameters are not critical in the intended application, then their inclusion may be unjustified. For example, vertical linearity may be irrelevant for a go/no-go test with a flaw gate alarm, while horizontal linearity might be required only for accurate flaw-depth or thickness measurement from the display screen.  
5.7 No frequency of system evaluation or calibration is recommended or implied. This is the prerogative of the using parties and is dependent on application, environment, and stability of equipment.  
5.8 Certain sections are applicable only to instruments having receiver gain controls calibrated in decibels (dB). While these may sometimes be designated “gain,” “attenuator,” or “sensitivity” on various instruments, the term “gain controls” wil...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice describes procedures for evaluating the following performance characteristics of ultrasonic pulse-echo examination instruments and systems: Horizontal Limit and Linearity; Vertical Limit and Linearity; Resolution - Entry Surface and Far Surface; Sensitivity and Noise; Accuracy of Calibrated Gain Controls. Evaluation of these characteristics is intended to be used for comparing instruments and systems or, by periodic repetition, for detecting long-term changes in the characteristics of a given instrument or system that may be indicative of impending failure, and which, if beyond certain limits, will require corrective maintenance. Instrument characteristics measured in accordance with this practice are expressed in terms that relate to their potential usefulness for ultrasonic testing. Instrument characteristics expressed in purely electronic terms may be measured as described in Guide E1324.  
1.2 Ultrasonic examination systems using pulsed-wave trains and A-scan presentation (rf or video) may be evaluated.  
1.3 The procedures are applicable to shop or field conditions; additional electronic measurement instrumentation is not required.  
1.4 This practice establishes no performance limits for examination systems; if such acceptance criteria are required, these must be specified by the using parties. Where acceptance criteria are implied herein, they are for example only and are subject to more or less restrictive limits imposed by customer's and end user's controlling documents.  
1.5 The specific parameters to be evaluated, conditions and frequency of test, and report data required must also be determined by the user.  
1.6 This practice may be used for the evaluation of a complete examination system, including search unit, instrument, interconnections, fixtures and connected alarm and auxiliary devices, primarily in cases where such a system is used repetitively without change or substitution. T...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 The recommended measurement procedures described in this guide are intended to provide performance-related measurements that can be reproduced under the specified test conditions using commercially available test instrumentation. These measurements indicate capabilities of sections of the ultrasonic testing instrument independent of specific transducers or examination conditions. Measurements are made from normally available connectors or test points so that no access to internal circuitry is required. Further, this guide is not intended for service, calibration, or maintenance of circuitry for which the manufacturer's instructions are available. It is intended primarily for pulse echo flaw detection instruments operating in the nominal frequency range of 100 kHz to 25 MHz, but the procedures are applicable to measurements on instruments utilizing significantly higher frequency components.  
4.2 These procedures can be applied to the evaluation of any pulse-echo ultrasonic testing instrument which can be described as a combination of the electronic sections discussed in this guide.
Note 2: These procedures are not intended to preclude the use or application of equipment for which some or all of the measurement techniques of this document are not applicable.  
4.3 An ultrasonic testing instrument that cannot be completely described as a combination of the electronic sections discussed in this practice can be partially evaluated. Each portion of the ultrasonic testing instrument that is evaluated must fit the description for the corresponding section.  
4.4 This guide is meant to be used by electronic personnel to evaluate the electronic system components and not the ultrasonic system characteristics.
SCOPE
1.1 This guide describes procedures for electronically measuring the following performance-related characteristics of some sections of ultrasonic instruments:  
1.1.1 Power Supply Section:  
line regulation,
battery discharge time, and
battery charge time.  
1.1.2 Pulser Section:
pulse shape,
pulse amplitude,
pulse rise time, pulse length, and
pulse frequency spectrum.  
1.1.3 Receiver Section:
vertical linearity,
frequency response,
noise and sensitivity, and
dB controls.  
1.1.4 Time Base Section:
horizontal linearity, and
clock (pulse repetition rate).  
1.1.5 Gate/Alarm Section:
delay and width,
resolution,
alarm level,
gain uniformity,
analog output, and
back echo gate.  
1.2 This guide complements Practice E317 and is not intended for evaluating the performance characteristics of ultrasonic testing instruments on the inspection/production line.  
Note 1: No access to internal circuitry is required.  
1.3 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

ABSTRACT
This practice covers a procedure for measuring the ultrasonic velocities in the outer wall of polyethylene storage tanks. The practice is intended for application to the outer surfaces of the wall of polyethylene tanks. An angle beam lateral longitudinal (LCR) wave is excited with wedges along a circumferential chord of the tank wall. A digital ultrasonic flaw detector is used with sending-receiving search units in through transmission mode. The observed velocity is temperature corrected and compared to the expected velocity for a new, unexposed sample of material, which is the same as the material being evaluated. The difference between the observed and temperature corrected velocities determines the degree of UV exposure of the tank.
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 Measuring the velocity of ultrasound in materials is a unique method for determining nondestructively the physical properties, which can vary due to both manufacturing processes and environmental attack. Velocity is directly related to the elastic moduli, which can vary based on environmental exposure and manufacturing process, The LCR method described herein is able to measure the velocity between two adjacent points on a surface and therefore is independent of the conditions on the opposite wall. Applications of the method beyond polymer tanks will undoubtedly be developed and examination may occur in the production line as well as in the in-service mode.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a procedure for measuring the ultrasonic velocities in the outer wall of polyethylene storage tanks. An angle beam lateral longitudinal (LCR) wave is excited with wedges along a circumferential chord of the tank wall. A digital ultrasonic flaw detector is used with sending-receiving search units in through transmission mode. The observed velocity is temperature corrected and compared to the expected velocity for a new, unexposed sample of material which is the same as the material being evaluated. The difference between the observed and temperature corrected velocities determines the degree of UV exposure of the tank.  
1.2 The practice is intended for application to the outer surfaces of the wall of polyethylene tanks. Degradation typically occurs in an outer layer approximately 3.2 mm (0.125 in.) thick. Since the technique does not interrogate the inside wall of the tank, wall thickness is not a consideration other than to be aware of possible guided (Lamb) wave effects or reflections off of the inner tank wall. No special surface preparation is necessary beyond wiping the area with a clean rag. Inside wall properties are not important since the longitudinal wave does not strike this surface. The excitation of Lamb waves must be avoided by choosing an excitation frequency such that the ratio of wavelength to wall thickness is one fifth or less.  
1.3 UV degradation on the outer surface causes a stiffening of the material and an increase in Young's modulus and the longitudinal wave velocity.  
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to inch-pound units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The techniques described provide indirect measurement of thickness of sections of materials not exceeding temperatures of 93 °C [200 °F]. Measurements are made from one side of the object, without requiring access to the rear surface.  
5.2 Ultrasonic thickness measurements are used extensively on basic shapes and products of many materials, on precision machined parts, and to determine wall thinning in process equipment caused by corrosion and erosion.  
5.3 Recommendations for determining the capabilities and limitations of ultrasonic thickness gages for specific applications can be found in the cited references.7,8
SCOPE
1.1 This practice2 provides guidelines for measuring the thickness of materials using the contact pulse-echo method at temperatures not to exceed 93 °C [200 °F].  
1.2 This practice is applicable to any material in which ultrasonic waves will propagate at a constant velocity throughout the part, and from which back wall reflections can be obtained and resolved.  
1.3 This practice is primarily for flat components with parallel surfaces and has limited applicability for components with non-parallel or concentric surfaces per 1.2.  
1.4 Units—The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be used independently of the other, and values from the two systems shall not be combined.  
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 PCRT Applications and Capabilities—PCRT has been applied successfully to a wide range of outlier screening applications in the manufacture and maintenance of metallic and non-metallic parts. Examples of anomalies detected are discussed in 1.1. PCRT has been shown to provide cost effective and accurate outlier screening solutions in many industries including automotive, aerospace, and power generation. Examples of successful applications currently employed in commercial use include, but are not limited to:
(1) Silicon nitride bearing elements,
(2) Steel, iron, and aluminum rocker and control arms,
(3) Aircraft and industrial gas turbine engine components (blades, vanes, disks),
(4) Cast cylinder heads and cylinder blocks,
(5) Sintered powder metal gears and clutch plates,
(6) Machined forged steel steering and transmission components (gears, shafts, racks),
(7) Ceramic oxygen sensors,
(8) Silicon wafers,
(9) Gears, including those with induction hardened or carburized teeth,
(10) Ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material samples and components,
(11) Components with shot peened surfaces,
(12) Machined or rolled-formed steel fasteners, or both,
(13) Components made with additive manufacturing,
(14) Aircraft landing gear, wheel and brake components, and  
(15) Components made with metal injection molding.  
