Ultrasonic testing is a nondestructive method of inspection and evaluation that uses high-frequency sound waves to measure the thickness of a material. The ultrasonic transducer is a small device that sends out a high-intensity sound wave, which travels through the material being tested. The sound wave causes some of the molecules in the material to vibrate and set off a reflection back to the transducer. The reflected sound wave can be measured using an oscilloscope or other instrument.
The results from ultrasonic testing are very accurate, because there are no moving parts like screws and bearings that can wear out over time. Ultrasonics also do not require any power, making it ideal for use on machines in remote locations or even unmanned vehicles.
The ultrasonic testing system uses sound waves that are approximately 40,000 times softer than those heard by humans. These sound waves are transduced into mechanical energy that acts on the test object being tested and produces a measurable response for each type of metal present.
Because ultrasonic testing does not use heat or radiation, it is able to detect even very small amounts of impurities within a product. This makes it extremely useful for detecting defects in finished products such as pipes and tubes, electrical components and machine parts.
The type of ultrasonic testing equipment you need depends on your intended use for it. You can purchase ultrasonic testers that do all kinds of different things, from detecting defects in metal to determining whether wood is fresh or dry or clean enough for finishing applications (such as varnish).
Depending on what you need it for, you may also want to add accessories such as probes or adapters so you can test more types of materials than just metal or wood.
The advantages of this type of testing include:
It’s fast: A typical method for ultrasonic testing takes about two minutes. This allows technicians to test large batches of items at once, which reduces the amount of time required to run the test and also speeds up production significantly.
It’s accurate: Unlike other methods, such as X-rays and CT scans, ultrasonic testing doesn’t rely on humans being able to see what they’re looking at. The equipment used is highly automated and relies on computerized analysis rather than human analysis. As such, results are more reliable than those obtained using other methods.
If you are looking for NDT services, consider ultrasonic testing by Format NDT.