Catalogo Mentor em
Catalogo Mentor em
Catalogo Mentor em
Phasor XS
User’s Manual
021-002-362 Rev. 11
September 2013
GE
Measurement & Control
Phasor XS
Portable Phased Array Ultrasonic Flaw Detector
User’s Manual
021-002-362 Rev. 11
September 2013
www.ge-mcs.com
ii
Contents
Important Notice
General Warnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Operator Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Testing Limitations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Ultrasonic Measurement Critical Operating Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Defects/errors and Exceptional Stresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Chapter 1. Phased Array Operation―Keypad, Menus, and Displays
1.1 Supplying Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Powering the Instrument On and Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Keypad and Knob Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.4 Home Menu and Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.5 Display Screen Features (Phased Array) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.6 Startup Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.7 Software Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.7.1 Phasor XS Software Upgrade Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.7.2 Phasor XS Upload Code Upgrade Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Important Notice
The following information must be read and understood by any user of a GE Inspection Technologies ultrasonic
thickness gauge. Failure to follow these instructions can lead to errors in thickness measurements or other test results.
Decisions based on erroneous results can, in turn, lead to property damage, personal injury or death.
General Warnings
Proper use of ultrasonic test equipment requires three essential elements:
Operator Training
Operators must receive adequate training before using ultrasonic test equipment. Operators must be trained in general
ultrasonic testing procedures and in the set up and performance required by a particular test. Operators must
understand:
Testing Limitations
In ultrasonic testing, information is obtained only from within the limits of the sound beam. Operators must exercise
great caution in making inferences about the test material outside the limits of the sound beam. For example, when
testing large materials, it may be impossible or impractical to inspect the entire test piece.
When a less-than-complete inspection is to be performed, the operator must be shown the specific areas to inspect.
Inferences about the condition of areas not inspected, based on data from the evaluated areas, should only be attempted
by personnel fully trained in applicable statistical and probability techniques. In particular, materials subject to erosion
or corrosion, in which conditions can vary significantly in any given area, should only be evaluated by fully trained and
experienced operators.Sound beams reflect from the first interior surface encountered. Because of part geometry and
overlapped flaws or overlapped surfaces, thickness gauges may measure the distance to an internal flaw rather than to
the back wall of the material. Operators must take steps to ensure that the entire thickness of the test material is being
examined.
Operators should also be aware that the sound velocity may not be constant in the material being tested; heat treating,
for example, can cause significant changes in sound velocity. This must be considered when evaluating the accuracy of
the thickness provided by this instrument. Instruments should always be calibrated before testing, and the calibration
should be checked after testing, to minimize testing errors.
2. Probe Calibration
Failure to properly perform the probe zero procedure will cause inaccurate readings.
4. Transducer Selection
The transducer used in testing must be in good condition without noticeable wear of the front surface. Badly worn
transducers will have a reduced effective measuring range. The specified range of the transducer must include the
complete range of thicknesses to be tested. The temperature of the material to be tested must be within the transducer’s
temperature range.
5. Use of Couplants
Operators must be familiar with the use of ultrasonic couplants. Testing skills must be developed so that couplant is
used and applied in a consistent manner to minimize variations in couplant layer thickness and errors in test results.
Calibration and actual testing should be performed under similar coupling conditions, using a minimum amount of
couplant and applying consistent pressure on the transducer.
When using a new transducer, any reading which is less than twice the minimum specified range of the transducer may
be a “doubled” reading, and the thickness of the material being tested should be verified by the use of other methods. If
the transducer shows any sign of wear, doubling may occur at a second echo or other echo signal combinations may
produce a readable signal. The instrument reading and apparent thickness are up to about twice the actual value,
resulting in a thickness greater than twice the minimum of the specified range. This thickness should be determined by
calibrating the instrument/transducer combination on reference blocks that represent the complete range of possible
thicknesses that may be encountered in testing. This is particularly important when the test piece is being ultrasonically
measured for the first time or in any case where the history of thickness of the test specimen is unknown.
Safety Information
ATTENTION! The Phasor XS is an instrument for materials testing. Any use for medical applications or other
purposes is not allowed.
The Phasor XS can be operated with batteries or while plugged into an electrical outlet using the
AC charger. The power supply unit has the electrical safety class II.
Software
According to the current state of the art, software is never completely free from errors. Before using any software-
controlled test equipment, please make sure that the required functions operate perfectly in the intended combination.
• After prolonged storage under adverse conditions like exceptional temperatures and/or especially high air
humidity, or corrosive environmental conditions.
• Being subjected to heavy stresses during transportation
Service
Every effort has been made to provide you with a reliable product. However, should service become necessary, GE
Inspection Technologies, has established a number of Factory Trained Service Centers. For the location of the nearest
facility, refer to the rear cover of this manual.