5.2 General Approach and Equipment Requirements for PCRT via Swept Sine Input:  
5.2.1 PCRT systems are comprised of hardware and software capable of inducing swept sine vibrations, recording the component response to the induced vibrations, and executing analysis of the data collected. Inputting a swept sine wave into the part has proven to be an effective means of introducing mechanical vibration and can be achieved with a high quality signal generator coupled with an appropriate active transducer in physical contact with the part. Collection of the part’s frequency response can be achieved by recording the signal generated by an a...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice describes a general procedure for using the process compensated resonance testing (PCRT) via swept sine input method to perform outlier screening on populations of newly manufactured and in-service parts. PCRT excites the resonance frequencies of metallic and non-metallic test components using a swept sine wave input over a set frequency range. PCRT detects and analyzes component resonance frequency patterns and uses the differences in resonance patterns between acceptable and unacceptable components to perform non-destructive testing. PCRT frequency analysis compares the resonance pattern of a component to the patterns of known reference populations of the same component and renders a pass or fail result based on the similarity of the tested component to those populations. For non-destructive testing applications with known defects or material states of interest, or both, Practice E2534 covers the development and application of PCRT sorting modules that compare test components to known acceptable and unacceptable component populations. However, some applications do not have physical examples of components with known defects or material states. Other applications experience isolated component failures with unknown causes or causes that propagate from defects that are beyond the sensitivity of the current required inspections, or both. In these cases, PCRT is applied in an outlier screening mode that develops a sorting module using only a population of presumed acceptable production components, and then compares test components for similarity to that presumed acceptable population. The resonance differences can be used to distinguish acceptable components with normal process variation from outlier components that may have material states or defects, or both, that will cause performance deficiencies. These material states and defects include, but are not limited to, cracks, voids, porosity, shrink, inclus...

ABSTRACT
This practice covers a test procedure for measuring ultrasonic velocities in materials with conventional ultrasonic pulse echo flaw detection equipment in which results are displayed in an A-scan display, and describes a method whereby unknown ultrasonic velocities in a material sample are determined by comparative measurements using a reference material whose ultrasonic velocities are accurately known. The ultrasonic testing system that shall be used shall consist of the test instrument, search unit, couplant, and the standard reference blocks. The test procedure shall include both longitudinal and transverse wave velocity measurements, which should conform to the theoretical values of the parameters.
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice describes a test procedure for the application of conventional ultrasonic methods to determine unknown ultrasonic velocities in a material sample by comparative measurements using a reference material whose ultrasonic velocities are accurately known.  
5.2 Although not all methods described in this practice are applied equally or universally to all velocity measurements in different materials, it does provide flexibility and a basis for establishing contractual criteria between users, and may be used as a general guideline for preparing a detailed procedure or specification for a particular application.  
5.3 This practice is directed towards the determination of longitudinal and shear wave velocities using the appropriate sound wave form. This practice also outlines methods to determine elastic modulus and can be applied in both contact and immersion mode.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a test procedure for measuring ultrasonic velocities in materials with conventional ultrasonic pulse echo flaw detection equipment in which results are displayed in an A-scan display. This practice describes a method whereby unknown ultrasonic velocities in a material sample are determined by comparative measurements using a reference material whose ultrasonic velocities are accurately known.  
1.2 This procedure is intended for solid materials 5 mm (0.2 in.) thick or greater. The surfaces normal to the direction of energy propagation shall be parallel to at least ±3°. Surface finish for velocity measurements shall be 3.2 μm (125 μin.) root-mean-square (rms) or smoother.
Note 1: Sound wave velocities are cited in this practice using the fundamental units of meters per second, with inches per second supplied for reference in many cases. For some calculations, it is convenient to think of velocities in units of millimeters per microsecond. While these units work nicely in the calculations, the more natural units were chosen for use in the tables in this practice. The values can be simply converted from m/s to mm/μs by moving the decimal point three places to the left, that is, 3500 m/s becomes 3.5 mm/μs.  
1.3 Ultrasonic velocity measurements are useful for determining several important material properties. Young's modulus of elasticity, Poisson's ratio, acoustic impedance, and several other useful properties and coefficients can be calculated for solid materials with the ultrasonic velocities if the density is known (see Appendix X1).  
1.4 More accurate results than those obtained using this method can be obtained with more specialized ultrasonic equipment, auxiliary equipment, and specialized techniques. Some of the supplemental techniques are described in Appendix X2. (Material contained in Appendix X2 is for informational purposes only.)  
Note 2: Factors including techniques, equipment, types of material, and operator variables will result in variations in absolute velocity readings, sometimes by as much as ±5 %. Relative results with a single combination of the above factors can be expected to be much more accurate (probably within a 1 % tolerance).  
1.5 Units—The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses after SI uni...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice employs the use of normal-incident, or straight beam, longitudinal wave ultrasound for the detection and evaluation of discontinuities in materials requiring volumetric examination.  
5.2 Although not all requirements of this practice can be applied universally to all inspection situations and materials, it does provide the basis for establishing contractual criteria between suppliers and purchasers of materials for performing contact longitudinal wave pulse-echo examination and may be used as a guide for writing detailed procedures for particular applications.  
5.3 Types of information that may be obtained from the pulsed-echo straight-beam practice are as follows:  
5.3.1 Apparent discontinuity size (see Note 1) by comparison of the signal amplitudes from the test piece to the amplitudes obtained from a reference standard.  
5.3.2 Depth location of discontinuities by calibrating the horizontal scale of the A-scan display.  
5.3.3 Material properties as indicated by the relative sound attenuation or velocity changes of compared items.  
5.3.4 The extent of bond and unbond (or fusion and lack of fusion) between two ultrasonic conducting materials if geometry and materials permit.
Note 1: The term “apparent” is emphasized since true size depends on orientation, composition, and geometry of the discontinuity and equipment limitations.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice2 covers ultrasonic examination of materials using the conventional pulse-echo method using straight-beam longitudinal waves introduced by direct contact of the search unit with the material being examined.  
1.2 This practice shall be applicable to development of an examination procedure agreed upon by the users of the document.  
1.3 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 PCRT Applications and Capabilities—PCRT has been applied successfully to a wide range of NDT applications in the manufacture and maintenance of metallic and non-metallic parts. Examples of anomalies detected are discussed in 1.1. PCRT has been shown to provide cost effective and accurate NDT solutions in many industries including automotive, aerospace, and power generation. Examples of successful applications currently employed in commercial use include, but are not limited to:
(1) Silicon nitride bearing elements
(2) Steel, iron, and aluminum rocker and control arms
(3) Aircraft and industrial gas turbine engine components (blades, vanes, disks)
(4) Cast cylinder heads and cylinder blocks
(5) Sintered powder metal gears and clutch plates
(6) Machined forged steel steering and transmission components (gears, shafts, racks)
(7) Ceramic oxygen sensors
(8) Silicon wafers
(9) Gears, including those with induction hardened or carburized teeth
(10) Ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material samples and components
(11) Components with shot peened surfaces
(12) Machined or rolled-formed fasteners
(13) Components made with additive manufacturing
(14) Aircraft landing gear, wheel, and brake components  
(15) Components made with metal injection molding  
5.2 General Approach and Equipment Requirements for PCRT via Swept Sine Input:  
5.2.1 PCRT systems comprise hardware and software capable of inducing vibrations, recording the component response to the induced vibrations, and executing analysis of the data collected. Inputting a swept sine wave into the part has proven to be an effective means of introducing mechanical vibration and can be achieved with a high quality signal generator coupled with an appropriate active transducer in physical contact with the part. Collection of the part’s frequency response can be achieved by recording the signal generated by an appropriate passive vibration transducer. The software required to analyze the av...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice describes a general procedure for using the process compensated resonance testing (PCRT) via swept sine input method for metallic or non-metallic parts to compare resonance patterns from a sample under test to reference teaching sets of known acceptable and targeted defect samples. The resonance pattern differences can be used to distinguish acceptable parts with normal process variation from parts with targeted material states and defects that will cause performance deficiencies. These material states and defects include, but are not limited to, cracks, voids, porosity, shrink, inclusions, discontinuities, grain and crystalline structure differences, density-related anomalies, heat treatment variations, material elastic property differences, residual stress, and dimensional variations. This practice is intended for use with instruments capable of exciting, measuring, recording, and analyzing multiple whole body, mechanical vibration resonance frequencies in acoustic or ultrasonic frequency ranges, or both.  
