Laboratory Testing, Inc. Offers Immersion Ultrasonic Testing for Materials to 5000 lb
Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI, Hatfield, PA) recently expanded immersion ultrasonic testing (UT) capabilities with the installation of a 24 ft x 5 foot immersion tank. A two-axis, five-channel A, B, and C scan immersion ultrasound system was installed to perform testing of round material up to 20 ft long and 24 in in diameter and flat material up to 20 ft long and 4 ft wide, with a weight limit of 5000 lb. The new immersion tank is equipped with a computer-based recording system, which generates detailed printouts of test data and results, an option not available with contact ultrasonic testing.
Laboratory Testing already had extensive capabilities for immersion UT inspection with three high-speed immersion machines for round stock between 1/8 in and 6 5/8 in diameter, and lengths up to 75 ft. The contact inspection method was used for ultrasonic testing of material outside these size and shape limitations. The new immersion capabilities provide a speed and reliability advantage over the contact method, as well as chart recording and printouts not available with contact ultrasonic testing.
According to Phil Trach, NDT Technology Coordinator and ASNT NDT Level III, “This new system greatly expands the scope of LTI?s immersion capabilities, provides faster turnaround for large volume, repetitive orders and adds a control factor for higher accuracy that is not available with the contact method of inspection. Our long-term experience with immersion ultrasound and with inspection of large-diameter and very heavy pieces makes this a natural extension of ultrasonic capabilities for Laboratory Testing Inc.?
Ultrasonic Testing (UT) is an inspection method used to find internal and external defects or to measure wall thickness discontinuities in materials and parts. The process is nondestructive, which means the test item is not damaged during testing. An ultrasound probe connected to a diagnostic machine passes over the item being inspected and transmits high-frequency sound waves into the item. A defect or inconsistency will cause some of the energy to be reflected. This reflected signal can be processed to give useful information about the condition which caused the reflection. Ultrasonic testing can be performed either by the immersion or contact methods. Immersion inspections take place in a liquid which conducts the beam of sound between the probe and test material. With the contact method, an ultrasonic probe emitting sound waves is run over the surface of the test piece.
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