Sonic Analysis System – A Non Destructive Testing Technique
Description: Sonic Analysis System is a Non destructive Testing technique to differentiate between the nodularity of Cast iron
Sonic Analysis mechanism operates in the sonic frequency range. Every material produces a different frequency sound when struck with a solid object, such as gong. The captured signal is analyzed for all of its signal parameters such as Frequency, Amplitude etc. The process is as follows:
Sl. No. | Feature | Velocity Method | Sonic Analysis Method | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Detection type | Contact type | Non-eontact type | |
2 | Basis of Measurement | Material thickness at the point of measurement | Material profile | |
3 | Operation type | Manual | Automated | |
4 | Inputs needed to perform detection | Distance | Not needed | |
5 | Devices needed to perform detection | 1) Ultrasonic detection device 2) Distance/Thickness measuring device | 1) Sonic analysis device | |
6 | Calibration | At regular intervals to ensure proper functioning of the probe | Only once for a given component | |
7 | Procudure to perform detection |
1) Identify the region to place
the probe 2) Measure the thickness and feed this value to the device 3) Apply couplant 4) Place the probe on the couplant 5) Obtain the result |
1) Identify the region to strike
the component 2) Strike the component 3) Obtain the result | |
8 | Detection limitation | 1) Thickness of the object at the point of measurment has to be less than 50mm for a sandard probe (A max of upto 300mm using specialized probes) 2) Need a flat surface for probe placement | Not needed | This is the reson why few of the users are not using this guage to defferentiate between Ductile and Gray components. Hence they depend on Manual Sound analysis |
9 | Cycle time | 3 mins per component | Less than 45 sees per component. | Has scope for further improvement upto less than 10 sees per component |
10 | Comsumables | Couplant | Not needed | |
11 | Replaceable parts due to wear and tear | Probe | Not needed |
1) Transducer (Probe)
performance will be
degraded by excessive
wear at the tip and when
transducer (probe) tip
bemmes too rough, mncave
or otherwise non-flat,
operation may become
erratk or impossible 2) Severe wear will limit transducer (Probe) life Ref: User manual of Panametria; Ultrasonk predsion thkkness guage |
12 | Cost of replaceable parts | High | Low | |
13 | Probaility of replacement of replacable parts | 1 in a year | 1 in more than 5 years | |
14 | Failures that stops the process | 1) Probe 2) Battery/Power source 3) Couplant 4) Device failure | 1) Device failure (Computer failure) | |
15 | Storage limit | 9986 values only | No such IIimits | |
16 | Computer dependency | No dependency for detection operation | Always needed | |
17 | Cause of Error in detection | 1) I..ack ofcouplant 2) Probe not calibrated 3) Probe failure 4) Device failure 5) Component thickness greater than limit 6) Error in thickness measurement 7) surface irregularities (not flat) at the point of detection 8) Probe not placed at the predefined location |
1) Different profile component 2) component not struck at the predefined location | |
18 | Process control to prevent errors | Cnmplex - Need many checks - automation requires adding mechanisms for each cause of error | Simple - Adding a camera can address the issue | |
19 | Operation redundancy on failure | No redundancy - need to wait for replacement - Process stopped | 1) Has redundant sonic sensor 2) Having another computer as a backup can continue the peration | |
20 | Post process report | To be created manually | Generated test report automatically | |
21 | Device failure due to improper usage | 1) Couplant not applied as
desired 2) Mishandling of probe | None | |
22 | Detection error - Ductile detected as Gray | Possible | Possible | |
23 | Detection error - Gray detected as Ductile | Possible | Not Possible | |
24 | Skill level desired | High | Low | |
25 | Decision making | Manual | Automated |
User Interface Screen | System Evaluation |
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