1.2 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 Standard reference block sets per 4.1 fabricated in accordance with this practice will exhibit specific area-amplitude and distance amplitude relationships only with an immersion test at 5 MHz using the search unit, test instrument, and test parameters described in this practice. Comparison tests at other frequencies or with uncalibrated instruments will not necessarily give the same relationships shown in this practice. See Ref (1)5 for area-amplitude limitations at other frequencies and transducer diameters. Also see Ref (2) for cautions regarding use of standard blocks for test standardizations.  
5.2 Reference standards fabricated per 4.2 may utilize the fabrication and verification techniques herein. Due to the variable nature of non-standard blocks, the details should be agreed upon in the ordering documents.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a procedure for fabrication and control of metal alloy reference blocks used in ultrasonic examinations that contain flat bottom holes (FBH).  
1.2 These blocks may be used for checking the performance of ultrasonic examination instrumentation and search units and for standardization and control of ultrasonic examination of metal alloy products.  
1.3 The reference blocks described are suitable for use with either the direct-contact method or immersion pulse-echo ultrasonic methods.  
1.4 Standard sets are described for flat surface sound entry; the Basic set, Area-Amplitude set, and Distance Amplitude set.  
1.5 The requirements for FBH fabrication may be applied to round bar/billet reference standards and reference standards fabricated from other product forms.  
1.6 This practice does not specify reference reflector sizes or product rejection limits. It does describe fabrication practices and applied tolerances. In all cases of conflict between this practice and customer specifications, the customer specification shall prevail.  
1.7 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.8 This practice has incorporated the requirements of Practice E428 and Guide E1158. Reference standards that were manufactured under Practice E428 and Guide E1158 comply with the requirements of this practice.  
1.9 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.10 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

ABSTRACT
This practice describes the general ultrasonic examination procedures for the detection of discontinuities in the weld and adjacent heat affected zones of welded pipe and tubing by scanning with relative motion between the search unit and pipe or tube. When contact or unfocused immersion search units are employed, this practice is intended for tubular products having specified outside diameters and wall thicknesses. And when properly focused immersion search units are employed, this practice may also be applied to material of smaller diameter and thinner wall. This practice does not establish acceptance criteria for this procedure. A pulsed ultrasonic angle beam shall be propagated in the wall of the pipe or tube by either the surface contact or immersion method. The weld line shall then be examined from both sides to ensure detection of imperfections with a shape or orientation that produces a preferential direction of reflection.
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The purpose of this practice is to outline a procedure for detecting weld discontinuities such as lack of fusion, pin holes, lack of penetration, longitudinal cracks, porosity and inclusions by the ultrasonic pulse-reflection method.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice2 describes general ultrasonic testing procedures for the detection of discontinuities in the weld and adjacent heat affected zones of welded pipe and tubing by scanning with relative motion between the search unit and pipe or tube. When contact or unfocused immersion search units are employed, this practice is intended for tubular products having specified outside diameters ≥2 in. (≥50 mm) and specified wall thicknesses of 1/8 to 11/16 in. (3 to 27 mm). When properly focused immersion search units are employed, this practice may also be applied to material of smaller diameter and thinner wall. When contact or immersion phased array search units are employed, this practice may also be applied to material of above-mentioned outside diameters and wall thicknesses.
Note 1: When contact or unfocused immersion search units are used, precautions should be exercised when examining pipes or tubes near the lower specified limits. Certain combinations of search unit size, frequency, thin–wall thicknesses, and small diameters could cause generation of unwanted sound waves that may produce erroneous examination results.  
1.2 All surfaces of material to be examined in accordance with this practice shall be clean from scale, dirt, burrs, slag, spatter, or other conditions that would interfere with the examination results. The configuration of the weld must be such that interfering signals are not generated by reflections from it. Treatment of the inner surface and outer surface weld beads such as trimming (“scarfing”) or rolling is often required to remove protuberances that could result in spurious reflections.  
1.3 This practice does not establish acceptance criteria; they must be specified by the using parties.  
1.4 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The measurement of apparent attenuation in materials is useful in applications such as the comparison of heat treatments of different lots of material or the assessment of the degradation of materials due to environment.  
5.2 Several different modes of wave vibration can be propagated in solids. This practice is concerned with the attenuation associated with longitudinal waves introduced into the specimen by the immersion method.  
5.3 This practice allows for the comparison of the apparent attenuations of geometrically similar specimens.  
5.4 For the determination of apparent attenuation, the procedures described herein are valid only for measurements in the far field of the ultrasonic beam.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice describes a procedure for measuring the apparent attenuation of ultrasound in materials or components with flat, parallel surfaces using conventional pulse-echo ultrasonic flaw detection equipment in which reflected indications are displayed in an A-scan presentation.  
1.2 The measurement procedure is readily adaptable for the determination of relative attenuation between materials. For absolute (true) attenuation measurements, indicative of the intrinsic nature of the material, it is necessary to correct for specimen geometry, sound beam divergence, instrumentation, and procedural effects. These results can be obtained with more specialized ultrasonic equipment and techniques.  
1.3 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other. Combining values from the two systems may result in non-conformance with the standard.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 An electrical pulse is applied to a piezoelectric transducer which converts electrical to mechanical energy. In the angle-beam search unit, the piezoelectric element is generally a thickness expander which creates compressions and rarefactions. This longitudinal (compressional) wave travels through a wedge (generally a plastic). The angle between transducer face and the examination face of the wedge is equal to the angle between the normal (perpendicular) to the examination surface and the incident beam. Fig. 1 shows the incident angle φi, and the refracted angle φr, of the ultrasonic beam.
FIG. 1 Refraction  
4.2 When the examination face of the angle-beam search unit is coupled to a material, ultrasonic waves may travel in the material. As shown in Fig. 2, the angle in the material (measured from the normal to the examination surface) and mode of vibration are dependent on the wedge angle, the ultrasonic velocity in the wedge, and the velocity of the wave in the examined material. When the material is thicker than a few wavelengths, the waves traveling in the material may be longitudinal and shear, shear alone, shear and Rayleigh, or Rayleigh alone. Total reflection may occur at the interface. (Refer to Fig. 3.) In thin materials (up to a few wavelengths thick), the waves from the angle-beam search unit traveling in the material may propagate in different Lamb wave modes.
FIG. 2 Mode of Vibration  
FIG. 3 Effective Angles in the Steel versus Wedge Angles in Acrylic Plastic  
4.3 All ultrasonic modes of vibration may be used for angle-beam examination of material. The material forms and the probable flaw locations and orientations determine selection of beam directions and modes of vibration. The use of angle beams and the selection of the proper wave mode presuppose a knowledge of the geometry of the object; the probable location, size, orientation, and reflectivity of the expected flaws; and the laws of physics governing the propagation of ultrasonic...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers ultrasonic examination of materials by the pulse-echo technique, using continuous coupling of angular incident ultrasonic vibrations.  
1.2 This practice shall be applicable to development of an examination procedure agreed upon by the users of the practice.  
1.3 The values stated in inch-pound units are regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 Phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) is an advanced examination technique used for enhanced flaw detection, sizing, and imaging as compared to conventional UT employing single-element transducers. PAUT utilizes multi-element (array) probes in which groups of elements are pulsed with pre-calculated time delays (“focal laws”) for each element (“phasing”). The resulting constructive and destructive interference allows for electronic steering, shaping, and focusing of the sound beam.  
