Detection of surface cracks in cladded pipes by the multiple-beam technique

Standard ultrasonic techniques usually yield reliable inspection results for the steel structures of the nuclear power industry. Stainless-steel cladding of pipes, vessels, and nozzles to reduce the susceptibility of the base material to cracking has, however, led to unexpected inspection difficulties. Some solutions to the ultrasonic inspection problems of cladded pipes were found in multiple-beam transducer design and the application of novel waveform-processing and pattern-recognition methods. The paper is divided into four parts. First, the problems of standard ultrasonic inspection techniques in detecting surface and near-surface cracks are presented. Next, signal-reducing and background-interference-producing mechanisms (beam skewing, defocusing, multiple grain-boundary and clad-base-material-interface scattering, focusing, etc.) are postulated to guide attempts to improve the reliability of crack detection. The two modes of operation of the multiple-beam array featured in the multiple-beam technique (Mode I - Inspection by Threshold Detection, and Mode II - Confirmation by Pattern Recognition) are then described. Finally, the results of a detection reliability evaluation study involving the multiple-beam technique and four other detection techniques and ten cladded plates containing thirty-three thumbnail-shaped notches are cited