BS EN 4050-1:2012 BSI Standards Publication Aerospace series — Test method for metallic materials — Ultrasonic inspection of bars, plates, forging stock and forgings Part 1: General requirements BS EN 4050-1:2012 BRITISH STANDARD National foreword This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN 4050-1:2012 The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee ACE/61, Metallic materials for aerospace purposes A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its secretary This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract Users are responsible for its correct application © The British Standards Institution 2012 Published by BSI Standards Limited 2012 ISBN 978 580 75193 ICS 49.025.05; 49.025.15 Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 October 2012 Amendments issued since publication Date Text affected BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1 EUROPEAN STANDARD NORME EUROPÉENNE EUROPÄISCHE NORM September 2012 ICS 49.025.05; 49.025.15 English Version Aerospace series - Test method for metallic materials Ultrasonic inspection of bars, plates, forging stock and forgings Part 1: General requirements Série aérospatiale - Méthode d'essai applicable aux matériaux métalliques - L'inspection par ultrasons des barres, des assiettes, des stocks de forgeage et de pièces forgées - Partie 1: Exigences générales Luft- und Raumfahrt - Prüfverfahren für metallische Werkstoffe - Ultraschallprüfung von Stangen, Platten, Schmiedevormaterial und Schmiedestücken - Teil 1: Allgemeine Anforderungen This European Standard was approved by CEN on 15 July 2011 CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN member This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German) A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versions CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels © 2012 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CEN national Members Ref No EN 4050-1:2012: E BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) Contents Page Foreword 3 Scope 4 Generality .4 Normative references 4 Method 4 Terms and definitions 5 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Standard test blocks 10 Introduction 10 General 10 Reference reflectors 10 Surface condition 10 Attenuation corrections 10 7.1 7.2 Test equipment 10 Electronic equipment 10 Transducers 11 Preparation of items for testing 11 Beam angle 11 10 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Scanning modes 11 Plate 11 Rectangular bar 11 Round bar 11 Forging stock, forgings and rolled rings 12 11 Acceptance criteria 12 12 Qualification and approval of personnel 12 13 Inspection and test report 12 BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) Foreword This document (EN 4050-1:2012) has been prepared by the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe - Standardization (ASD-STAN) After enquiries and votes carried out in accordance with the rules of this Association, this Standard has received the approval of the National Associations and the Official Services of the member countries of ASD, prior to its presentation to CEN This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by March 2013, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by March 2013 Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights CEN [and/or CENELEC] shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) Scope This European Standard defines the ultrasonic inspection procedure for rolled, drawn, extruded and forged billets, bars and plates, rolled rings and forgings with a uniform square, rectangular or round cross section It does not cover critical rotating parts in steel, titanium, titanium alloys, aluminium alloys and heat resisting alloys that are to be inspected in accordance with the technical supply conditions of the relevant EN standards or internal specifications Generality For products with geometries other than those described above, the test conditions and acceptance criteria shall be agreed between the manufacturer and purchaser Normative references The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are indispensable for its application For dated references, only the edition cited applies For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies EN 2000, Aerospace series — Quality assurance — EN aerospace products — Approval of the quality system of manufacturers EN 2078, Aerospace series — Metallic materials — Manufacturing schedule, inspection schedule, inspection and test report — Definition, general principles, preparation and approval EN 4050-2, Aerospace series — Test method for metallic materials — Ultrasonic inspection of bars, plates, forging stock and forgings — Part 2: Performance of test EN 4050-3, Aerospace series — Test method for metallic materials — Ultrasonic inspection of bars, plates, forging stock and forgings — Part 3: Reference blocks EN 4050-4, Aerospace series — Test method for metallic materials — Ultrasonic inspection of bars, plates, forging stock and forgings — Part 4: Acceptance criteria EN 4179, Aerospace series — Qualification and approval of personnel for non-destructive testing Method The inspection shall be made in accordance with the contact or immersion method depending on the requirements of the material standard Echo