5.2 Though primarily a method of generating and receiving ultrasound, phased arrays are also a method of scanning and imaging. The two basic types of scans are the Linear or Electronic scan (E-Scan) and the Sectorial or Azimuthal scan (S-Scan). In the E-Scan, which emulates a manual scan, multiple sound beams are created at the same refracted angle. The beam is electronically translated along the active axis of the array by sequentially adding an element on one end and dropping an element off the other end of the active group of elements within the probe, with time multiplexing coordinated by the instrument’s on-board processor. In the S-Scan, which is unique to phased arrays, the sound beam is electronically swept through a range of user-defined angles by sequentially changing the time delays applied to each element. Because the beam angle is no longer solely dependent upon the wedge angle, more complete data can be obtained and more complex geometries can be examined versus conventional UT. With their distinct features and capabilities, phased arrays require special set-ups and standardization, as addressed by this practice. Commercial software permits the operator to easily make set ups without detailed knowledge of the phasing requirements.  
5.3 Phased arrays can be used in different ways: manual or encoded linear scanning; and different displays or combinations of displays. In manual scanning, the dominant display will be an S-scan with associated A-scans. S-scans have the a...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice describes ultrasonic techniques for examining welds using phased array ultrasonic methods (see Note 1 and Note 2).  
1.2 This practice uses angle beams, either in S-scan or E-scan modes, primarily for butt welds and Tee welds. Alternative welding techniques, such as solid state bonding (for example, friction stir welding) and fusion welding (for example, electron beam welding) can be examined using this practice, provided adequate coverage and techniques are documented and approved. Practices for specific geometries such as spot welds are not included. The practice is intended to be used on thicknesses of 9 to 200 mm. Greater and lesser thicknesses may be examined using this practice if the technique can be demonstrated to provide adequate detection on mockups of the same wall thickness and geometry.  
1.2.1 Extreme caution should be used when attempting to size indications using phased array. It is likely that without proper procedures, indications can be oversized due to beam divergence, multiple virtual probes returning signals from the same indication, etc. For more guidance, see 12.4.  
1.3 Units—The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard.
Note 1: This practice is based on experience with ferrous and aluminum alloys. Other metallic materials can be examined using this practice, provided reference standards can be developed to demonstrate that the particular material and weld can be successfully penetrated by an ultrasonic beam.
Note 2: For additional pertinent information, see ASME BPVC Section V, Article 4, Guide E2491, Practice E317, and Practice E587.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This internat...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is intended to provide standardized procedures for evaluating ultrasonic search units. It is not intended to define performance and acceptance criteria, but rather to provide data from which such criteria may be established.  
5.2 These procedures are intended to evaluate the characteristics of single-element piezoelectric search units.  
5.3 Implementation may require more detailed procedural instructions in a format of the using facility.  
5.4 The measurement data obtained may be employed by users of this practice to specify, describe, or provide a performance criteria for procurement and quality assurance, or service evaluation of the operating characteristics of ultrasonic search units. All or portions of the practice may be used as determined by the user.  
5.5 The measurements are made primarily under pulse-echo conditions. To determine the relative performance of a search unit as either a transmitter or a receiver may require additional tests.  
5.6 While these procedures relate to many of the significant parameters, others that may be important in specific applications may not be treated. These might include power handling capability, breakdown voltage, wear properties of contact units, radio-frequency interference, and the like.  
5.7 Care must be taken to ensure that comparable measurements are made and that users of the practice follow similar procedures. The conditions specified or selected (if optional) may affect the test results and lead to apparent differences.  
5.8 Interpretation of some test results, such as the shape of the frequency response curve, may be subjective. Small irregularities may be significant. Interpretation of the test results is beyond the scope of this practice.  
5.9 Certain results obtained using the procedures outlined may differ from measurements made with ultrasonic test instruments. These differences may be attributed to differences in the nature of the experiment or the electrical characteristic...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers measurement procedures for evaluating certain characteristics of ultrasonic search units (also known as “probes”) that are used with ultrasonic testing instrumentation. This practice describes means for obtaining performance data that may be used to define the acoustic and electric responses of ultrasonic search units.  
1.2 The procedures are designed to measure search units as individual components (separate from the ultrasonic test instrument) using commercial search unit characterization systems or using laboratory instruments such as signal generators, pulsers, amplifiers, digitizers, oscilloscopes, and waveform analyzers.  
1.3 The procedures are applicable to manufacturing acceptance and incoming inspection of new search units or to periodic performance evaluation of search units throughout their service life.  
1.4 The procedures in Annex A1 – Annex A6 are generally applicable to ultrasonic search units operating within the 0.4 to 10 MHz range. Annex A7 is applicable to higher frequency immersion search unit evaluation. Annex A8 describes a practice for measuring sound beam profiles in metals from contact straight-beam search units. Additional Annexes, such as sound beam profiling for angle-beam search units in metal and alternate means for search unit characterization, will be added when developed.  
1.5 Units—The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be used independently of the other, and values from the two systems shall not be combined.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the ...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 EMAT techniques show benefits and advantages over conventional piezoelectric ultrasonic techniques in special applications where flexibility in the type of wave mode generation and where no fluid coupling is desired. EMATs are highly efficient in the generation of surface waves.  
5.2 Since EMATs are highly efficient in the generation of surface waves, and since acoustic techniques utilizing surface waves are proven effective for detecting surface and near-surface discontinuities, they should be considered for any applications where conventional penetrant testing and magnetic particle NDT techniques are effective but undesirable.  
5.3 Since EMAT techniques are non-contacting, they should be considered for ultrasonic testing where applications involve automation, high-speed examinations, moving objects, applications in remote or hazardous locations, applications to objects at elevated temperatures, or objects with rough surfaces.  
5.4 The purpose of this practice is to promote the EMAT technique of the ultrasonic method as a viable alternative to conventional PT and MPT methods for detecting the presence of surface and near-surface material discontinuities.  
5.5 The use of EMATs and the selection of appropriate operating parameters presuppose a knowledge of the geometry of the component; the probable location, size, orientation, and reflectivity of the expected flaws; the allowable range of EMAT lift-off; and the laws of physics governing the propagation of ultrasonic waves. This procedure pertains to a specific EMAT surface inspection application.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers guidelines for utilizing EMAT techniques for detecting material discontinuities that are primarily open to the surface (for example, cracks, seams, laps, cold shuts, laminations, through leaks, lack of fusion). This technique can also be sensitive to flaws and discontinuities that are not surface-breaking, provided their proximity to the surface is less than or equal to the Rayleigh wave length.  
1.2 This practice covers procedures for the non-contact coupling of surface waves into a material via electromagnetic fields.  
1.3 The procedures of this practice are applicable to any material in which acoustic waves can be introduced electromagnetically. This includes any material that is either electrically conductive or ferromagnetic, or both.  
1.4 This practice is intended to provide examination capabilities for in-process, final, and maintenance applications.  
1.5 This practice does not provide standards for the evaluation of derived indications. Interpretation, classification, and ultimate evaluation of indications, albeit necessary, are beyond the scope of this practice. Separate specifications or agreement will be necessary to define the type, size, location, and direction of indications considered acceptable or non-acceptable.  
1.6 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.8 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 This practice provides general principles for the application of the Time-of-Flight Diffraction Technique as a tool for detection and sizing of discontinuities.  
4.2 TOFD is a nondestructive ultrasonic examination technique that is not based on amplitude response. However, sufficient sensitivity is required to identify indications for evaluation.  
4.3 TOFD techniques are typically applied to welded joints in carbon steel, but the principles may be applicable to other applications including other materials with suitable validation procedures agreeable to the contracting parties.  
4.4 In addition to a stand-alone ultrasonic detection technique, TOFD may be used in conjunction with weld examinations such as those described in Practices E164 and E1961 where it may be used to improve sizing estimates of flaws detected by the manual or mechanized pulse-echo techniques and help discriminate between flaws and geometric reflectors.  
