A Method for Full Testing Coverage of the Ends of Parts and Pipes in AUT

Most of automatic ultrasonic testing (AUT) systems are unable of testing of the two ends of parts so that usually 10 cm of pipe-ends remain untested. The main reason for this limitation is the geometry of the probe holder with respect to the part during the test. When several probes are positioned in different directions inside a probe holder, the waves emitted by all probes cannot enter the part from its edge. This is a serious challenge even in manual UT: a probe cannot test the very beginning area of a pipe or part in the same direction of its scanning direction. One solution for this obstacle is application of the full immersion method. However, in testing of relatively big parts, this reduces the overall testing speed of AUT. This article presents the experience of authors in developing a simpler and faster contact-based immersion technique that efficiently tackles the issue.