Abstract
Issues of quality control of welded joints in hot-tool butt-welded polyethylene pipelines are considered. It is indicated that the main scope of control currently falls on inspections based on the parameters of welding and on selective mechanical testing of welded joints. Physical nondestructive post-welding testing methods are used little, which is generally not typical for the practice of testing welded joints. The reason for this is the general problem of ultrasonic methods, viz., the low detectability of contracted defects, partially transmitting ultrasound. To ensure the detectability of such defects, we evaluate the possibility of increasing the sensitivity of ultrasonic testing by using the ultrasonic time-of-flight-diffraction (TOFD) technique. It is proposed to use the tip of vertical drillings to simulate defects weakly scattering ultrasound. It is shown that when tuning is performed based on such targets, the inspection sensitivity can be increased by at least 6 dB, i.e., two times or more. In this case, the drilling tip can simulate the upper and lower edges of a planar defect vertically oriented in the section of the weld. The results of experimental studies aimed at revealing multidirectional drills with a diameter of 1 mm in welded seams of polyethylene pipes, including pipes with an additional removable outer layer, are presented. The expediency of gathering statistical data on the identification of real defects in welded butt joints of polyethylene pipes using the considered testing method is shown.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
SP (Construction Rules) 40-102-2000. A set of rules for design and construction. Design and installation of pipelines for water supply and sewerage systems from polymer materials.
SP (Construction Rules) 42-103-2003. Design and construction of gas polyethylene pipelines and reconstruction of worn-out gas pipelines. St. Petersburg: DEAN, 2005.
Udovenko, V.E., Tkhai, V.S., and Korshunov, Yu.V., Polietilenovye truboprovody—eto prosto (Polyethylene Piping Is Easy), Moscow: Polimergaz, 2012. http://ctf-russia.ru/learning-course/?COURSE_ID=1&TYPE=Y# LE18. Cited February 20, 2020.
Postma, P.J. and Hermkens, R.J.M., Suitability of nondestructive techniques for testing polyethylene pipe joints, Plastic Pipes, 2012, XVI, pp. 1–10.
Postma, P.J. and Hermkens, R.J.M., Suitability of nondestructive techniques for testing polyethylene pipe joints, Polim. Truby, 2013, no. 2(40), pp. 52–58.
Giller, G.A. and Mogilner, L.Yu., Ultrasonic chord transducers for flaw detection of pipeline welded joints. Inspection of welded joints of plastic pipelines, V Mire NK, 2000, no. 2(8), pp. 18–20.
Aleshin, N.P., Kozlov, D.M., and Mogilner, L.Yu., Features of ultrasonic testing of welded butt joints of polyethylene pipes, Vestn. Mashinostr., 2020, no. 11.
Grigor’ev, M.V., Gurvich, A.K., Grebennikov, V.V., and Semerkhanov, S.V., Ultrasonic method for sizing cracks, Defektoskopiya, 1979, no. 6, pp. 50–56.
Silk, M.G., Ultrasonic Transducers for Nondestructive Testing, Bristol: Adam Hilger, 1984.
Charlesworth, J.P. and Temple, J.A.G., Engineering Applications of Ultrasonic Time-of-Flight Diffraction, Hertfordshire, UK: Research Studies Press, 2001, 2nd Ed.
Ginzel, Ed., Ultrasonic Time of Flight Diffraction, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Eclipse Scientific, 2013.
Neganov, D.A., Filippov, O.I., Mikhailov, I.I., Geit, A.V., and Golosov, P.S., Application of the TOFD method for testing horizontal seams of the walls of vertical steel tanks in operation, Nauka Tekhnol.—Truboprovodn. Transp. Nefti Nefteprod., 2019, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 315–325.
Brekhovskikh, L.M. and Godin, O.A., Akustika sloistykh sred (Acoustics of Layered Media), Moscow: Nauka, 1989.
https://www.olympus-ims.com/ru/scanners/hsmt-compact/.
Aleshin, N.P., Fizicheskie metody nerazrushayushchego kontrolya svarnykh soedinenii (Physical Methods of Nondestructive Testing of Welded Joints), Moscow: Mashinostroenie, 2013.
Mogilner, L.Yu. and Smorodinskii, Ya.G., Ultrasonic flaw detection: adjustment and calibration of equipment using samples with cylindrical drilling, Russ. J. Nondestr. Test., 2018, vol. 54, no. 9, pp. 630–637.
Funding
This work was carried out within the framework of the state task no. 075-0148-20-00 of December 20, 2019.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Additional information
Translated by V. Potapchouck
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Aleshin, N.P., Mogilner, L.Y., Krysko, N.V. et al. Studying Applicability of TOFD Technique to Inspection of Welded Joints in Polyethylene Pipes. Russ J Nondestruct Test 56, 775–783 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1061830920100022
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1061830920100022