• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.304-310
• /
• 2005

The techniques in order to measure the depth of defect in weldment and structure accurately have been developed. Many researches have made efforts to develop the methods for the accurate depth sizing of defect. TOFD is known as the most accurate method of various methods for measuring depth sizing. However, there is a possibility to miss defects because of the limitation of beam coverage for the ultrasound incident angle. In this study, the results for detectability and depth sizing using phased array ultrasonic technique for thick body were compared with those of conventional TOFD technique. It was experimentally confirmed that the phased array ultrasonic TOFD technique gives good detectability and accurate depth measurement for the various types of defects. The phased array ultrasonic TOFD technique developed in this study will contribute to increase the inspection reliability in thick component such as the pressure vessel of power generation industry.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.420-425
• /
• 1999

Time of flight diffraction(TOFD) method is used in nondestructive tests of piping and pressure vessels because of its advantages over a pulse echo technique: its speed, objectivity, repeatability and its insensitivity to specimen surface conditions and discontinuity orientation. But it is the one of weak points in TOFD method that it has the dead zone in sub-surface resolution induced by lateral waves. We solved the dead-zone problem near the sub-surface by using the deconvolution method and the developed ultrasonic testing system showed high performance.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.64-69
• /
• 2008

In order to detect the internal defects which occur in welding parts of pressure vessel and structures, radiographic testing and ultrasonic testing is applied. However, because of the risks of radiation exposure and film processing, radiographic testing takes a relatively long time to verify the test results and it has affected in the production process. Typically, the manual ultrasonic testing is not easy to reproduce the result and it is highly dependent on the tester's skills. The TOFD technique, one of the automatic ultrasonic testings is spreading alternatively. This research describes the comparing test results by applying radiographic testing and TOFD technique to a mock-up specimen incruding the flaws. The TOFD technique will contribute to improve the objective reliability of the ultrasonic technique.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.68-72
• /
• 2002

For the evaluation of a flaw in a welded stainless steel by the Time of Flight Diffraction(TOFD) Method, we have made the reference specimen for experimentation. As a result, we could analyze a specific character and the inner state of the structure in a welded stainless steel and we came to the conclusion as followed. (1) For analyze the structure state of a section in a welded stainless steel through the optical microscope, we could have analyzed the generated shape and the location of a flaw and the inner parts of the structure state through the microscope of eighty magnification and two hundred magnification about the soundness, the heat affected zone(HAZ) and the welded part. (2) Through the comparison with the shape and the size of a flaw in the welded part about the conventional ultrasonic test and the TOFD Method, we could make an observation the special character of the TOFD Method and principles. (3) We analyzed and collected the merit of the TOFD Method on the basis of the experimental result by the shape and the size of a flaw in the inner welded parts. So, we made up a base that we could use as a basic data for a similar flaw like that. Through the study as mentioned above, we could make an observation the flaw detective method and principles used in the TOFD Method.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2014

A two-dimensional numerical model based on the finite element method was built to simulate the wave propagation phenomena that occur during the ultrasonic time of flight diffraction (TOFD) process. First, longitudinal-wave TOFD was simulated, and the numerical results agreed well with the theoretical results. Shear-wave TOFD was also investigated because shear waves have higher intensity and resolution. The shear wave propagation was studied using three models with different boundary conditions, and the tip-diffracted shear-to-longitudinal wave was extracted from the A-scan signal difference between the cracked and non-cracked specimens. This signal showed very good agreement between the geometrical and numerical arrival times. The results of this study not only provide better understanding of the diffraction phenomena in TOFD, but also prove the potential of shear-wave TOFD for practical application.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.49 no.7
• /
• pp.1524-1536
• /
• 2017

During the fabrication process of reactor vessel head penetration (RVHP), the grain size of the tube material can be changed by hot or cold work and the inner side of the tube can also be shrunk due to welding outside of the tube. Several nonregular time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD) signals were found because of deformed grains. In this paper, an investigation of nonregular TOFD indications acquired from RVHP tubes using experiments and computer simulation was performed in order to identify and distinguish TOFD signals by coarse grains from those by Primary Water Stress Corrosion Crack (PWSCC). For proper understanding of the nonregular TOFD indications, microstructural analysis of the RVHP tubes and prediction of signals scattered from the grains using Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation were performed. Prediction of ultrasonic signals from the various sizes of side drilled holes to find equivalent flaws, determination of the size of the nonregular TOFD indications from the coarse grains, and experimental investigation of TOFD signals from coarse grain and shrinkage geometry to identify PWSCC signals were performed. From the computer simulation and experimental investigation results, it was possible to obtain the nonregular TOFD indications from the coarse grains in the alloy 690 penetration tube of RVHP; these nonregular indications may be classified as PWSCC. By comparing the computer simulation and experimental results, we were able to confirm a clear difference between the coarse grain signal and the PWSCC signal.

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
• /
• 2005.06a
• /
• pp.185-187
• /
• 2005

The reactor pressure vessel head of PWR has penetrations for control rod drive mechanism and instrumentation systems. The Primary coolant water and operating temperature can cause the stress-corrosion cracking of these nickel-based alloy penetrations. It is difficult to detect and size flaws such as SCC in the reactor head penetrations using conventional W methods because of complex geometry, Therefore, the utilities are using the TOFD technique for the detection and sizing of the flaw. This study shows the correlation between the ultrasonic wave direction and the orientation of the flaw and the range of flaw depth which can be detected by the TOFD techniques.

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
• /
• 2006.10a
• /
• pp.286-288
• /
• 2006

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Machine Tool Engineers Conference
• /
• 2005.05a
• /
• pp.216-227
• /
• 2005

The head penetrations for control rod drive mechanism and instrumentation systems are installed at the reactor pressure vessel head of PWRs. Primary coolant water and the operating conditions of PWR plants can cause cracking of these nickel-based alloy through a process called primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC). Inspection of the head penetrations to ensure the integrity of the head penetrations has been interested since reactor coolant leakages were found at U. S. reactors in 2000 and 2001. The complex geometry of the head penetrations and the very low echo amplitude from the fine, multiple flaws due to the nature of the see made it difficult to detect and size the flaws using conventional pulse-echo UT methods. Time-of-flight-diffraction technique, which utilizes the time difference between the flaw tips while pulse-echo does the flaw response amplitude from the flaw, has been selected for this inspection for it's best performance of the detection and sizing of the head penetration see flaws. This study defines the limits of the detectable and accurately sizable minimum flaw size which can be detected by the General TOFD and the Delta TOFD techniques for circumferentially and axially oriented flaws respectively. These results assures the reliability of the inspection techniques to detect and accurately size for various kind of flaws, and will also be utilized for the future development and qualifications of the TOFD techniques to enhance the detecting sensitivity and sizing accuracy of the flaws of the reactor head penetrations in nuclear power plants.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2015.10a
• /
• pp.519-520
• /
• 2015