ULTRASONIC TESTING -
MODE CONVERSION, SNR, WAVE
INTERFERENCE
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
In the previous session, it was pointed out that 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.
MODE CONVERSION
C Snell's Law holds true for shear
20 waves as well as longitudinal
waves
Perspex
Steel
48.3
C
24
S
MODE CONVERSION
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
MODE CONVERSION
If the angle of Incident is
C increased the angle of
refraction also increases
Up to a point where the
Compression Wave is at
Perspex 90° from the Normal
C
Steel 90° This happens at the
FIRST CRITICAL ANGLE
SC
CS
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 Sin90 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 Sin90 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
Signal to Noise ratio
A good measure of detectability of a flaw is its signal-to-
noise ratio (S/N).
The signal-to-noise ratio is a measure of how the signal from
the defect compares to other background reflections
(categorized as "noise").
A signal-to-noise ratio of 3 to 1 is often required as a
minimum.
Signal to Noise ratio
The absolute noise level and the absolute strength of an
echo from a "small" defect depends on a number of factors,
which include:
The probe size and focal properties.
The probe frequency, bandwidth and efficiency.
The inspection path and distance (water and/or solid).
The interface (surface curvature and roughness).
The flaw location with respect to the incident beam.
The inherent noisiness of the metal microstructure.
The inherent reflectivity of the flaw, which is dependent on its acoustic
impedance, size, shape, and orientation.
Cracks and volumetric defects can reflect ultrasonic waves quite
differently. Many cracks are "invisible" from one direction and strong
reflectors from another.
Multifaceted flaws will tend to scatter sound away from the transducer.
Wave Interference
The sound that emanates from an ultrasonic transducer does
not originate from a single point, but instead originates from
many points along the surface of the piezoelectric element.
This results in a sound field with many waves interacting or
interfering with each other.
When waves interact, they superimpose on each other, and
the amplitude of the sound pressure or particle displacement
at any point of interaction is the sum of the amplitudes of the
two individual waves.
Wave Interference
First, let's consider two identical waves
that originate from the same point.
When they are in phase (so that the
peaks and valleys of one are exactly
aligned with those of the other), they
combine to double the displacement of
either wave acting alone.
When they are completely out of
phase (so that the peaks of one wave
are exactly aligned with the valleys of
the other wave), they combine to
cancel each other out.
Wave Interference
When the two waves are not
completely in phase or out of
phase, the resulting wave is the
sum of the wave amplitudes for
all points along the wave.
When the origins of the two interacting waves are not
the same, it is a little harder to picture the wave
interaction, but the principles are the same.
Wave Interference
If anyone that has dropped something in a pool of water can
picture the waves radiating out from the source with a
circular wave front.
If two objects are dropped a short distance apart into the
pool of water, their waves will radiate out from their sources
and interact with each other.
At every point where the waves interact, the amplitude of
the particle displacement is the combined sum of the
amplitudes of the particle displacement of the individual
waves.
Wave Interference
With an ultrasonic transducer, the waves
propagate out from the transducer face
with a circular wave front. If it were
possible to get the waves to propagate out
from a single point on the transducer face,
the sound field would appear as shown in
the upper image to the right.
Waves originated from two points
Wave Interference
Waves originated from 5 points
