ULTRASONIC TESTING
ACOUSTIC IMPEDANCE
MODE CONVERSION
CRITICAL ANGLES ( SNELL’S LAW)
SOUND AT AN INTERFACE
• Sound will be either transmitted across or
reflected back
How much is reflected and transmitted
depends upon the relative acoustic
impedance of the 2 materials
ACOUSTIC IMPEDANCE
• Definition • Formula
The Resistance to the
passage of sound Z V
within a material = Density , V = Velocity
• The Unit of Z is “Rayls” • Steel 46.7 x 106
which is kg / m2 x sec
• Water 1.48 x 106
• Air 0.0041 x 106
Density = Mass/Volume = Kg/mᶾ
• Perspex 3.2 x 106
Velocity = Displacement/Time taken = m/s
% SOUND REFLECTED AT AN INTERFACE
2
Z1 Z 2
100 % reflected
Z1 Z 2
% Sound Reflected + % Sound Transmitted = 100%
Therefore
% Sound Transmitted = 100% - % Sound Reflected
How much sound is reflected at a steel to water interface?
• Z1 (Steel) = 46.7 x 106
• Z2 (Water) =1.48 x 106
2
46 .7 1.48
46 .7 1.48 100 % reflected
2
45 .22
48 .18 100 % reflected
= 88.09% reflected
How much sound transmitted?
100 % - the reflected sound
Example : Steel to water
100 % - 88 % ( REFLECTED) = 12 % TRANSMITTED
The BIGGER the Acoustic Impedance Ratio or
Difference between the two materials: More
sound REFLECTED than transmitted
% SOUND TRANSMITTED AT AN INTERFACE
4 Z1 Z 2
100 % transmitted
( Z 1 Z 2) 2
% Sound Transmitted + % Sound Reflected = 100%
Therefore
% Sound Reflected = 100% - % Sound Transmitted
How much sound is transmitted at a aluminium to water
interface?
• Z1 (Aluminium) = 17 x 106
• Z2 (Water) =1.48 x 106
4 Z 1 Z 2
100 % transmitted
( Z 1 Z 2) 2
4 17 1.48
100 % transmitted
(17 1.48) 2
= 29.47 % transmitted
Air Steel
Steel
Air
Large Acoustic Impedance Ratio Large Acoustic Impedance Ratio
Steel Aluminum
Steel
Steel
No Acoustic Impedance Difference Small Acoustic Impedance
Difference
INTERFACE BEHAVIOUR
Similarly:
At an Steel - Air interface 99.96% of the incident
sound is reflected
At a Steel - Perspex interface 75.99% of the
incident sound is reflected
INTERFACE BEHAVIOUR
MODE CONVERSION
When sound travels in a solid material, one form of wave
energy can be transformed into another form.
For example, when a longitudinal waves hits an interface at
an angle, some of the energy can cause particle movement in
the transverse direction to start a shear (transverse) wave.
Mode conversion occurs when a wave encounters an
interface between materials of different acoustic
impedances and the incident angle is not normal to the
interface.
MODE CONVERSION (cont)
when sound waves pass through an interface between
materials having different acoustic velocities, refraction takes
place at the interface.
The larger the difference in acoustic velocities between the
two materials, the more the sound is refracted.
Notice that the shear wave is not refracted as much as the
longitudinal wave.
This occurs because shear waves travel slower than
longitudinal waves.
