What is the range of applications of ultrasonic testing?
Nobody's perfect and that is why, for reason of safety and costs, many types of materials have to be checked to see whether they really do have the desired properties. Everywhere where such inspections have to be carried out one encounters non-destructive testing methods which frequently use ultrasound. This is because ultrasound can propagate in many materials and is unproblematic to use. The field in which non-destructive testing methods can be applied is a large one and is constantly expanding. lt is used:
1.1 in traffic for inspecting rolling stock and aircraft and for checking rails e. g. railways; tramways etc.
1.2 in the metal producing industries for testing cast, forged and rolled products such as plates, tubes, wire etc.
1.3 in ship building and metal fabrication: for testing semi-finished products and joints.
1.4 in the machine manufacturing and electronics industries. For testing semi-finished products, for welded, soldered and bonded joints as well as for checking production tolerances.
1.5 in all types of power stations, for inspecting pressure and heat-stressed boilers and conduits, for monitoring turbines and generators.
1.6 in the chemical industry, for testing products, and compounds, for monitoring parts of installations subject to corrosion.
1.7 in science and research, for determining solid body and molecular properties and, in the field of medicine, for examining human beings and animals.