• Access each function using the built-in menu system (Section 1.4)
• Interpret the symbols that most often appear on the display (Section 1.5)
Figure 1: Installation of standard Lithium battery pack. Note the location of the Power Adapter Port and
Lithium battery pack on-board charging port.
The approximate level of remaining battery life is visually displayed by the . The location of this icon is shown in
Figure 1 on the previous page. When a fully charged battery pack is installed, the icon will appear as “full.” As the
battery life is consumed, the icon will begin to “empty.”
Note: To ensure that the battery pack is fully recharged, the battery charger must be attached to the battery pack
before it is plugged into an AC power source.
Note: When the battery indicator is in the last quarter as indicated by the symbol , charge the battery pack as soon
as possible. The instrument automatically shuts off when batteries are too weak for reliable operation. Settings
are saved and restored when the instrument is turned on again. When testing in remote locations, always carry
a spare battery pack.
Note: By connecting the optional Power Adapter, the instrument can be operated using an AC power source. This
adapter is connected to the instrument though the AC Power Adapter Port shown in Figure 1.
IMPORTANT: To power off the Phasor XS, press and hold the button for three seconds.
To select an operating mode, choose from:
Phased Array Mode—Adjust all parameters related to phased-array measurement
Conventional Mode—Adjust all parameters related to conventional ultrasonic measurement (see Chapter 4)
See Section 1.6 to set the mode in which the instrument starts up.
• Press one of the seven menu keys to select a menu. The menus across the bottom of the display will
immediately be replaced with the submenus contained in the selected menu.
• Press a menu key again to select the submenu containing the desired function.
• Up to four functions will be displayed in the bar on the left side of the display. Select the desired function, by
pressing one of the four function keys .
• Change the value listed in the function box with the function knob. Some values can also be adjusted with repeated
presses of the function key.
You’ll also find these keys and knobs on the instrument:
—Gain Step Key selects the amount of gain level change that occurs with each click of the Gain Knob. Press and
hold to switch between digital (dBD) and analog (dBA) gain. Section 3.5 explains gain setting and the use of the dB
REF feature.
—Mode Selector Key press to choose from Phased Array or Conventional Ultrasonic Operating Modes
—View Select Key press and hold to change the displayed view in phased array mode. (choose from Sector or
Linear Scan, A-Scan, or A-Scan with Sector or Linear Scan)
—Zoom Key press and hold to expand the displayed image (A, Sector, or Linear Scan) to fill the entire screen. Press
again to return to normal view mode.
—Home Key immediately returns the instrument to the Home Menu shown in Figure 3 on page 5 (Phased Array) or
Figure 3 on page 5 (Conventional). If held for 3 seconds, automatically performs a scan calculation. If pressed two
times, all functions are de-selected and the Function Knob controls the beam cursor (Section 3.3).
—Freeze Key freezes and unfreezes the display. If held for 3 seconds, automatically generates a report or stores a
dataset. (Sections 3.4 and 6.1)
—Knob Emulator Key switches from the Home Menu to the Knob Menu, which allows you to perform Knob
functions using the keypad (both knobs are disabled).
Function Rotary Knob—Rotate to change the value of the selected function. (See Section 3.6 to disable this knob.)
Gain Rotary Knob—Rotate to change the instrument’s gain. (See Section 3.6 to disable this knob.)
Phased Array Home Menu—Several menus used to configure and calibrate the instrument prior to test. Also used to
select pulser and receiver characteristics, position gates, set alarms, specify operating mode and screen appearance,
adjust the A-Scan display, and control other significant measurement features.
Note: Figure 3 on page 5 shows the instrument’s Home Menu structure. The information provided in the following
two manual sections explains what each function does and shows how to access the function through the menu
system. You’ll also find operation-manual section references that tell you where to turn in this manual for more
specific information on each function.
The Phased Array Home Menu System consists of several menus, submenus, and functions.
• If not displayed, phased array mode is activated by first pressing , then selecting PHASED ARRAY.
• Available menus are accessed via the phased array Home Menu (Figure 3 on page 5)
• Menus and submenus are selected by pressing below the desired item.
• When a submenu is selected, the functions contained in that submenu are listed in the Function Bar down the
left-hand side of the display screen.
• Functions are then selected by pressing the adjacent Function Key .
• Turning the Function Knob, and in some cases continuing to press , will change the value shown in the selected
function’s box. Pressing and holding will set some functions to zero.