indications are classified by comparison with the indications of flat bottom holes (FBH) of specific diameter, drilled in test blocks that shall be acoustically similar to the material to be tested or have suitable correction curves to ensure equivalency, or in accordance with the DGS (Distance Gain Size) method The method to be applied in each case shall be documented in the form of an ultrasonic technique sheet which if agreed with the purchaser shall be referenced on the order or in an inspection schedule in accordance with EN 2078 BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) The following information shall be given: testing location; material; surface and machined condition (round, square, surface ground, turned, peeled, burnished, etc.); equipment including transducers; calibration standards; couplant; setting up procedure; inspection procedure; attenuation; methods used for distance amplitude correction (DAC); scan plan; method of recording results; defect evaluation procedure; scan pitch; scan speed; scan overlap; inspection classification; control checks; traceability; inspection limitations; any other relevant data Terms and definitions For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply 5.1 manufacturer See EN 2000 BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) 5.2 purchaser body which purchases the products from a manufacturer or a stockist in accordance with the requirements of the user Note to entry: The purchaser may also be the user 5.3 user See EN 2000 5.4 attenuation reduction of the sound energy by absorption and scattering 5.5 multiple discontinuities indications whose spacing to one another is below the specified limits 5.6 linear discontinuity indication with a half-value length ≥ times the length of the indications from a reference reflector of maximum permissible size 5.7 size of discontinuity diameter of the circular reflector which produces an echo height equal to the echo height of the discontinuity to be evaluated at the same depth 5.8 distance amplitude correction (DAC) electronic change of amplification to provide equal amplitude heights from reflectors of equal area at different depths 5.9 distance/amplitude curve correction compensation for attenuation and coupling differences between the material to be tested and the standard test blocks is only possible if the material to be tested has parallel surfaces or if surfaces can be partly machined Those surfaces shall be parallel within 0,05 mm 5.10 Distance/amplitude curve in metal graphical plot of the echo amplitude of targets drilled at different depths in specified test blocks at a predetermined water gap (immersion technique) or using a specific coupling medium (contact technique) Note to entry: The shape of the distance/amplitude curve in metal is mainly affected by: the structure of the test block, which will influence the sound transmission characteristics; the transducer characteristics; the geometry and size of the targets 5.11 the water distance/amplitude curve (immersion technique) graphical plot of the amplitude of the echo reflected from a 2,5 mm diameter steel ball against distance from the probe face BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) 5.12 distance Gain Size (DGS) diagram distance amplitude curves permitting prediction of reflector size compared to response from FBH and back surface reflection An example of a DGS diagram for a certain product is given in EN 4050-2 5.13 effective probe diameter the effective probe diameter will always be less than its actual dimension It is calculated from the following basic formula: d = CN f where d is the effective probe diameter in millimetres; C is the velocity of sound in water, in millimetres per second; N is near field length measured, in millimetres; f is the measured frequency, in hertz 5.14 near field region of the ultrasonic beam extending from the transducer up to “N” or “Nh” point (see 5.21) in which the ultrasonic beam is subject to variation of intensity due to interference effects 5.15 far field region of the ultrasonic beam from “N” or “Nh” point (see 5.21) onwards in which reflectors give uniform decrease of amplitude with increasing distance 5.16 horizontal linearity the ability of the ultrasonic testing system to respond in a linear manner to reflectors at different depths in a uniform transmission medium 5.17 vertical linearity the ability of the ultrasonic testing system to respond with indications whose amplitudes are proportional to a range of areas of reflectors at the same depth in a uniform transmission medium 5.18 distance/amplitude method method of direct evaluation of indications from the test item by comparing the signal height with a reference reflector in a similar material at the same metal path length 5.19 half-value method method of evaluating the reflector size when the defect size is smaller than the effective test beam diameter in which the transducer is moved away from the point of maximum reflection in two rectangular axes until the echo height reduces to half of its maximum 5.20 standard test block method indirect method of evaluating indications from the test item by comparing the indications with known reflectors on the applicable standard test block BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) 