Ultrasonic Testing (UT)

Overview: What is Ultrasonic Testing?

Working principle of Ultrasonic Testing:

A probe sends out an acoustic (ultrasonic) wave, directed at the inspected part. This wave is reflected either by the opposite side of the part (back wall echo) or by a defect or hole within the part. Both influence the amplitude and time at which the probe receives the echo signal – this is made visible as a graph on the screen of the inspection device. The graph in turn indicates the location of defects within the material.

Variations:

PAUT (Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing)
TFM (Total Focusing Method)
Direct contact (with wather couplant) or immersion tank
Through-transmission or pulse-echo

Use cases: High-precision detection of defects deep within parts, even at small scale

Materials: Metals and alloys

Testia’s qualifications: EN 4179 & ISO 9712 – see the full list of Testia’s qualifications on our certification page

Testia's Ultrasonic Inspection Services

Since ultrasonic testing is one of the most popular and widely applied NDT methods, Testia has a vast portfolio of UT services and products. We offer ultrasonic inspection services for manufacturing in various industry sectors and in-service inspection for aerospace (for info about approvals, please visit our certificates page), as well as Level 3 consultancy.

Our Inspectors also conduct PAUT inspections (phased-array ultrasonic testing) and TFM inspections (total focusing method).

There are many options to take a UT training course at one of Testia’s training centers around the world. There are frequent courses for conventional UT and also courses for PAUT (phased-array ultrasonic testing) on a regular basis. Additionally, our NDT Cadet Academy provides an intense training course to achieve level 1 or level 2 within a short time.

Typical use cases for this method include:

Welds (e.g. ship hulls and pipes)
Wing inspection (phased array UT being especially suited for large areas)
Thickness measuring
Pressure vessels and pipes
Metallic tubes and rods

Testias customized UT inspection machines

Customized Ultrasonic Inspection Systems

Testia can implement the right customized or off-the-shelf solution that will bring you the optimal quality, productivity and return of investment. We design ultrasonic inspection systems according to your needs – multi-purpose or dedicated, automated or semi-automated.

Complementary services include feasibility studies, procedures writing, qualification, training, inspections and much more.

One of the happy customers of Testia’s UT inspection systems is Duqueine Atlantique. Discover in the following testimonial video how we developed a semi-automatic UT machine for their shop floor: