Using UT-SAFT for analysis of stress corrosion cracking

Stress corrosion cracking is a transcrystalline or intercrystalline crack formation in materials which occurs under the influence of static tensile stress or residual stress and a specific aggressive medium such as chloride containing substances. This special sort of crack formation is involved in complex crack configurations, which may only insufficiently be captured by conventional ultrasonic probes with fixed angles of incidence. Only a number of different beam angles produce sufficient reflection to reconstruct the complete defect shape from measured ultrasonic data. The SAFT algorithm, which was recently successfully used in many industrial NDT-applications, is a promising tool for the reconstruction process. In addition, the combination of phased array technique and SAFT was developed in several projects by BAM, Berlin. Investigations using phased array equipment were performed to look into crack configurations in test blocks with different surface curvatures. UT-SAFT has been used for the analysis of spark-eroded notches simulating stress corrosion cracks at the thermo sleeve weld of a nozzle. For comparison, UT-SAFT has also been applied for the analysis of real reflectors at the same position in a nozzle used in a power plant, which was repaired later on. SAFT-scans received from reconstructed ultrasonic measurement data confirm the practical usefulness of the SAFTalgorithm developed by BAM.