Hello all
Help wanted on idea for early-stage training on UT (Ultrasonic Testing) of welds...
There is this idea you can see - tried making one - at
This shows the concept of a "training plate" for people at the early stages of learning UT of welds.
Perception that these people need to be familiar with all the external-shape echoes - many which are strong reflectors but not defects - before trying to identify defects in training plates with known deliberately-induced defects.
Concept is ensuring people can walk before you try to get them to run...
Several of us recently gone through UT training were trying to work out how to have a stage between finishing theory and trying to find defects in training-plates with deliberately-introduced "defects".
Why?
Because the "with defects" plates are expensive and unique - hence - the class gets broken up into every individual doing their own thing, unable to support each other and the instructor being overworked and unable to give more than one individual sufficient attention.
If you could have as many cheap identical early-stage external-shape-effects training plates, the instructor could guide the class together through the common surface effect echoes, concentrating on the majority which are not defects... The instructor could slave their UT-set to a projector, so that all could see the reflection-type and its echo-dynamics which is being studied, and the class could support each other.
Things I reckon people need to know
- "noisy root" - the root makes a big many-dB's echo but is not a defect
- mode conversions - the multiple peaks close and connected in the echo dynamics when there is a mode-conversion longitudinal wave reverberating between root and cap (given using shear-wave probe)
- reflections off the cap (OK - a cap would have to be defective in shape to produce echoes and that would be obvious if you were UT'ing on the cap-side, but anyway...)
You can see what the intention is...
Anyone have additional things to look for, better alternative ideas for how to do the same training, etc, etc.???
Richard S