L
view mode*
AT
A
M
N
N
part number
SE
N
TR
EW
A
velocity S ang corrected source/dest units
A
IO
serial number
N
PL
A
EC
B
LE
mat thickness wave type
EG
VI
B
PR
EL
FI
data source*
R
angle start startup mode
EO
ER
ER
frequency
P
angle stop
E
edit brightness
TU
L
width
PA
D
LS
A
EA
prf value
R
pitch
A
B
velocity
C
AN
new data*
A
PU
IM
calc
PR
time
ST
elevation beam cursor
SC
video reverse
part number
D edit
T Gate Start num of steps color
E
serial number
R
DA
N
frequency
R
O
memo in report
VE
serial number 1 Point
L
E
first element
U
EM
ascan rectify
A
D
AT
EI
elem 1 pos 2 Point aperture size
K
O
confirm
-C
image backgrnd
DG
R
M
EC
C
C
PE
W
R
B
A
image in reprt
AY
definition clock* reading 1
EO
gate select
1
velocity
T
E
param in reprt
R
sample intervl*
S
RL
overlay disp reading 2
K
G tof mode
O
wedge front
O
LT
display length*
C
E E origin line M
EP
reading 3 logic
LO
offset Z
DG OV
encoder*
E
ES
origin offset
AT
R
angle reading 4 gate display
C
W
R
large reading
2
gate select
T
PO
S
H
ttl #1
LT
C
gate start
N
E
U
gate shape
FF
gate width
SY
AT
ES
O
gate threshold
G
R
start/finish
C
TCG display
encoder
L
/T
A
R
EN
SUBMENUS
N
beam cursor
IT
ED
point
point pos
G
Figure 3: These menus, submenus, and functions are accessed through the Home Menu.
Home Menu
Probe Menu
• WEDGE FRONT—Distance from wedge front to probe’s centerline—which is indicated by a scribed line on the
side of the wedge
• OFFSET Z—Distance from probe’s center to the bottom of the wedge
OFFSET Submenu
• PROBE DELAY—Adjusted during the calibration process to exactly set the time delay required to calibrate the
time of flight measurements and correctly indicate reflector location in the image.
• ORIGIN OFFSET—Defines the distance from an artificially designated zero position (such as the center of a
weld) to the projection point of a reflector in the gate. Setting equal to zero sets the probe’s front edge as the zero
position.
Part Menu
• MATERIAL—Select the material being tested and the typical sound velocities (for both longitudinal and shear
waves) are automatically entered. The correct values will be determined during calibration.
• PROBE DELAY – Adjusted during the calibration process to exactly set the time delay required to calibrate the
time of flight measurements and correctly indicate reflector location in the image.
• VELOCITY – Longitudinal or shear velocity of sound in the part under test.
• BEAM CURSOR – Sound-path beam angle for which the calibration process occurs.
• 1-POINT — Select to start a 1-point D-CAL (only calibrates probe delay for each beam)
• 2-POINT — Select to start a 2-point D-CAL (calibrates the material velocity and each beam’s probe delay)
• ORIGIN LINE - Displays a line on the image corresponding to the wedge front, plus origin offset
Scan Menu
• FOCAL POINT—Depth into the test piece at which the beam focuses
• ANGLE STEP—Step size at which shots are taken between starting and ending angles
• FIRST ELEMENT—Number of the physical element from which the scan begins
• aperture SIZE—Number of elements to be fired in scan step (including the first element)
• SAMPLE INTERVL—Speed at which the display scrolls during a TIMED TOP View or the spacing between
data acquisition during ENCODED TOP View.
• DISPLAY LENGTH—Amount of viewable data (in terms of scanning time or calculated part length) shown on
the TOP View display at one time.
• ENCODER—Defines the (optional) encoder’s operating characteristic.
SYNCH Submenu
• DISPLAY START—Sets the display’s starting position to match the Initial Pulse or IF gate trigger (for linear
scans) or the place where sound enters the test material (all scans) (Refer to Section 2.6.3.)
• ENC COUNT DIR — indicates that the encoder counter should use the scan direction as the encoder is wired
(NORMAL-default value), or that the encoder counter should reverse the scan direction (REVERSE).
DISPLAY Menu
VIEW Submenu
• VIEW MODE—Select standard phased array or optional TOP View (Chapter 8) display
Note: To avoid accidental changes, Phasor XS disables the right knob when the VIEW MODE parameter is selected.
If the user does turn the knob, the instrument will display the message: PRESS FUNCTION KEY TO
CHANGE VIEW MODE.
