ULTRASONIC WELD TESTING

AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO DETERMINE IF ULTRASONIC TESTING COULD REPLACE RADIOGRAPHY IN THE INSPECTION OF FULL PENETRATION BUTT WELDS OF STEEL OF MERELY SUPPLEMENT RADIOGRAPHIC INSPECTION, AND TO ASCERTAIN THE BEST METHOD OF INCORPORATING ULTRASONIC TESTING INTO THE PRESENT TESTING PROGRAM SHOULD ULTRASONIC TESTING PROVE TO BE SUPERIOR. PHASE I CONSISTED OF LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS OF 62 MANUALLY BUTT WELDED SPECIMENS RANGING IN THICKNESS FROM 3/8 TO 1 1/2 INCHES. DEFECTS LOCATED BY ULTRASONICS WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE FOUND BY RADIOGRAPHY. THE PLATES WERE THEN MACHINED TO EXPOSE THE DEFECTS INDICATED BY THE TWO NON-DESTRUCTIVE METHODS. PHASE II CONSISTED OF USING THE ULTRASONIC TESTING EQUIPMENT IN FABRICATION SHAPE TO ASCERTAIN IF THIS TESTING METHOD COULD BE EASILY AND PRACTICALLY APPLIED AS A TEST METHOD IN SHOP PRODUCTION. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT ULTRASONIC TESTING IS SUPERIOR TO RADIOGRAPHY WHEN PERFORMED BY AN EXPERT UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS; HOWEVER, SHOP CONDITIONS ARE NOT CONDUCIVE TO REPLACING RADIOGRAPHY WITH ULTRASONICS WITHOUT GREAT RISK. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  Louisiana Department of Highways

  P.O. Box 44245, Capitol Station
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70804

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Arana, P J
  • Ashby, J T
  • Hamphill, C
• Publication Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Butt welds; Defects; Inspection; Nondestructive tests; Pendulum tests; Radiography; Ultrasonic tests; Weldments; Welds
• Uncontrolled Terms: Weld defects
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00215956
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: 68-38t
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jun 1 1971 12:00AM