4.5 The technique has proven effective on thicknesses from 9 to 300 mm [0.375 to 12 in.]. TOFD has been used on thicknesses outside of this range but special considerations are necessary. Techniques developed outside of this range of thickness shall be demonstrated as capable of meeting the required detection and sizing requirements of the specification used.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice establishes the requirements for developing ultrasonic examination procedures using the ultrasonic technique known as Time-of-Flight Diffraction (TOFD).  
1.2 Consistent with ASTM Policy, TOFD may be regarded as an ultrasonic test method whereby the qualities and characteristics of the item tested are evaluated, measured, and, in some cases, identified. Measurements may be subject to precision and bias that may be determined statistically or as a function of some parameter(s) such as wavelength. This practice may be used for applications that would be quantitative examinations as well as quantitative tests.  
1.3 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be used independently of the other, and values from the two systems shall not be combined.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 PCRT Applications and Capabilities—PCRT PTI examination has been applied successfully to a wide range of parts in manufacturing and maintenance environments. Examples of manufacturing processes, repair processes, and in-service damage mechanisms evaluated with PTI are discussed in 1.1. PCRT has been shown to provide cost effective and accurate PTI-based NDT, process monitoring, and life monitoring in many industries including automotive, aerospace, and power generation. Examples of successful applications currently employed in commercial use include, but are not limited to:
(1) Heat treatment operations:
(a) Aerospace gas turbine engine components (blades, vanes, disks)
(b) Additively manufactured components
(c) Steel mechanical components
(d) Industrial gas turbine blades
(2) Induction hardening and carburization (both case-hardened and through-hardened parts):
(a) Gears
(b) Ballnuts
(3) Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP):
(a) Gas turbine engine components (blades, vanes, disks)
(b) Additively manufactured components
(4) Shot peening:
(a) Steel mechanical components
(5) In-service thermal history, aging, creep damage, fatigue:
(a) Gas turbine engine components (blades, vanes, disks)
(b) Industrial gas turbine blades
(c) Aircraft landing gear wheels
(6) Maintenance repair/rejuvenation processes:
(a) Gas turbine engine components (blades, vanes, disks)
(b) Industrial gas turbine blades
(c) Aircraft landing gear wheels.  
5.2 General Approach and Equipment Requirements for PCRT via Swept Sine Input:  
5.2.1 PCRT systems comprise hardware and software capable of inducing vibrations, recording the component response to the induced vibrations, and analyzing the data collected. Inputting a swept sine wave into the part has proven to be an effective means of introducing mechanical vibration and can be achieved with a high-quality signal generator coupled with an appropriate active transducer in physical contact with the part. Coll...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a general procedure for using the Process Compensated Resonance Testing (PCRT) via swept sine input method to perform Part-to-Itself (PTI) examination on populations of newly manufactured and in-service parts. PCRT detects resonance pattern differences in metallic and non-metallic parts. Practice E2534 for Defect Detection with PCRT and Practice E3081 for Outlier Screening with PCRT cover the development and application of PCRT sorting modules that inspect a part at a single point in time. These methods use the resonance frequency spectra recorded from test parts and perform different statistical analyses to compare test parts to reference populations. These comparisons include, and must compensate for, the normal geometric, material, and processing variations present in any population of parts. In many applications, however, the user may need to evaluate the effects of a single processing step or in-service load in isolation from other sources of variation. For example, a manufacturer may want to perform process monitoring and control on a heat treatment or hardening process. A maintainer may want to evaluate the effect of service cycles in an engine. A PCRT PTI examination measures the resonance frequency spectrum of a part at two points in time, such as before and after a manufacturing process step, and calculates the change in resonance frequencies to evaluate the effect of the intervening process. Control limits can be set on the frequency change to field a PTI PASS/FAIL inspection capability. The limits may be based on training populations of parts with acceptable and unacceptable levels of change, model predictions of the effects of part changes, or criteria derived from process control practices. Manufacturing processes and in-service loads that can be evaluated with a PCRT PTI inspection include, but are not limited to heat treatment, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), shot peening, induction...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 Since the beginning of human history, currency has existed in the form of metal coins and bullion. Thieves learned that shaving some precious metal provided a method to change its value. Substitution of common metals for precious metals of higher value was commonplace until weighing methods became so accurate, that it became easily detected. Alloys were also used as substitutes until inexpensive spectrometers became available which ended the counterfeiting practice. The rapid rise in the value of gold inspired the unscrupulous to find a new method. Tungsten was widely used for light bulb filaments until regulations changed that market. The great abundance of tungsten now available, coupled with the almost identical density of gold, presented a new opportunity.  
5.2 RUS provides a method to create an unique electronic signature for each piece tested which is operator independent.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice is intended for use with resonant ultrasound spectrometers capable of exciting, measuring, recording, and analyzing multiple whole body mechanical vibration resonant frequencies within parts exhibiting acoustical ringing in the acoustic or ultrasonic, or both, resonant frequency ranges.  
1.2 This practice uses Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS) to distinguish conforming parts, as determined from qualified training sets, from those containing significant anomalies in their elastic properties.  
1.3 The basic functions of a RUS monitoring system are to detect and classify resonance phenomena. Solid structure resonances are governed by the part’s dimensions, density, and elastic properties. When a material substitution occurs in a precious metal, the chosen metals have almost identical densities and unchanged dimensions, leaving only the elastic properties to affect the resonances.  
1.4 This practice can be used to replace destructive methods, which damage the test object through drilling or melting, or both.  
1.5 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other. Combining values from the two systems may result in non-conformance with the standard.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 A number of factors such as the condition of the entry and back surfaces of the inspected part, the inclination of the ultrasonic beam with respect to the entry surface, and variations in the performance characteristics of the test system may cause significant differences in amplitudes of discontinuity indications and back reflections. These factors can seriously impair the reliability and the quantitative value of the ultrasonic test outlined in this practice.  
5.2 Accurate evaluations of discontinuity size are also significantly affected by variations in search unit characteristics and by irregularities in discontinuity surfaces which can influence reflectivity. For these reasons, the discontinuity sizes that may be implied by the ultrasonic comparisons outlined in this practice must be regarded as “apparent” or “estimated” in recognition of the limited quantitative value of the measurement.  
5.3 Because numerous interacting variables in a test system can adversely influence the results of an ultrasonic inspection, the actual quantitative effects of detected discontinuities upon the mechanical properties of the inspected product are difficult to establish. Although this practice provides a reliable control of product quality during manufacture, it is not applicable as an exclusive indicator of the ultimate quality and performance of components fabricated from the inspected products covered by this practice.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the requirements for pulse-echo ultrasonic inspection and includes criteria used to define applicable quality levels of aluminum-alloy wrought products when performance of the ultrasonic test by the producer is specified, or when ultrasonic inspection is performed by the purchaser upon receipt.  
1.2 This practice is not applicable if plastic deformation is introduced into the material after delivery.  
1.3 The ultrasonic test described in this practice is employed to detect internal discontinuities oriented in a direction parallel to, or nearly parallel to, the surface of the product. The test is performed either by the immersion method or the contact method using pulsed longitudinal waves which are transmitted and received by a search unit containing either a single crystal or a combination of electrically interconnected multiple crystals. Ultrasonic tests employing either the through-transmission or the angle-beam techniques are not included.  
Note 1: Ultrasonic tests employing angle-beam techniques require special reference blocks, search units, and scanning procedures and are subject to negotiation between the purchaser and the seller when such tests are required by the contract or purchase order.  
1.4 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units which are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
3.1 The techniques for ultrasonic examination of welds described in this practice are intended to provide a means of weld examination for both internal and surface discontinuities within the weld and the heat-affected zone. The practice is limited to the examination of specific weld geometries in wrought or forged material.  
3.2 The techniques provide a practical method of weld examination for internal and surface discontinuities and are well suited to the task of in-process quality control. The practice is especially suited to the detection of discontinuities that present planar surfaces perpendicular to the sound beam. Other nondestructive examinations may be used when porosity and slag inclusions must be critically evaluated.  
3.3 When ultrasonic examination is used as a basis of acceptance of welds, there should be agreement between the manufacturer and the purchaser as to the specific reference standards and limits to be used. Examples of reference standards are given in Section 7. A detailed procedure for weld examination describing allowable discontinuity limits should be written and agreed upon.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers techniques for the ultrasonic A-scan examination of specific weld configurations joining wrought ferrous or aluminum alloy materials to detect weld discontinuities (see Note 1). The reflection method using pulsed waves is specified. Manual techniques are described employing contact of the search unit through a couplant film or water column.  