• ANG CORRECTED—Select straight down or angle corrected sector scan (Refer to Section 2.3.2)
• ASCAN MODE—BUD (beam ultrasonic depth) setting causes the A-Scan (if displayed) to be scaled to the depth
of any reflector in the selected beam (Refer to Section 3.6). PEAK setting is only available with the optional TOP
View (Chapter 8)
• DATA SOURCE—Selects amplitude or TOF data to appear in the optional TOP View (Chapter 8)
• TOF COLOR PALET—Adjusts the range of colors used to depict the time-of-flight (TOP View only, Chapter 8)
• NEW DATA—Indicate where “newest” data appears on screen as it’s added during scrolling (TOP View only,
Chapter 8)
• VIDEO REVERSE—Reverses sector, linear, or A scan’s orientation
BACKGRND Submenu
• COLOR—Changes the background and border colors of the display (Refer to Section 2.2)
• COLOR LEG—Displays leg lines on Sector or Linear Scans to indicate in which leg a reflector is located. (Refer
to Section 2.6.1)
• IMAGE BACKGRND—Sets the display’s background color
RESULTS2 Submenu
• LARGE READING—Select the contents for display in the Large Reading Box. (Refer to Section 3.2)
• TTL #1—Identifies in which gate an event triggers TTL 1 and illuminates the Warning Light. (Refer to
Section 2.8.5)
• GATE SHAPE—Limits A- or B-Gate functionality to detect only those triggers that appear on the display or
allows the gates to detect all triggers that fall within the specified test-material range (Refer to Section 2.8.4)
UT MENU
BASE Submenu
• DISPLAY START—Sets the display’s starting position to match the Initial Pulse or IF gate trigger (for linear
scans) or the point at which sound enters the test material’s surface (all scans) (Refer to Section 2.6.3)
• DISPLAY DELAY—Shifts the Scan viewing window to ignore or display initial material thickness (Refer to
Section 2.6.2)
• MATERIAL—Selects the material being tested. Choose designations with “T” (transverse) for angle beam
probes. Sets velocity to value that approximately matches material specified. (Refer to Section 2.4.)
• LEG—Sets the number of ultrasonic legs displayed, modifying the displayed range. (Refer to Section 2.6.1)
• ASCAN RECTIFY—Selects the rectification-mode which effects how the A-Scan appears on the display.
GATEMODE Submenu
• GATE SELECT—Select A, B, or IF gates (Refer to Section 2.8)
• TOF MODE—Indicates whether the triggering echo’s flank or peak is used when making sound-path
measurements. (Refer to Section 2.8.2)
• LOGIC—Determines whether the gate alarm is triggered when a signal crosses the gate or does not cross the gate.
(Refer to Section 2.8.3)
• GATE DISPLAY—Shows or hides selected gate. Gate continues to function, even when hidden.
• GATE THRESHOLD—Sets the height of the selected gate as a percentage of full-screen A-Scan height.
• CYC GAIN CNTL—Used during TCG recording. Applies defined gain slope across the entire range of cycles.
FILES Menu
• ACTION—Recalls or deletes the selected file and saves edits to data sets and reports.
CONFIG Menu
STARTUP Submenu
• STARTUP MODE—Indicates if instrument is to start in the last active mode or at the Welcome Screen (Refer to
Section 4.3)
• BRIGHTNESS—Adjusts the display’s brightness (refer to Section 2.2)
CODE Submenu
• SERIAL NUMBER - Serial number of the instrument (cannot be edited)
Gain Increment selected by pressing . When highlighted, Reading boxes display user selectable results
Options include a user-defined step value and a result box contents (beam angle is shown in small print)
LOCK feature that disables the Gain Knob. indicate held value
A-Gate
Leg Line
Figure 4: Combined A-Scan and Sector Scan views are shown here. Note that alternative views (showing
either A or Sector or Linear scans) are available when operating in Phased Array mode.
Step 1: Activate the STARTUP Submenu (Located in the CONFIG MENU) by pressing below it. Selections will
appear down the left side of the display.
WELCOME – Display allows the user to select PHASED ARRAY, CUSTOM or CONVENTIONAL operation
each time the instrument is powered on.
LAST – Instrument automatically powers on in the mode that was last active.
At any time, the operating mode can be changed by pressing to access the WELCOME screen.
Instrument is working
3. With the Phasor XS turned off, press and hold the Home and Power keys until the red LED illuminates.
Note: “Flash Upgrade Mode/Loading File” should be displayed. If it is not, turn off the instrument and ensure that
the HOME key is pressed first and held. Then press and hold the Power key again.
The upgrade process will take approximately 5 minutes, and the lines of operating code can be seen upgrading
on the screen of the Phasor XS. The instrument will automatically shut off when upgrade process is completed.
4. Press and hold the Mode Selector key and Power keys for approximately 5 seconds until the message
“Instrument Reset – Last Setup Ignored” is displayed to reset the instrument. The new version of operating
software will also be displayed.
Your instrument is now fully upgraded, reset, and ready to use.
IMPORTANT: Before starting the upgrade process, make sure your Phasor XS is connected to the power supply or has
a fully charged battery. If the upgrade process is not completed successfully, you might have to send
your instrument for service.
1. Copy the Phasor XS Upload code upgrade file (.sdu) to the root directory of an SD card. For proper operation only
one .sdu file should be present.
2. Insert the SD card into the rear of the Phasor XS.
3. With the Phasor XS turned off, press and hold the Home and Power keys until the red LED
illuminates.
Note: “Flash Upgrade Mode/Loading File” should be displayed. If it is not, turn off the instrument and ensure the
Home key is pressed first and held. Then press and hold the Power key again.
The upgrade process will take approximately 1 minute, and the lines of operating code can be seen updating on
the screen of the Phasor XS.
