UT - LEVEL 1 ULTRASONIC TESTING

Public concerned:

All Non destructive testing agents concerned with a level 1 certification.

During the examination of Level 1 Ultrasonic Testing Certification, the questionnaires relating to the specific part, relate more particularly to procedures used in the aircraft industry.

The topics approached are the following:

OPERATORS :

- vision and colour Aptitudes,

EQUIPMENT :

- Synoptic knowledge of a inspection line and main adjustments of the significant parameters.

- Transducers :

Transducers beam form contact and immersion, focused or not, single or multi-elements.

TECHNIQUES :

* Calibration:

Calibration block :

Flat bottom holes,

Drilled holes,

real defects blocks.

ADC Adjustment.

* Parts :

Surface roughness and its influence.

* Couplants :

Knowledge : gel, grease and water,

Risk related to the silicone use or the oil on naked composite materials surface.

* Adjustments:

Alarm setting,

Water level (highness) (in immersion),

Inspection under oblique incidence (in immersion).

* results interpretation:

Dimensioning when the defect is lower than the acoustic beam,

Dimensioning when the defect is larger than the acoustic beam,

Rules used to classify indications volume or not volume.

APPLICATION METHODS WITH MATERIALS :

Propagation velocities of the ultrasounds in main materials used in aeronautics.

Control of laminated composites, caste with short fibbers.

Control of homogeneous and heterogeneous sticking.

HEALTH AND SAFETY:

W/o

UT - LEVEL 2 ULTRASONIC TESTING

Public concerned:

All Non destructive testing agents concerned with a level 2 certification.

During the examination of Level 1 Ultrasonic Testing Certification , the questionnaires relating to the specific part, relate more particularly to procedures used in the aircraft industry.

The topics reviewed are the following:

OPERATORS :

- Vision and colour Aptitudes,

EQUIPMENT :

- Knowledge of the inspection line and the adjustments of the significant parameters.

- Translators:

Form of the beams, sensitivity, energy, resolution. Reaction to frequency

TECHNIQUES :

* Calibration: Calibration blocks

Standards part:

flat-bottomed holes,

drilled holes,

real defects.

Adjustment of the ADC

* Part:

Surface roughness quality and its influence.

Nature of its influence.

* Coupling:

Knowledge: gel, grease and water; interaction with inspected materials.

* Adjustments:

Threshold and position of the warning system,

Highness of water (in immersion),

Inspection under oblique incidence (in immersion).

* Results interpretation:

Detection limits,

Dimensions when the defect is lower than the acoustic beam,

Dimensions when the defect is higher than the acoustic beam,

Rules used to classify volume or not volume indications.

METHODS APPLICATION TO MATERIALS :

Propagation velocities of ultrasounds in the main materials used in aeronautics.

Control of laminated composites, caste with short fibbers.

Control of homogeneous and heterogeneous stickings.

HEALTH AND SAFETY:

W/o.

UT - LEVEL 3 ULTRASONIC TESTING

Public concerned:

All Non destructive testing agent concerned with a level 3 certification.

During the Level 3 Ultrasonic Testing examination , the questionnaires relating to the specific part, relate more particularly to procedures used in the aircraft industry.

The topics reviewed are the following:

OPERATOR :

- Vision and colour Aptitudes,

- Training and Qualification,

- Required Level to carry out inspection according to the various methods.

EQUIPMENT :

- Knowledge of various equipment used in all techniques and their operating mode.

- Electronic materials (transmitter, ultrasonic receiver).

- Equipment for manual inspection by contact technique, in factory or on aircraft.

- Equipment for inspection on installations (contact, half-immersion, immersion techniques and adjustment of the scanning step).

mechanized,

powered,

Driving of automatic movement , phase by phase.

- Conventional Generators and by electromagnetic waves (laser).

Automatic movement driving and sequence of phases (profile following),

Automatic adjustment diving of the equipment,

Automatic calibration,

Results recording, graph, magnetic.

- Specific Installations of the parts to be controlled, bars, sheets, tubes, axisymmetric parts or with complex geometries.

for all of these materials, the electric and mechanical performances must be compatible

with the required inspection criteria

PRODUCTS :

* Products choice:

- Coupling conditions,

contact,

immersion,

compatibility between coupling product and material (titanium, aluminium, composite,

porous materials…)

METHODS :

* Methods selection :

- influences on the detection and resolution limits,

- Exploitation of ultrasonic energy,

reflection,

transmission (single or dual),

absorption,

diffraction.

central frequency,

band-width,

wavelength,

impulse characteristics,

form beam,

scanning rate,

amplitude relation echo/surface of the reflector,

* Means choice :

- Transducers

single or multi-element,

standard or specific geometry,

form of emission beam,

frequency spectrum,

energy spectrum.

- Calibration blocks

standardized,

specific applications ,

nature and characteristic of reference defects carried out.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS :

- surface roughness of the part,

geometry,
micro geometry.

- Materials,

nature,
structure,
isotropy,
acoustics characteristics,
geometry and local structure (welding).

OPERATING PROCEDURE :

- Specifications,

internal technical specifications in addition to the official standards,

inspection instructions,

specification relating to the installations qualification,

specifications relating to the periodic checking of the installations.

- Detection means,

visual alarm,

audible alarm,

recording,

stop on defect.

DEFECTS INDICATIONS :

- defect detected,

nature,

structure,

geometry,

surface micro-geometry,

position,

orientation,

size,

acoustic characteristics.

- Results of Interpretations

view on screen,

linear graphic recording,

representation in scan A, B or C,

signal processing,

discrimination of artefacts/defects,

procedure of doubtful cases investigation.

- Interpretation of the differed numerical recordings.

Editing of an inspection report.

CHECKING:

- Calibration,

choice of the calibration block (advantages, disadvantages of the artificial flaws of

references flat-bottom holes, drilled holes, etc…),

Calibration procedure,

Correction factors(damping, amplitude distances curves…),

significance of the reference for the flaw evaluation,

correlation with the indicated criteria.

- Monitoring quality,

means,

personnel,

procedures.

HEALTH AND SAFETY :

w/o