1.2 This practice utilizes angle beams or straight beams, or both, depending upon the specific weld configurations. Practices for special geometries such as fillet welds and spot welds are not included. The practice is intended to be used on thicknesses of 0.250 to 8 in. (6.4 to 203 mm).  
Note 1: This practice is based on experience with ferrous and aluminum alloys. Other metallic materials can be examined using this practice provided reference standards can be developed that demonstrate that the particular material and weld can be successfully penetrated by an ultrasonic beam.
Note 2: For additional pertinent information see Practice E317, Terminology E1316, and Practice E587.  
1.3 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The primary advantage of RUS is its ability of making numerous measurements in a single test. In addition, it can examine rough ground parts. It requires little sample preparation, no couplants, and generally will work with soiled items; however, it has limited capability with soft materials. Soft metals, polymers, rubbers, and wood parts must be considered on a case by case basis.
SCOPE
1.1 This guide describes a procedure for detecting defects in metallic and non-metallic parts using the resonant ultrasound spectroscopy method. The procedure is intended for use with instruments capable of exciting and recording whole body resonant states within parts which exhibit acoustical or ultrasonic ringing. It is used to distinguish acceptable parts from those containing defects, such as cracks, voids, chips, density defects, tempering changes, and dimensional variations that are closely correlated with the parts' mechanical system dynamic response.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The procedures described in this practice have proven utility in the inspecting (1) monolithic polymer matrix composites for bulk defects, (2) metals for corrosion during the service life of the part of interest, (3) thickness checks, (4) adhesive bonding of metals, composites, and sandwich core constructions, (5) coatings, and (6) composite filament windings.  
5.2 This practice provides guidelines for the application of longitudinal wave examination to the detection and quantitative evaluation of damage, discontinuities, and thickness variations in materials.  
5.3 This practice is intended primarily for the testing of parts to acceptance criteria most typically specified in a purchase order or other contractual document, and for testing of parts in-service to detect and evaluate damage.  
5.4 MAUT search units provide near-surface resolution and detection of small discontinuities comparable to phased array probes. They may or may not be capable of beam steering. The advantage of MAUT for straight-beam longitudinal wave inspections is the ability to provide real-time C-scan data, which facilitates data interpretation and shortens inspection time. Depending on inspection needs, data can be displayed as A-, B- or C-scans, or three-dimensional renderings. Toggling between pulse-echo and through transmission ultrasonic (TTU) modes without having to use another system or changing transducers is also possible.  
5.5 The MAUT technique has proven utility in the inspection of multi-ply carbon-fiber reinforced laminates used in primary aircraft structures.11  
5.6 For ultrasonic testing, the flat panel composites and sandwich core materials using conventional UT equipment consult Practice E2580. Consult Practice E114 for ultrasonic testing of materials by the pulse-echo method using straightbeam longitudinal waves introduced by a piezoelectric element (transducer) with diameters of 3.2 to 28.6 mm (⅛ to 1⅛ in.) in contact with the material being examined and usuall...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice establishes procedures for matrix array ultrasonic testing (MAUT) of monolithic composites, composite sandwich constructions, and metallic test articles. These procedures can be used throughout the life cycle of a part during product and process design optimization, on line process control, post-manufacturing inspection, and in-service inspection.  
1.2 In general, ultrasonic testing is a common volumetric method for detection of embedded or subsurface discontinuities. This practice includes general requirements and procedures which may be used for detecting flaws and for making a relative or approximate evaluation of the size of discontinuities and part anomalies. The types of flaws or discontinuities detected include delamination, foreign object debris, inclusions, disbond/un-bond, fiber debonding, porosity, voids, impact damage, thickness variation, and corrosion.  
1.3 Typical test articles include monolithic composite lay-ups such as uniaxial, cross ply and angle ply laminates, sandwich constructions, bonded structures, and filament windings, as well as forged, wrought and cast metallic parts. Two techniques can be considered based on accessibility of the inspection surface: namely, pulse echo inspection for one-sided access and through-transmission for two-sided access. As used in this practice, both require the use of a pulsed straight-beam ultrasonic longitudinal wave followed by observing indications of either the reflected (pulse-echo) or received (through transmission) wave.  
1.4 This practice provides two ultrasonic test procedures. Each has its own merits and requirements for inspection and shall be selected as agreed upon in a contractual document.  
1.4.1 Test Procedure A, Pulse Echo (non-contacting and contacting) is at a minimum a single matrix array transducer transmitting and receiving longitudinal waves in the range of 0.5 to 20 MHz (see Fig. 1). This procedure requires access t...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The purpose of this practice is to outline a procedure for detecting and locating significant discontinuities such as pits, voids, inclusions, cracks, splits, etc., by the ultrasonic pulse-reflection method.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice2 covers a procedure for detecting discontinuities in metal pipe and tubing during a volumetric examination using ultrasonic methods. Specific techniques of the ultrasonic method to which this practice applies include pulse-reflection techniques, both contact and non-contact (for example, as described in Guide E1774 and Practice E1816), and angle beam immersion techniques, both conventional and phased array. Artificial reflectors consisting of longitudinal, and, when specified by the using party or parties, transverse reference notches placed on the surfaces of a reference standard are employed as the primary means of standardizing the ultrasonic system.  
1.2 This practice is intended for use with tubular products having outside diameters approximately 1/2 in. (12.7 mm) and larger, provided that the examination parameters comply with and satisfy the requirements of Section 12. These procedures have been successful with smaller sizes. These may be specified upon contractual agreement between the using parties. These procedures are intended to ensure that proper beam angles and beam shapes are used to provide full volume coverage of pipes and tubes, including those with low ratios of outside diameter-to-wall thickness, and to avoid spurious signal responses when examining small-diameter, thin-wall tubes.  
1.3 The procedure in Annex A1 is applicable to pipe and tubing used in nuclear and other special and safety applications. The procedure in Annex A2 may be used to determine the helical scan pitch.  
1.4 This practice does not establish acceptance criteria; they must be specified by the using party or parties.  
1.5 Units—The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 Standard reference block sets per 4.1 fabricated in accordance with this practice will exhibit specific area-amplitude and distance amplitude relationships only with an immersion test at 5 MHz using the search unit, test instrument, and test parameters described in this practice. Comparison tests at other frequencies or with uncalibrated instruments will not necessarily give the same relationships shown in this practice. See Ref (1)5 for area-amplitude limitations at other frequencies and transducer diameters. Also see Ref (2) for cautions regarding use of standard blocks for test standardizations.  
5.2 Reference standards fabricated per 4.2 may utilize the fabrication and verification techniques herein. Due to the variable nature of non-standard blocks, the details should be agreed upon in the ordering documents.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a procedure for fabrication and control of metal alloy reference blocks used in ultrasonic examinations that contain flat bottom holes (FBH).  
1.2 These blocks may be used for checking the performance of ultrasonic examination instrumentation and search units and for standardization and control of ultrasonic examination of metal alloy products.  
1.3 The reference blocks described are suitable for use with either the direct-contact method or immersion pulse-echo ultrasonic methods.  
1.4 Standard sets are described for flat surface sound entry; the Basic set, Area-Amplitude set, and Distance Amplitude set.  
1.5 The requirements for FBH fabrication may be applied to round bar/billet reference standards and reference standards fabricated from other product forms.  
1.6 This practice does not specify reference reflector sizes or product rejection limits. It does describe fabrication practices and applied tolerances. In all cases of conflict between this practice and customer specifications, the customer specification shall prevail.  
1.7 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.8 This practice has incorporated the requirements of Practice E428 and Guide E1158. Reference standards that were manufactured under Practice E428 and Guide E1158 comply with the requirements of this practice.  
