Study on Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing Techniques for Austenitic Stainless Steel Butt Welds

• Published in: Journal of fusion energy Vol. 44; no. 1; p. 13
• Main Authors: Li, Chengwen, wang, Rui, Liu, Zhihong, Ji, Haibiao, Qin, Shijun, Chen, Ren, Zhong, Yaqi, Wu, Huapeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 17.02.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acoustics; Austenitic stainless steels; Calibration; Cooling; Crystal defects; Crystals; Design; Energy Systems; Experiments; Fusion reactors; Grain growth; Grain size; Grooves; Nondestructive testing; Nuclear Energy; Nuclear Fusion; Performance tests; Phased arrays; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Plasma Physics; Signal to noise ratio; Simulation; Software; Sound fields; Stainless steel; Sustainable Development; Ultrasonic testing; Velocity; Waveforms; Phased array ultrasonic; Fusion reactor; Austenite stainless steel
• ISSN: 1572-9591; 0164-0313; 1572-9591
• DOI: 10.1007/s10894-025-00475-6

The procedure of ultrasonic testing for austenitic stainless steel welds relies heavily on the accurate assessment of actual welding faults. The research subject of this paper is a 40 mm 316L stainless steel butt weld, utilized in fusion reactors. Based on the weld acoustic performance test, sound field modeling, and reference block method, a double crystal probe S-Scan (sector scan) process is suggested. To detect the missed vertical-type groove flaws, a waveform conversion-based total focusing method (TFM) is developed. The study's findings demonstrate that the reliability of ultrasonic testing of austenitic stainless steel welds can be significantly increased by combining conventional sector scanning with cutting-edge TFM technology.