5.21 “N” and “Nh” points the position “N” and “Nh” points correspond to the final maximum on the relevant curve the “N” point is derived from the water distance/amplitude curve the “Nh” point is derived from the distance/amplitude curve in metal 5.22 noise indications (grass) large number of other than discrete signals at the baseline of the oscilloscope which can be caused by: material structure; surface roughness; electrical interference, etc 5.23 resolution the ability to give separate indications from discontinuities having nearly the same range and lateral position 5.24 dead zone (top surface resolution) the minimum distance between the echo obtained from a FBH of the accepted diameter and depth and the intersection of top surface echo and the echo of the FBH when this difference in amplitude is 12 dB or more 5.25 back surface resolution the minimum distance between the echo obtained from a FBH of accepted diameter and the intersection of back surface echo and the echo of the FBH when this difference is 12 dB or more 5.26 flaw recognition level any predetermined echo height, which if attained or exceeded, causes the indications to be registered 5.27 reference reflector reflector of known shape, size and position, whose reflection characteristics serve as a reference standard for unknown reflectors (bearing in mind acoustical laws) 5.28 scanning path systematic relative movement of the transducer along the surface of the test item 5.29 scanning pitch/index the scanning pitch is the linear distance between adjacent scans The scanning index is equal to the scanning speed divided by the pulse repetition frequency The index and pitch distance depend on the effective beam width of the transducer and detectable defect size 5.30 reference sensitivity for the DGS method expressed in terms of the backwall echo from a 25 mm thick reference plate representing the alloy to be investigated, or preferably using a reference standard test block 5.31 basic reference sensitivity for the FBH method derived by taking into account the probe and flaw detector characteristics with respect to a reference reflector BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) 5.32 working sensitivity the sum of the loss due to material attenuation to the reference sensitivity, during the calibration 5.33 signal-to-noise ratio the ratio of the amplitude of an ultrasonic indication to the amplitude of the maximum background noise signal (grass), at the same depth 5.34 sound transmission characteristics the major characteristics affecting the transmission of the sound beam in the part to be tested are: attenuation; noise level; sound velocity; The characteristics are strongly influenced by the material surface condition, and the material structure, particularly the grain size, grain morphology, phase distribution, homogeneity and grain flow 5.35 test beam diameter the test beam diameter will normally correspond to the minimum diameter of the — dB boundary of the ultrasonic beam measured at the “Nh” point, or to an alternative local procedure (see Figure 1) 5.36 beam angle acoustic beam the incidence angle of which is greater than zero 5.37 working range part of the actual distance/amplitude curve where there is adequate flaw detectability 5.38 water gap distance from a probe face to the surface of the part under examination 5.39 wave modes longitudinal wave: Those waves in which the particle motion within the product is essentially in the same direction as the wave propagation Shear wave: Wave motion in which the particle motion is perpendicular to the direction of propagation Surface wave: Wave motion on the free surface of the product, without essential penetration in the product Lamb wave: Tension, or flexural waves in plates, where thicknesses are not large in comparison with the wave length Their propagation speed is not only dependent on the material, but also on the product of thickness and frequency BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) Standard test blocks 6.1 Introduction The necessary standard test blocks, their method of manufacture and their use shall be prescribed in accordance with the procedure to be used The application of the standard test blocks provided with side-drilled holes shall be agreed between manufacturer and purchaser All standard test blocks used shall be checked and marked, as appropriate, referred to a master and if necessary, provided with a correction factor 6.2 General Test blocks shall conform to EN 4050-3 For purposes of echo-height comparison, standard test blocks shall be used that have circular reflectors at the same depth as the echo indication being evaluated Extrapolation in the far field is permissible Interpolation between the amplitude points may be made, where the reference line shall contain at least three amplitude points The standard test blocks shall have contours similar to those of the items under test 6.3 Reference reflectors Reference reflectors shall have diameters 0,4 mm; 0,8 mm; 1,2 mm; 1,6 mm; mm and 3,2 mm NOTE Reference reflectors are flat bottom holes in standard test blocks Conversion to other reflector sizes is permissible 6.4 Surface condition The surface condition of the standard test blocks shall conform to EN 4050-3 6.5 Attenuation corrections Suitable test