The instrument will automatically shut off when the upgrade process is complete.
4. Power up the Phasor XS by pressing the Power key and verify that the splash screen displays the new version
as “Upload Code: 2.50, BLD001 1-OCT-2009” or greater. Your Phasor XS code is now upgraded.
• Configure the instrument to match the attached phased array probe (Section 2.3.2)
• Input material properties and thickness of the part being tested (Section 2.4)
• Specify scan parameters to control the geometry and direction of the scan (Section 2.5)
• Adjust the display’s range and starting point using ultrasonic parameters (Section 2.6)
• Configure ultrasonic parameter settings related to the Pulser and Receiver (Section 2.7)
• Adjust gate position, triggering logic, shape and alarm indication light (Section 2.8)
• Calibrate the instrument/probe/test piece combination to determine actual PROBE DELAY and
MATERIAL VELOCITY values (Section 2.9)
Turn on the instrument by pressing . Press to select Phased Array Mode, if required. The Phased Array Home
Menu (see Figure 3 on page 5 for this menu’s complete structure) will be activated.
Note: Once set, the internal clock will maintain the current date and time.
1. Activate the REGIONAL Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled UNITS. You’ll note that the following options are available:
• MM—default setting displays values in millimeters
3. To change the units of measurement, continue pressing or turn the function knob.
4. The unit of measurement will be set to the choice last displayed.
1. Activate the REGIONAL Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled LANGUAGE. To change the selected language, continue pressing or turn
the function knob. You’ll note that the options available are English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese
and Chinese. The default language is English.
3. The display-screen and report language will be set to the choice last selected.
1. Activate the REGIONAL Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to the selection titled DATE FORMAT. To change the selected format, continue pressing or turn
the function knob. Choose from the following date and time formats:
1. Activate the STARTUP Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to the selection titled DATE. The date is displayed in the user-selected format. Note that the first time
you press , the day character is highlighted. The next time you press , the month character is highlighted.
Finally, pressing again will cause the year character to be highlighted.
3. To change the month, days, or year, turn the function knob while the desired character is highlighted.
4. When complete, press one more time. The current date will be set to the date displayed.
1. Activate the STARTUP Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to the selection titled TIME. Time is displayed in 24-hour format. Note that the first time you press
, the hours character is highlighted. The next time you press , the minutes character is highlighted.
3. To change the hours or minutes setting, turn the function knob while the desired character is highlighted.
4. When complete, press one more time. The current time will be set to the time displayed.
1. Activate the IMAGE submenu (located in the DISPLAY Menu) by pressing . Functions will appear down the
left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to one of the following functions:
• AMP COLOR PALET—Select the colors used to represent ranges of amplitude values when sector or linear
scans are displayed.
• VIDEO REVERSE—Reverse the orientation of Displayed Sector Scans (left to right) and Linear Scans.
3. Press under BACKGRND Submenu, then press next to one of the following functions:
• COLOR—Select the display’s color scheme, which is applied to the reading boxes.
• IMAGE BACKGRND—Sets the background color displayed around the sector scan.
4. To change the value of the select function, continue pressing the corresponding or turning the function knob.
5. Press under STARTUP (located in the CONFIG menu), then press next to BRIGHTNESS. Press or turn
the Function Knob to select settings from 1 to 10.
6. The selected function will remain at the value last displayed.
Figure 6: The Display Menu allows the user to adjust most of the instrument’s display and measured results
when operating in Phased Array mode. Note that altering the value of functions identified with CALC will
require a recalculation of delay laws. Also note that functions marked with * are available only when the TOP
View option is installed (Chapter 8).
IMPORTANT: The Phasor XS may fail if a user removes or attaches the probe while the instrument is running. If this
occurs, the user will lose any unsaved settings. To protect against this failure, GE recommends that the
user power OFF the instrument before attaching or replacing a probe.
Note: When a dialog style probe is connected to the instrument, select the dialog load function to set the probe data
and the probe geometry.
Note: Probe and wedge geometry, scan parameters, and user-inputted offset values influence the displayed image.
The physical relationship between these settings and the displayed image are graphically represented by the
Imaging and Measurement Map shown in Section 2.3.3.
Inputting Probe Part and Serial Number (PROBE-PRB DAT-PART or SERIAL NUMBER)
If a dialog probe is connected, select DIALOG PROBE and then HOME BUTTON to automatically set the part
number, serial number, frequency, number elements, pitch, and elevation.
1. Activate the PRB DAT Submenu (located in the PROBE Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to one of the selections (PART NUMBER or SERIAL NUMBER) two times.
3. To change the active digit of the part or serial number (to match the value printed on the side of the probe
connector), turn the Function Knob. To make the next digit active, turn the Gain Knob.
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Figure 8: The PROBE Menu allows the user to input settings related to probe and wedge configuration.
Delay-law recalculation is required when those functions indicated here with CALC are modified.