1.9 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.10 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 Standard reference block sets per 4.1 fabricated in accordance with this practice will exhibit specific area-amplitude and distance amplitude relationships only with an immersion test at 5 MHz using the search unit, test instrument, and test parameters described in this practice. Comparison tests at other frequencies or with uncalibrated instruments will not necessarily give the same relationships shown in this practice. See Ref (1)4 for area-amplitude limitations at other frequencies and transducer diameters. Also see Ref (2) for cautions regarding use of standard blocks for test standardizations.  
5.2 Reference standards fabricated per 4.2 may utilize the fabrication and verification techniques herein. Due to the variable nature of non-standard blocks, the details should be agreed upon in the ordering documents.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a procedure for fabrication and control of metal alloy reference blocks used in ultrasonic examinations that contain flat bottom holes (FBH).  
1.2 These blocks may be used for checking the performance of ultrasonic examination instrumentation and search units and for standardization and control of ultrasonic examination of metal alloy products.  
1.3 The reference blocks described are suitable for use with either the direct-contact method or immersion pulse-echo ultrasonic methods.  
1.4 Standard sets are described for flat surface sound entry; the Basic set, Area-Amplitude set, and Distance Amplitude set.  
1.5 The requirements for FBH fabrication may be applied to round bar/billet reference standards and reference standards fabricated from other product forms.  
1.6 This practice does not specify reference reflector sizes or product rejection limits. It does describe fabrication practices and applied tolerances. In all cases of conflict between this practice and customer specifications, the customer specification shall prevail.  
1.7 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.8 This practice has incorporated the requirements of Practice E428 and Guide E1158. Reference standards that were manufactured under Practice E428 and Guide E1158 comply with the requirements of this practice.  
1.9 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.10 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 A number of factors such as the condition of the entry and back surfaces of the inspected part, the inclination of the ultrasonic beam with respect to the entry surface, and variations in the performance characteristics of the test system may cause significant differences in amplitudes of discontinuity indications and back reflections. These factors can seriously impair the reliability and the quantitative value of the ultrasonic test outlined in this practice.  
5.2 Accurate evaluations of discontinuity size are also significantly affected by variations in search unit characteristics and by irregularities in discontinuity surfaces which can influence reflectivity. For these reasons, the discontinuity sizes that may be implied by the ultrasonic comparisons outlined in this practice must be regarded as “apparent” or “estimated” in recognition of the limited quantitative value of the measurement.  
5.3 Because numerous interacting variables in a test system can adversely influence the results of an ultrasonic inspection, the actual quantitative effects of detected discontinuities upon the mechanical properties of the inspected product are difficult to establish. Although this practice provides a reliable control of product quality during manufacture, it is not applicable as an exclusive indicator of the ultimate quality and performance of components fabricated from the inspected products covered by this practice.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the requirements for pulse-echo ultrasonic inspection and includes criteria used to define applicable quality levels of aluminum-alloy wrought products when performance of the ultrasonic test by the producer is specified, or when ultrasonic inspection is performed by the purchaser upon receipt.  
1.2 This practice is not applicable if plastic deformation is introduced into the material after delivery.  
1.3 The ultrasonic test described in this practice is employed to detect internal discontinuities oriented in a direction parallel to, or nearly parallel to, the surface of the product. The test is performed either by the immersion method or the contact method using pulsed longitudinal waves which are transmitted and received by a search unit containing either a single crystal or a combination of electrically interconnected multiple crystals. Ultrasonic tests employing either the through-transmission or the angle-beam techniques are not included.  
Note 1: Ultrasonic tests employing angle-beam techniques require special reference blocks, search units, and scanning procedures and are subject to negotiation between the purchaser and the seller when such tests are required by the contract or purchase order.  
1.4 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units which are provided for information only and are not considered standard.  
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This guide is intended to evaluate performance assessment of combinations of phased-array probes and instruments. It is not intended to define performance and acceptance criteria, but rather to provide data from which such criteria may be established.  
5.2 Recommended procedures described in this guide are intended to provide performance-related measurements that can be reproduced under the specified test conditions using simple targets and the phased-array test system itself. It is intended for phased-array flaw detection instruments operating in the nominal frequency range of 1 MHz to 20 MHz, but the procedures are applicable to measurements on instruments utilizing significantly higher frequency components.  
5.3 This guide is not intended for service calibration, or maintenance of circuitry for which the manufacturer’s instructions are available.  
5.4 Implementation of specific assessments may require more detailed procedural instructions in a format of the using facility.  
5.5 The measurement data obtained may be employed by users of this guide to specify, describe, or provide a performance criteria for procurement and quality assurance, or service evaluation of the operating characteristics of phased-array systems.  
5.6 Not all assessments described in this guide are applicable to all systems. All or portions of the guide may be used as determined by the user.
SCOPE
1.1 This guide describes procedures for evaluating some performance characteristics of phased-array ultrasonic examination instruments and systems.  
1.2 Evaluation of these characteristics is intended to be used for comparing instruments and systems or, by periodic repetition, for detecting long-term changes in the characteristics of a given instrument or system that may be indicative of impending failure, and which, if beyond certain limits, will require corrective maintenance. Instrument characteristics measured in accordance with this guide are expressed in terms that relate to their potential usefulness for ultrasonic examinations. Other electronic instrument characteristics in phased-array units are similar to non-phased-array units and may be measured as described in Practice E1065 or Guide E1324.  
1.3 Ultrasonic examination systems using pulsed-wave trains and A-scan presentation (rf or video) may be evaluated.  
1.4 This guide establishes no performance limits for examination systems; if such acceptance criteria are required, these must be specified by the using parties. Where acceptance criteria are implied herein they are for example only and are subject to more or less restrictive limits imposed by customer’s and end user’s controlling documents.  
1.5 The specific parameters to be evaluated, conditions and frequency of test, and report data required, must also be determined by the user.  
1.6 This guide may be used for the evaluation of a complete examination system, including search unit, instrument, interconnections, scanner fixtures and connected alarm and auxiliary devices, primarily in cases where such a system is used repetitively without change or substitution. This guide is not intended to be used as a substitute for calibration or standardization of an instrument or system to inspect any given material.  
1.7 Required test apparatus includes selected test blocks and position encoders in addition to the instrument or system to be evaluated.  
1.8 Precautions relating to the applicability of the procedures and interpretation of the results are included.  
1.9 Alternate procedures, such as examples described in this document, or others, may only be used with customer approval.  
1.10 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.11 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish app...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is intended for the semi-automated or automated ultrasonic examination of electrofusion joints used in the construction and maintenance of polyethylene piping systems.  
5.2 Polyethylene piping has been used instead of steel alloys in the petrochemical, power, water, gas distribution, and mining industries due to its reliability and resistance to corrosion and erosion.  
5.3 The joining process can be subject to a variety of flaws including, but not limited to: lack of fusion, cold fusion, particulate contamination, inclusions, short stab depth, and voids.  
5.4 Polyethylene material can have a range of acoustic characteristics that make electrofusion joint examination difficult. Polyethylene materials are highly attenuative, which often limits the use of higher ultrasonic frequencies. It also exhibits a natural high frequency filtering effect. An example of the range of acoustic characteristics is provided in Table 1.6 The table notes the wide range of acoustic velocities reported in the literature. This makes it essential that the reference blocks are made from pipe grade polyethylene with the same density cell class as the electrofusion fitting examined. (A) A range of velocity and attenuation values have been noted in the literature (1-9).  
5.5 Polyethylene is reported to have a shear velocity of 987 m/s. However, due to extremely high attenuation in shear mode (on the order of 5 dB/mm (127 dB/in.) at 2 MHz) no practical examinations can be carried out using shear mode (6).  
5.6 Due to the wide range of applications, joint acceptance criteria for polyethylene pipe are usually project-specific.  
5.7 A cross-sectional view of a typical joint between polyethylene pipe and an electrofusion coupling is illustrated in Fig. 1.
FIG. 1 Typical Cross-Sectional View of an Electrofusion Coupling Joint
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers procedures for phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) of electrofusion joints in polyethylene pipe systems. Although high density polyethylene (HDPE) and medium density polyethylene (MDPE) materials are most commonly used, the procedures described may apply to other types of polyethylene.  
Note 1: The notes in this practice are for information only and shall not be considered part of this practice.
Note 2: This standard references HDPE and MDPE for pipe applications defined by Specification D3350.  
