Olympus Epoch 650 Ultrasonic Flaw

Detector - Metric Calibration Guide

Introduction
This guide provides step-by-step instructions for calibrating the Olympus Epoch 650
ultrasonic flaw detector using the metric system. Calibration is essential to ensure
accurate measurements during ultrasonic testing. The Epoch 650 must be properly
calibrated to compensate for the dead time between the firing of the main pulse and the
entry of sound into the test piece (zero offset), and to match the material velocity of the
test piece.

Required Equipment
1. Olympus Epoch 650 ultrasonic flaw detector
2. Appropriate transducer (contact, dual, delay line, or angle beam)
3. Transducer cable
4. Calibration test block with known thicknesses in millimeters
5. Couplant (ultrasonic gel)

Setting Up the Device for Metric Units

Before beginning the calibration process, you must ensure the Epoch 650 is configured
to use metric units:

1. Power on the Olympus Epoch 650 by pressing the power button located at the
bottom right of the device.
2. Once the device has initialized, press the Menu key to access the main menu.
3. Navigate to Meas Setup > Unit (group 3/5) using the arrow keys.
4. Select "mm" as the unit of measurement. This enables the Velocity parameter
which is necessary for calibration.
5. Press the Menu key again to return to the main screen.
Basic Setup Before Calibration
Perform these initial setup steps to prepare the device for calibration:

1. Press the dB key to select an initial gain value appropriate for calibration. If you're
unsure, set the initial gain to 20 dB and adjust as necessary during calibration.

2. Navigate to Basic > Velocity (group 1/5) and enter an approximate velocity for your
test material. For steel, this is typically around 5900 m/s. For other materials, refer
to the sound velocities table in the user manual.

3. Navigate to Basic > Zero and adjust the zero offset of the instrument to 0.000 μs.

4. Navigate to Basic > Range and set the range based on the sound path range within
your calibration block. Always use more range than necessary to ensure all
calibration echoes appear on the screen.

5. Navigate to Basic > Delay and set the screen delay to 0.00 mm.

6. Navigate to Trig > Angle (group 1/5) and enter the correct refracted angle for your
probe (0° for a straight beam probe, 45° for a 45° probe, etc.).

7. Navigate to Trig > Thick and set the material thickness to 0.00 mm.

8. Navigate to Rcvr > Reject (group 1/5) and set the reject level to 0%.

9. Navigate to Gate 1 > Status (group 2/5) and set it to On to activate gate 1.

10. Connect your transducer to an appropriate cable, then connect the cable to either
of the transducer connectors at the top of the instrument.

11. Apply couplant to your calibration block and couple the transducer to the block.
Adjust the pulser and filter settings to create a clean A-scan display.

Straight Beam Calibration (Thickness Mode)

The Epoch 650 offers two calibration modes for straight beam transducers: Thickness
and Echo-to-echo. The following procedure details the Thickness calibration mode,
which is the standard method:

1. Navigate to Auto Cal > Type and select "Thickness" from the options.

2. Apply couplant to the thin calibration block step and couple the transducer to it.
For best results, choose a thickness that is below the expected thickness of the
 material you will be inspecting. Note that very thin materials may not produce
proper readings depending on the transducer frequency.

3. Press the P5 key (G1Start) to position gate 1 so that the first back-wall echo from
the known thickness step exceeds the gate threshold.

4. Navigate to Auto Cal > First Value and enter the known thickness of the thin
calibration block step in millimeters.

5. Press the P6 key (Cal Zero) to calibrate the zero offset.

6. Apply couplant to the thick calibration block step and couple the transducer to it.
For best results, choose a thickness that is above the expected thickness of the
material you will be inspecting.

7. Press the P5 key (G1Start) to position gate 1 so that the first back-wall echo from
the known thickness step exceeds the gate threshold.

8. Navigate to Auto Cal > Second Value and enter the known thickness of the thick
calibration block step in millimeters.

9. Press the P7 key (Cal Vel) to calibrate the velocity.

10. To verify your calibration, check the thickness measurement at each step on the
calibration block. The displayed measurements should match the known
thicknesses of the calibration block steps.

Echo-to-Echo Calibration (Alternative Method)

If you need to perform echo-to-echo measurements, follow these steps:

1. Ensure Gate 2 tracking is turned on by navigating to Gate 2 > Tracking (group 2/5)
and setting it to G1.

2. Navigate to Auto Cal > Type and select "Echo-to-Echo" from the options.

3. Apply couplant to the calibration block of known thickness and couple the
transducer to it.

4. Position gate 1 on the first back-wall echo and gate 2 on the second back-wall echo.

5. Navigate to Auto Cal > First Value and enter the known thickness of the calibration
block in millimeters.

6. Press the P7 key (Cal Vel) to calibrate the velocity.

 7. Verify the calibration by checking that the displayed echo-to-echo measurement
matches the known thickness of the calibration block.

Angle Beam Calibration

For angle beam transducers, the Epoch 650 offers two calibration modes: Sound Path
and Depth. The following procedure details the Sound Path calibration mode:

1. Navigate to Auto Cal > Type and select "Sound Path" from the options.

2. Verify that the correct refracted angle is set by navigating to Trig > Angle (group
1/5).

3. Apply couplant to the calibration block and position the transducer to obtain a
signal from the smaller radius (thin sound path).

4. Press the P5 key (G1Start) to position gate 1 so that the echo from the radius
exceeds the gate threshold.

5. Navigate to Auto Cal > First Value and enter the known sound path distance to the
smaller radius in millimeters.

6. Press the P6 key (Cal Zero) to calibrate the zero offset.

7. Reposition the transducer to obtain a signal from the larger radius (thick sound
path).

8. Press the P5 key (G1Start) to position gate 1 so that the echo from the radius
exceeds the gate threshold.

9. Navigate to Auto Cal > Second Value and enter the known sound path distance to
the larger radius in millimeters.

10. Press the P7 key (Cal Vel) to calibrate the velocity.

11. Verify the calibration by checking that the displayed sound path measurements
match the known distances to the radii on the calibration block.

Saving Your Calibration

After completing the calibration, it's recommended to save your calibration settings:

1. Press the File key to access the file operations menu.

2. Select "Save" and choose "Cal" as the file type.

 3. Enter a name for your calibration file using the virtual keyboard.

4. Press the P7 key (Save) to save the calibration.

Troubleshooting
If you encounter issues during calibration:

• Ensure adequate couplant is applied between the transducer and calibration

block.
• Check that the transducer is properly connected to the instrument.
• Verify that the gain setting is appropriate to produce clear signals.
• Make sure the gate is positioned correctly to detect the desired echo.
• Confirm that you have entered the correct thickness or sound path values.

Conclusion
Proper calibration of your Olympus Epoch 650 ultrasonic flaw detector is crucial for
accurate measurements. By following this step-by-step guide, you can ensure your
device is correctly calibrated using the metric system. Remember to recalibrate
whenever you change transducers, test materials, or temperature conditions.

For more detailed information, refer to the Olympus Epoch 650 User Manual, Chapter 9:
Calibration.