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1. Scope
1.1 This practice2 covers a procedure for detecting discontinuities in metal pipe and tubing using pulse-reflection ultrasonic contact or immersion angle beam techniques. Artificial
discontinuities consisting of longitudinal reference notches are
employed as the primary means of standardizing the ultrasonic
system. If transverse as well as longitudinal examination is
desired, a procedure for employing transverse notches is
provided.
1.2 This practice is intended for use with tubular products
having outside diameters approximately 12 in. (12.7 mm) and
larger, provided that the examination parameters comply with
and satisfy the requirements of Section 12. These procedures
have been used successfully for smaller sizes, however, and
may be specified upon contractural agreement between the
using parties.
NOTE 2Immersion test method may include tanks, wheel search units,
or systems that use liquid streams.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
E 543 Practice for Evaluating Agencies that Perform Nondestructive Testing3
E 1316 Terminology for Nondestructive Examinations3
1
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E-7 on Nondestructive Testing and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E07.06 on
Ultrasonic Method.
Current edition approved May 10, 1998. Published December 1998. Originally
published as E 213 63 T. Last previous edition E 213 93.
2
For ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code applications see related Practice
SE-213 in the Code.
3
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 03.03.
4
Available from American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc., 1711
Arlingate Lane, Columbus, OH 43228.
5
Available from Standardization Documents Order Desk, Bldg. 4 Section D, 700
Robbins Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094, Attn: NPODS.
Copyright ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
E 213
8. Surface Condition
8.1 All surfaces shall be clean and free of scale, dirt, grease,
paint, or other foreign material that could interfere with
interpretation of test results. The methods used for cleaning
and preparing the surfaces for ultrasonic examination shall not
be detrimental to the base metal or the surface finish. Excessive
surface roughness or scratches can produce signals that interfere with the test.
9. Apparatus
9.1 The instruments and accessory equipment shall be of the
pulse-reflection type and shall be capable of distinguishing the
reference notches described in Section 11 to the extent required
in the standardization procedure described in Section 12. Fig.
1 illustrates the refraction of sound in the pipe or tube wall, and
the circumferential direction of ultrasonic energy propagation
used to detect longitudinal notches.
10. Couplant
10.1 A liquid couplant such as water, oil, or glycerin,
capable of conducting ultrasonic vibrations between the transducer and the pipe or tube being tested shall be used. Rust
inhibitors, softeners, and wetting agents may be added to the
couplant. The couplant liquid with all additives should not be
detrimental to the surface condition of the pipe or tube, and
shall wet the surface of the material to provide adequate
coupling efficiency.
7. Personnel Qualification
7.1 If specified in the contractual agreement, personnel
performing examinations to this standard shall be qualified in
accordance with a nationally recognized NDT personnel qualification practice or standard such as ANSI/ASNT-CP-189,
SNT-TC-1A, MIL STD-410, or a similar document and certi2
E 213
NOTE 3In contact testing, some couplants result in better ultrasonic
transmission when the tubing is precoated several hours before the test.
(a)
(b)
NOTE 4For sizes below 14-in. inner diameter, the ratio of the outer
diameter to wall thickness must be taken into consideration.
NOTE 5In Fig. 2 (a), ( b), and (d), the sharp corners are for ease of
illustration. It is recognized that in normal machining practice, a radius
will be generated.
13. Procedure
13.1 Unless otherwise specified, examine the pipe or tubing
with the ultrasound transmitted in one circumferential direction
E 213
or tubing unless otherwise specified.
under the identical conditions used for equipment standardization (Note 8). Examination may be required with the ultrasound transmitted in both circumferential directions (see
Supplementary Requirement S1). If the examination is to be
performed in both directions, conduct the standardization
procedure of Section 12 in both directions.
NOTE 8Identical conditions include all instrument settings, mechanical motions, search unit position and alignment relative to the pipe or tube,
liquid couplant, and any other factors that affect the performance of the
examination.
15. Report
15.1 When a report is required, it shall contain such
information as is mutually considered adequate to document
that the pipe or tubes supplied meet the requirements of this
practice.
16. Keywords
16.1 angle beam; nondestructive examination; pipe; tubing;
ultrasonic examination
SUPPLEMENTARY REQUIREMENTS
These requirements shall apply only when individually specified by the using party or parties. When
details of these requirements are not covered herein, they may be subject to agreement by a using
party.
S3.2 An independent channel of instrumentation (including
search unit assembly) shall be employed for the purpose of
detecting transverse discontinuities.
S3.3 When transverse notches are required, the using party
or parties shall also determine whether scanning is required in
one or both axial directions. Fig. 3 illustrates the refraction of
sound in the pipe or tube wall, and the axial propagation of
ultrasonic energy to detect transverse notches.
S1. Scanning
S1.1 Scanning shall be conducted with the ultrasonic beam
directed in both circumferential directions.
S2. Distance Amplitude Correction
S2.1 A method of compensating for the reduction in ultrasonic signal amplitude as a function of test metal distance shall
be employed. Details of the procedures used to establish and
apply the distance amplitude correction (DAC) curve shall be
established by the using party or parties.
(a)
(b)
(c)
Each pipe or tube is passed through a single channel examination station four times, twice in each direction,
Each pipe or tube is passed through a two-channel examination station
twice, once in each direction, or
Each pipe or tube is passed through a four-channel examination station
once.
E 213
S4. Recording
S4.1 A permanent record containing objective evidence of
the examination results shall accompany each accepted pipe or
tube. This may be in the form of a strip chart recording of the
ultrasonic instrument output during the examination. It shall
contain recordings of all standardizations and standardization
checks and shall be annotated to provide a positive correlation
between each test record and the corresponding pipe and tube.
S5. Report
S5.1 The supplier shall submit to the purchaser a report that
includes at least the following information:
S5.1.1 Identification of the material by type, size, lot, heat,
and the like.
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