THE PHENOMENON OF SOUND
REFLECTION REFRACTION
DIFFRACTION
Law of Reflection
• Angle of Incidence = Angle of Reflection
60o 60o
Inclined incidence(not at 90o )
Incident
Transmitted
The sound is refracted due to differences in sound
velocity in the 2 DIFFERENT materials
REFRACTION
Only occurs when:
The incident angle is other than 0°
30°
Water Steel Water
Steel Steel Steel
Refracted
REFRACTION
Only occurs when:
The incident angle is other than 0°
The Two Materials has different VELOCITIES
30°
30°
Steel Water
Steel Steel
65°
30°
No Refraction Refracted
Snell’s Law
Normal
I
Incident Material 1
Material 2 Refracted
R
Sine I Vel in Material 1
Sine R Vel in Material 2
Snell’s Law
C
20 Sine I Vel in Material1
Sine R Vel in Material 2
Perspex
Sine 20 2730
Steel Sine 48.3 5960
48.3 0 . 4580 0 . 4580
C
Snell’s Law
C Sine I Vel in Material1
15
Sine R Vel in Material 2
Perspex Sine 15 2730
Sine R 5960
Steel
5960
34.4 SinR Sin 15
2730
C
SinR 0 .565
R 34 .4
Snell’s Law
C
20
Perspex
Steel
48.3
C
24
S
Snell’s Law
C
C When an incident beam of sound
approaches an interface of two
different materials: REFRACTION
occurs
Perspex
There may be more than one waveform
Steel transmitted into the second material,
example: Compression and Shear
When a waveform changes
into another waveform:
C
C MODE CHANGE
SS
Snell’s Law
C If the angle of Incident is
increased the angle of
refraction also increases
Up to a point where the
Compression Wave is at
Perspex 90° from the Normal
Steel 90° This happens at the
FIRST CRITICAL ANGLE
C
S
1st Critical Angle
C 27.4 Compression wave refracted at
90 degrees
33
S
2nd Critical Angle
C
C
57
S (Surface Wave)
90
Shear wave refracted at 90 degrees
Shear wave becomes a surface wave
1st Critical Angle Calculation
C 27.2 Sine I 2730
Sine 90 5960
Perspex
Sin 90 1
C
Steel 2730
SinI
5960
S SinI 0 .458
I 27 .26
Snell’s Law
Calculate the 1st critical angle for a
perspex/copper interface
V Comp perspex : 2730m/sec
V Comp copper : 4700m/sec
2730
SinI 0 . 5808 35 . 5
4700
2nd Critical Angle Calculation
C C Sine I 2730
57.4
Sine 90 3240
Perspex
Sin 90 1
S
Steel 2730
SinI
3240
SinI 0 .8425
I 57 .4
Before the 1st Critical Angle: There
1st are both Compression and Shear
wave in the second material
C
At the FIRST CRITICAL ANGLE
2nd Compression wave refracted at 90°
Shear wave at 33 degrees in the
material
90° Between the 1st. And 2nd.
Beyond the 2nd Critical Critical Angle: Only SHEAR
Angle: All waves are wave in the material.
reflected out of the Compression is reflected out
material. NO wave in of the material.
the material.
S C At the 2nd. Critical Angle: Shear
is refracted to 90° and become
33° SURFACE wave
Summary
Standard angle probes between 1st and 2nd
critical angles (45,60,70)
Stated angle is refracted angle in steel
No angle probe under 35, and more than 80: to
avoid being 2 waves in the same material.
One Defect Two Echoes
C S
S
EXERCISE
1. At an interface the incident angle in material A is 33 and the sound
velocity is 4400 ms-1. The velocity in material B is 4100 ms-1; thus
the refracted angle in material B is: ?
2. The velocity of a shear wave in ferritic steel is 3240 ms-1. The
velocity of a compression wave in perspex is 2730 ms-1. For the
perspex steel interface the angle of incidence at which the shear
wave has a refracted angle of 90 in the steel is: ?
3. When inspecting aluminium by the immersion method using water
for a couplant, the following information is known:
velocity of sound in water = 1.49 x 105 cm/sec
compression wave velocity in aluminium = 6.35 x 105 cm/sec
angle of incidence = 5
The angle of refraction for longitudinal waves is approximately: ?
EXERCISE (cont)
4. The velocity of a shear wave in ferritic steel is 3240 ms-1. The
velocity of a shear wave in aluminium is 3030 ms-1. The velocity of
a compression wave in perspex is 2730 ms-1. Thus a shear wave
probe that has a refracted angle of 38 in steel will have what
refracted angle in aluminium?
5. What should be the incident angle of sound in Perspex to have a 45
deg ,60 deg & 70 deg refracted angle probe to be used for steel
material? (Vel in steel=3240 ms-1 Vel in perspex= 2730 ms-1)
6. In a water immersion test, sound transmitted into steel at an
incident angle of 14 [Link] is the refracted shear wave within
the material ? (Vel in steel=3.2 x 105 cm/s Vel in water=1.5 x105
cm/s)
ANSWERS
1) 30.5 degree
2) 57.4 degree ( 2nd critical angle)
3) 21.8 degree
4) 35.1 degree
5) (i) Incident Angle is 36.57 (for 45 degree probe)
(ii) Incident Angle is 46.86 (for 60 degree probe)
(iii) Incident Angle is 52.35 (for 70 degree probe)
6) 31 degree
