Development of a Procedure for the Ultrasonic Examination of Small Size Austenitic Stainless Steel Piping Butt Welds for the Detection of Stress Corrosion Cracking

摘要

For the project of austenitic stainless steel butt welds inspection in Belgian nuclear power plants for the detection of stress corrosion cracking in 2 inches and 3/4 inch pipes, Vincotte was requested the study of an ultrasonic examination of such welds and the development of a procedure for an inspection with phased array probes. The study described in this presentation determines the optimal configuration for such examination. Different parameters are taken into account: the wave mode, the frequency, scanning pattern, the insonified area and the ultrasonic beams characteristics. The specific procedure developed and tested in this project on various welded mock-ups allows then to evaluate the detection and sizing capabilities of this process.