1. Activate the PRB GEO Submenu (located in the PROBE Menu) by pressing below it. Selections will appear
down the left side of the display.
2. Press next to one of the selections (FREQUENCY or NUM ELEMENTS or PITCH).
3. To change the displayed value (to match that printed on the probe), continue pressing or turning the function knob.
You’ll note that the following settings are available:
NUMBER of ELEMENTS – 1 to 64
PITCH – distance between the centers of two adjacent elements (approximately 0.010 to 0.197 inches or 0.25 to 5
mm)
4. The selected parameter will be set to the value last displayed. Recalculation of delay laws is required.
1. Activate the OFFSET Submenu (Located in the PROBE MENU) by pressing below it. Selections will
appear down the left side of the display.
2. Press next to PROBE DELAY.
3. Turn the Function Knob to adjust the PROBE DELAY setting.
2.3.3 Inputting Wedge-Related Information
If the connected phased array probe is equipped with a wedge, wedge-related settings must be input by accessing the
PROBE Menu (Figure 8 on page 23). These settings must be adjusted each time a different wedge is connected. Most
of the wedge-related data is printed on its surface. Note that all wedge-related settings can be stored in a data set file as
described in Section 6.1.
Inputting Wedge Part and Serial Number (PROBE-WDGE DAT-PART or SERIAL NUMBER)
1. Activate the WDGE DAT Submenu (located in the PROBE Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to one of the selections (PART NUMBER or SERIAL NUMBER) two times. The cursor will
illuminate in the first-digit space.
3. To change the value of the active digit of the part or serial number (to match the value printed on the side of the
probe connector), turn the Function Knob. To make the next digit active, turn the Gain Knob.
4. Press again to complete the PART or SERIAL NUMBER entering process.
The orientation of probe elements with respect to the wedge is displayed in Figure 9 on the next page.
1. Activate the WDGE GEO Submenu (located in the PROBE Menu) by pressing below it. Selections will appear
down the left side of the display.
2. Press next to one of the selections (VELOCITY or OFFSET Z or ANGLE).
3. To change the displayed value (to match that printed on the wedge), continue pressing or turning the function
knob. You’ll note that the following settings are available (Figure 9 below):
• VELOCITY – Input in/ms to match the velocity of sound through the wedge material
• OFFSET Z – Input inches / mm (must be set to 0 when no wedge is installed) to equal the user-measured
dimension from the wedge surface in contact with the test piece to the Probe Index Point.
• ANGLE – 0.0 to 90 degrees to match the user-measured wedge angle.
4. The selected parameter will be set to the value last displayed. Recalculation of delay laws is required.
Figure 9: Wedge Geometry is defined here. Manually measure the distance from the Probe Index Point to the
front of the wedge to find the WEDGE FRONT value. You must determine this value whenever ORIGIN OFFSET
techniques are used.
1. Activate the OFFSET Submenu (located in the PROBE Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Manually measure the distance that the front of the wedge is offset from the target.
Defining the Probe Element Orientation with Respect to the Wedge (PROBE-WDGE DAT-ELEM 1 POS)
Markings on the probe body will indicate the location of element 1 and the direction in which additional elements are
arranged. The orientation of the probe’s elements, with respect to the wedge’s geometry, is defined using the ELEM 1
POS function. See Figure 10 on page 27 and Figure 11 on page 27.
1. Activate the WDGE DAT Submenu (located in the PROBE Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to the selection ELEM 1 POS.
3. Continue to press or turn the Function Knob to select one of the following:
• LOW END -- The position of Element 1 is indicated on the probe body at a location corresponding to the low
(thinnest) side of the wedge. Remaining elements are arranged towards the high (thickest) side of the wedge.
(Figure 10 on page 27)
• HIGH END -- The position of Element 1 is indicated on the probe body at a location corresponding to the high
(thickest) side of the wedge. Remaining elements are arranged towards the low (thinnest) side of the wedge.
(Figure 11 on page 27)
4. Probe element orientation will be defined as last displayed. Recalculation of delay laws is required.
Defining the Probe Element Orientation with Respect to the Wedge (PROBE-WDGE DAT-ELEM 1 POS) (cont.)
Figure 10: ELEM 1 POS setting identifies the location of the probe’s first element and describes the direction
in which remaining elements are arranged. In this case the first element is located at the edge of the probe
that corresponds to the LOW (thin) side of the wedge with additional elements arranged towards the high
(thick) side of the wedge.
Figure 11: ELEM 1 POS setting identifies the location of the probe’s first element and describes the direction
in which remaining elements are arranged. In this case the first element is located at the edge of the probe
that corresponds to the HIGH (thick) side of the wedge with additional elements arranged towards the low
(thin) side of the wedge.