1.2 This practice does not address ultrasonic examination of butt fusions. Ultrasonic testing of polyethylene butt fusion joints is addressed in Practice E3044/E3044M.  
1.3 Phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) of polyethylene electrofusion joints uses longitudinal waves introduced by an array probe mounted on a zero degree wedge. This practice is intended to be used on polyethylene electrofusion couplings for use on polyethylene pipe ranging in diameters from nominal 4 to 28 in. (100 to 710 mm) and for coupling wall thicknesses from 0.3 to 2 in. (8 to 50 mm). Greater and lesser thicknesses and diameters may be tested using this standard practice if the technique can be demonstrated to provide adequate detection on mockups of the same geometry.  
1.4 This practice does not specify acceptance criteria.  
1.5 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be used independently of the other, and values from the two systems shall not be combined.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles ...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is intended primarily for the manual ultrasonic scanning of electrofusion joints used in the construction and maintenance of polyethylene piping systems.  
5.2 Polyethylene piping has been used instead of steel alloys in the petrochemical, power, water, gas distribution, and mining industries due to its reliability and resistance to corrosion and erosion.  
5.3 This practice is not intended to provide 100 % joint examination. This practice specifies a minimum scanning grid that represents only a portion of the welded interface. As such, there exists a possibility of omitting flaws. In addition, selected areas of the welded interface may not be accessible. The extent of examination shall be specified in the contractual agreement.  
5.4 The joining process can be subject to a variety of flaws including, but not limited to, lack of fusion, particulate contamination, short-stab depth, inclusions, and voids.  
5.5 Polyethylene material can have a range of acoustic characteristics that make electrofusion joint examination difficult. Polyethylene materials are highly attenuative, which often limits the use of higher ultrasonic frequencies. It also exhibits a natural high frequency filtering effect. An example of the range of acoustic characteristics is provided in Table 1.6 The table notes the wide range of acoustic velocities reported in the literature. This makes it essential that the reference blocks are made from pipes with the same Specification D3350 density cell classification as the electrofusion fitting examined. (A) A range of velocity and attenuation values have been noted in the literature (1-9).  
5.6 Polyethylene is reported to have a shear velocity of 987 m/s. However, due to extremely high attenuation in shear mode (on the order of 5 dB/mm [127 dB/inch] at 2 MHz) no practical examinations can be carried out using shear mode (6).  
5.7 Due to the wide range of applications, joint acceptance criteria for polyethylene pipe are usually ...
SCOPE
1.1 This practice establishes a procedure for ultrasonic testing (UT) of electrofusion joints in polyethylene pipe systems. This practice provides one ultrasonic examination procedure for ultrasonic pulse-echo straight beam contact testing, using straight-beam longitudinal waves introduced by direct contact of the search unit with the material being examined.  
1.2 The practice is intended to be used on polyethylene electrofusion socket (for example, couplings) and saddle (for example, tees) fittings for use on polyethylene pipe ranging in diameters from nominal 0.5 in. to 12 in. [12 mm to 300 mm] with pipe dimension ratios (DR) ranging from 6.3 to 17. Greater and lesser thicknesses and greater and lesser diameters may be tested using this practice if the technique can be demonstrated to provide adequate detection on mockups of the same wall thickness and geometry.  
1.3 This practice does not address ultrasonic examination of butt fusions. Ultrasonic testing of polyethylene butt fusion joints is addressed in Practice E3044/E3044M.
Note 1: The notes in this practice are for information only and shall not be considered part of this practice.
Note 2: This standard references HDPE and MDPE materials for pipe applications defined by Specification D3350.  
1.4 This practice does not specify acceptance criteria. Refer to Specification F1055 and Practice F1290 for destructive acceptance criteria.  
1.5 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be used independently of the other, and values from the two systems shall not be combined.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safet...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The purpose of this practice is to provide a procedure for locating, detecting and estimating the relevance of longitudinally oriented crack-like discontinuities which have been previously indicated by AE examination.  
5.2 This practice may be used for a pressure vessel that is situated in such a way as to limit access to the vessel's wall. Typical examples include tube trailers and gas tube railroad cars. Since the pressure vessels are stacked horizontally in a frame, with limited space between them, the circumferential location of a discontinuity may be a distance away from the search unit (several skip distances).  
5.3 This practice has been shown to be effective for cylinders between 9 in. (229 mm) and 24 in. (610 mm) in diameter and wall thicknesses between 1/4 in. (6.4 mm) to 1 in. (26 mm) with discontinuities that are oriented longitudinally in pressure vessel sidewall.  
5.4 To reliably detect discontinuities by the procedure in this practice, a significant part of the reflecting surface must be transverse to the beam direction.  
5.5 Evaluation of possible discontinuity in the end faces indicated by AE is not covered by this practice.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice describes a contact angle-beam shear wave ultrasonic technique to detect and locate the circumferential position of longitudinally oriented discontinuities and to compare the amplitude of the indication from such discontinuities to that of a specified reference notch. This practice does not address examination of the vessel ends. The basic principles of contact angle-beam examination can be found in Practice E587. Application to pipe and tubing, including the use of notches for standardization, is described in Practice E213.  
1.2 This practice is appropriate for the ultrasonic examination of cylindrical sections of gas-filled, seamless, steel pressure vessels such as those used for the storage and transportation of pressurized gasses. It is applicable to both isolated vessels and those in assemblies.  
1.3 The practice is intended to be used following an Acoustic Emission (AE) examination of stacked seamless gaseous pressure vessels (with limited surface scanning area) described in Test Method E1419.  
1.4 This practice does not establish acceptance criteria. These are determined by the reference notch dimensions, which must be specified by the using parties.
Note 1: Background information relating to the technical requirements of this practice can be found in the references sited in Test Method E1419, Appendix X1.  
1.5 Dimensional values stated in inch-pound units are regarded as standard; SI equivalents, in parentheses may be approximate.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The practices referenced in this document are applicable to measuring the height of planar flaws open to the surface that originate on the far-surface or near-surface of the component. These practices are applicable to through-wall sizing of mechanical or thermal fatigue flaws, stress corrosion flaws, or any other surface-connected planar flaws.  
5.2 The techniques outlined describe proven ultrasonic flaw sizing practices and their associated limitations, using refracted longitudinal wave and shear wave techniques as applied to ferritic or austenitic components. Other materials may be examined using this guide with appropriate standardization reference blocks. The practices described are applicable to both manual and automated examinations.  
5.3 The techniques recommended in this standard guide use Time of Flight (TOF) or Delta Time of Flight (ΔTOF) methods to accurately measure the flaw size. This guide does not include the use of signal amplitude methods to determine flaw size.  
5.4 Generally, with these sizing methods the volume of material (or component thickness) to be sized is divided into thirds; the inner 1/3 , the middle 1/3 and the near 1/3. Using the far-surface Creeping Wave Method the user can qualitatively segregate the flaw into the approximate 1/3 zone.  
5.5 The sizing methods are used in 1/3 zones to quantitatively size the crack, that is, Tip-diffraction for the far 1/3 , Bi-Modal method for the middle 1/3 , and the Focused Longitudinal Wave or Focused Shear Wave Methods for the near 1/3 . These 1/3 zones are generally applicable to most sizing applications, however, the various sizing methods have applications outside these 1/3 zones provided a proper reference block and technique is demonstrated.
SCOPE
1.1 This guide provides tutorial information and a description of the principles and ultrasonic examination techniques for measuring the height of planar flaws which are open to the surface. The practices and technology described in this standard guide are intended as a reference to be used when selecting a specific ultrasonic flaw sizing technique as well as establishing a means for instrument standardization.2  
1.2 This standard guide does not provide or suggest accuracy or tolerances of the techniques described. Parameters such as search units, examination surface conditions, material composition, etc. can all have a bearing on the accuracy of results. It is recommended that users assess accuracy and tolerances applicable for each application.  
1.3 This guide does not purport to provide instruction to measure flaw length.  
1.4 This standard guide does not provide, suggest, or specify acceptance standards. After flaw-sizing evaluation has been made, the results should be applied to an appropriate code or standard that specifies acceptance criteria.  
1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.  
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to use.  
1.7 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.