blocks for permitting attenuation corrections to be applied shall be available 7.1 Test equipment Electronic equipment When used with appropriate transducers the electronic equipment shall produce ultrasonic test frequencies between 0,5 MHz and 25 MHz and shall have precision attenuator switches The attenuator or gain-control shall be shown to be accurate to ± dB within the useful amplification range by means of a regular calibration procedure agreed between the manufacturer and the purchaser The linearity of the amplifier shall be within ± % of the specified value in the range 15 % to 90 % of the screen height Equipment with calibrated distance amplitude correction is preferred It is preferred that indications shall be registered with a suitable alarm system, such as stop-on-defect and/or acoustic and visual signals or synchronised recorders 10 BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) 7.2 Transducers The performance data of the transducer and the capability of the complete test equipment shall be checked at regular intervals agreed between the manufacturer and the purchaser The following data shall be checked: near surface resolution and where practical far surface resolution for required flat bottom hole; DAC, effective near-field length and working range; test beam diameter and distance/amplitude curve The test beam diameter shall be determined in a relevant manner, e.g from a drilled hole in a material that represents the item under test where the hole depth corresponds to a specific point on the distance amplitude curve and the diameter of the hole correlated to the required Quality Assurance Standard No specific restrictions are imposed; however, the frequency used shall be the highest practical frequency which will provide the penetration and resolution required Preparation of items for testing The conditions of the surface of the test items to be inspected shall permit adequate flaw detection to the acceptance standard required Test items shall be clean and free from surface impurities or surface damage Identification markings shall be placed in a position agreed by the purchaser and in no case shall reduce the inspection performance to an unacceptable level Beam angle The established beam angle to the surface shall be maintained as constant as possible Beam angles specific to the component shall be agreed upon between the manufacturer and the purchaser 10 Scanning modes 10.1 Plate Shall be tested from both faces unless it can be proved that the permissible dead zone are not exceeded by testing from one face only except where the through transmission technique is used 10.2 Rectangular bar Products shall be tested from at least two adjacent surfaces unless thickness is less than 12 mm 10.3 Round bar Shall be tested normal to the axis unless an angle beam also has been specified for the technique Attention shall be paid to optimise the coverage of the bar when defining the scan plan 11 BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) 10.4 Forging stock, forgings and rolled rings Shall be agreed upon between the manufacturer and purchaser 11 Acceptance criteria The acceptance criteria are laid down in EN 4050-4 12 Qualification and approval of personnel Ultrasonic testing to the requirements this standard shall only be carried out and supervised by personnel holding appropriate current qualification to EN 4179 13 Inspection and test report When required all tests carried out shall be recorded in a test report relating to the item under test in accordance with EN 2078 This report shall include all relevant information including: a) The test method; b) The electronic equipment; c) The ultrasonic transducer; d) The calibration procedure; e) Correction factors; f) Control settings; g) The type and reference number of the standard test block used; h) The size and location of ultrasonic indications from flaws; i) The attenuation level; j) The grass level; k) The drawing number, part number, and serial number of the item under test; l) Test results; m) Operator name, qualification, certification and visa or stamp Where appropriate, sketches showing the flaw positions and size shall be made If the ultrasonic equipment automatically records the test results, these records may be included in the test report All records shall be retained as required by the purchaser or the relevant authority 12 BS EN 4050-1:2012 EN 4050-1:2012 (E) Key X amplitude Y distance Dmin test beam diameter probe water gap or coupling medium steel block focused beam distance amplitude curve Figure — Definition of the test beam diameter 13 This page deliberately left blank This page deliberately left blank NO COPYING WITHOUT BSI PERMISSION EXCEPT AS PERMITTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW British Standards Institution (BSI) BSI is the national body responsible for preparing British Standards and other standards-related publications, information and services BSI is incorporated by Royal Charter British Standards and other standardization products are published by BSI Standards Limited About us Revisions We bring together business, industry, government, consumers, innovators and others to shape their combined experience and expertise into standards -based 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