1. Activate the PLAN Submenu (located in the PART Menu) by pressing below it.
1. Activate the PLAN Submenu (located in the PART Menu) by pressing below it.
3. Turn the Function Knob or continue to press until the material type listed matches the part under test.
4. The longitudinal and shear acoustic velocities will be set to the average value of the material type displayed. Note
that the displayed values are only an approximate and should be fine-tuned to more closely match the actual
velocities of sound through the material under test. Changes to VELOCITY L or VELOCITY S will require
recalculation of delay laws.
Defining the Speed of Sound in the Test Part (Longitudinal and Shear Velocity) (PART-PLAN-VELOCITY L or
VELOCITY S)
1. Activate the PLAN Submenu (located in the PART Menu) by pressing below it.
When operating in Phased Array mode, the sequence and pattern at which the probe’s elements fire are defined by the
scan parameters (SCAN Menu). This section describes the process for setting these parameters and the effect of their
settings on the instrument’s function. The following scan parameters are represented graphically in Figure 12 and
Figure 13 on the next page and described in greater detail below:
LINEAR SCAN TYPE – Controlled firing of multiple elements at a constant angle (Figure 12)
SECTOR SCAN TYPE – Constant-sized groups of elements (said to represent a constant “aperture”) are
fired at varying angles (Figure 13)
FOCAL POINT – Depth into the part at which the phased array focuses. This depth represents an area of
interest. It can be set to UNFOCUSED (by holding for approximately three seconds) for typical
phased-array applications (Figure 14).
Note: Focal points are valid within the natural nearfield length N of the selected aperture where:
2
N = D eff f
------------------------------for circular transducers
4c
2
1.3a f
N = ---------------- for square transducers
4c
where:
WAVE TYPE – Indicates whether the user-input transverse or longitudinal speed of sound should be used. The
setting selected will depend on the probe type or the type of wave created by refraction when using a wedge.
SCAN PATTERN – Start, stop, and step angles that define the incremental angular change followed during a
sector scan. When performing a linear scan, the scanning angle remains constant at the value defined by
ANGLE START.
Note: A +/-- Sector can be created by setting the sector scan’s START ANGLE to a negative value and the
scan’s END ANGLE to a positive value.
APERTURE – During a sector scan, these parameters define the first element to be fired and the number of
additional elements to fire at each angular setting (or STEP). When performing a linear scan, the first element
to be fired and number of additional elements in that STEP are defined, as well as the total number of steps.
ANGULAR CORRECTED VIEW – Adjusts the display to match the actual shape of the material inspected
during the sector scan.
1. Make sure the COLOR LEG function (DISPLAY Menu, BACKGRND Submenu) is set to ON. This causes the leg
lines shown in Figure 15 below to be displayed but is not otherwise required to use the LEG feature.
2. Press to activate the HOME Menu. Then press next to the selection titled LEG.
3. Turning the function knob will change the value of LEG and reduce or expand the sound-path length displayed on
the screen. If COLOR LEG is set to ON, you’ll also notice the addition or removal of leg lines as the LEG setting
changes.
2.6.2 Setting the Display Delay
The DISPLAY DELAY function shifts the displayed scan to ignore (or show) a portion of the scan. This function is
used to set the instrument’s viewing window. To set the display delay
1. Activate the BASE Submenu (located in the UT Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to the function titled DISPLAY DELAY. Change the value of the delay by turning the Function
Knob, then press and hold for three seconds to recalculate the delay laws. You’ll note that the displayed Sector,
Linear, or A Scan shifts in response to the setting change.
Figure 15: Changing the number of displayed LEGs modifies the displayed sound-path range. In this case,
approximately 2.5 legs are displayed here.
1. Activate the BASE Submenu (located in the UT Menu) by pressing below it. The function can also be accessed
via the SYNCH Submenu located in the SCAN Menu.
2. Press next to the function titled DISPLAY START. Continue pressing or turn the Function Knob to select
from:
• IP START—Display start corresponds to the initial pulse
• MATERIAL—Display start corresponds to the position at which sound enters the test material
Note: To select a DISPLAY START other than MATERIAL, the IF Gate must be turned ON. Initial IF Gate positioning
is related to the Z parameter, which must not be set to zero (accessed via the WEDGE GEO Submenu, found in
the PROBE Menu). The Z parameter relates to the measured distance from the probe to the test piece through
the delay material. The IF Gate is initially positioned based on this value. Switching on the IF Gate activates
the IF condition that controls the A- and B-Gate starting point.
Figure 16: The DISPLAY START value can be set to IP, IF, or MATERIAL. When the IF Gate is turned on, the A- and
B-Gate starting points are based on the IF-Gate triggering echo. Note that both IF and IP DISPLAY START
modes accommodate variations in the initial-pulse-to-interface distance while the MATERIAL setting
assumes a fixed distance from the initial pulse to the test-piece interface.
1. Activate the ENC COUNT DIR Submenu (via the SYNCH Submenu located in the SCAN Menu) by pressing
below it.
2. Two directional settings are available:
• NORMAL (default value) indicates that the encoder counter should use the scan direction as the encoder is
wired.
