The ultrasonic inspection of butt joints of crucial steel and polyethylene pipelines of small diameters (up to 500 mm) with a small thickness of a wall traditionally has been considered as a complicated technical problem. Till now such joints in many spheres of industry are inspected only by radiographic methods, and butt-welded joints of polyethylene pipelines are not inspected at all by physical methods. At the same time the pipelines of the indicated type are applied practically in all industries, including power (steel pipelines of various purpose), pipeline transport systems (steel and polyethylene gas and oil pipelines), chemical industry etc. Total amount of joints of pipes of small diameters with a small thickness of a wall is estimated in millions pieces. Therefore problem of quality control of such joints can be considered as an independent section of the theory and practice of ultrasonic NDT.
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