• REVERSE indicates that the encoder counter should reverse the scan direction.
The parameter has no effect on timed top view and frame view scan. During frame view, timed top view and encoded
top view scan, the user may change the parameter value. The parameter will be blocked if the instrument is in analysis
(Freeze/stopped scan).
Note: During encoded scan, if the user changes the value of this parameter, the change will not take effect until the
user starts a new scan. (The change has no effect on a resumed encoded scan.)
1. Activate the PULSER Submenu (located in the UT Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear down the
left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the function titled VOLTAGE. Note that the pulser VOLTAGE level can be set between 50 and
150 volts by turning the Function Knob.
3. The pulser VOLTAGE will be set to the value last displayed.
2.7.2 Selecting the Pulser Width (UT-PULSER-WIDTH)
The pulser width generally varies from 30 to 500 nanoseconds. The pulse width value is expressed as half of the bipolar
squarewave pulse width. A recommended starting point from which the width setting can be adjusted is found by the
following equation:
1000ns
PULSE WIDTH = ------------------ with f in MHz
2f
1000ns
PULSE WIDTH = ------------------ = 250 nanoseconds
22
for f = 2 MHz
1. Activate the PULSER Submenu (located in the UT Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear down the
left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the function titled WIDTH. Change the value by turning the Function Knob.
3. The pulser WIDTH will be set to the value last displayed.
4. Set the pulser repetition frequency (set in percent of maximum speed attainable by instrument settings)
1. Activate the RECEIVER Submenu (located in the UT Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear down
the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to he function titled FREQUENCY. Change the value of the receiver frequency by continuing to
press or by turning the Function Knob. You’ll note that the following frequency settings are available:
• 2, 3, 4, 5 MHz—Select as required
Radio Frequency (RF) signal has a negative component below the axis, and a positive component above the axis. In RF
mode, the A-gate and B-gate can be positioned either above or below the axis, to be triggered by a positive-heading
echo or a negative-heading echo. In the frame view image, both the negative and positive components are displayed.
Positive Half Rectification means that only the upper (positive) half of the RF signal is displayed.In the frame view
image, only the positive component is displayed.
Negative Half Rectification means that only the bottom (negative) half of the RF signal is displayed. In the frame view
image, only the negative component is displayed (Figure 17 on page 38).
Full-Wave Rectification combines the positive and negative rectified signals together, and displays both of them in a
positive orientation. In the frame view image, both the negative and positive components are displayed (Figure 18 on
page 38). Use the following procedure to select a rectification mode:
1. Activate the RECEIVER Submenu (located in the UT Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear down
the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the function titled ASCAN RECTIFY to select rectification method. You’ll note that there are four
options:
• NEG HALFWAVE—Shows the negative component of the RF signal but displays it in a positive orientation
• FULLWAVE—Shows the positive and negative halves of the RF wave, but both are oriented in the positive
direction
• RF—Shows the echo with no rectification
Note: With a sector scan displayed, gate width and starting position are measured (and displayed) with respect to
material depth (not sound-path depth). Material depth is measured perpendicular to the test piece’s contact
surface for all angles in the scan.
Remember that gate position has the following effects on instrument performance:
• The IF Gate provides a reference point from which the other gates are positioned, and provides a reference from
which the displayed data can be positioned. No data is collected from IF-Gate triggering. The range of values that
can be input for the starting point and width of the IF Gate is influenced by the Z parameter accessed via the
WEDGE GEO Submenu, found in the PROBE Menu.
• The A-Scan displays echo amplitudes as a function of distance for all reflected sound waves. When the gate is
moved down (as shown in Figure 19), the gated area represents a region that’s deeper into the test material.
• A wider gate will simply span the equivalent of more test-material depth.
• Increasing the threshold of a gate means that only reflected signals of sufficiently large amplitude will cross the
gate.
Figure 19: Gate position and width can be adjusted as shown here.
2.8.4 Configure the Gate to Ignore or Accept Off-Screen Triggers (DISPLAYRESULTS2-GATE SHAPE)
Gate triggering can, in some cases, occur at a point that does not appear in the display (A-scans or image). The GATE
SHAPE Function determines whether or not A- or B-Gate triggers outside the display range are ignored. To configure
the gate shape:
1. Activate the RESULTS2 Submenu (located in the DISPLAY Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to the function titled GATE SHAPE. Continue pressing or turn the Function Knob to select from:
• DEPTH BASED – Each beam’s gate range is set to the depth range specified by the GATE START and GATE
WIDTH controls. All gate triggers within that range, including those that occur outside the display range, are valid.
This is the default setting following an instrument reset. See Figure 20a below.
• IMAGE BASED – Each beam’s gate range is limited to its display range. Gate triggers that occur outside of the
display range are ignored. See Figure 20b below.
(a) (b)
Figure 20: Depth-Based (a) and Image-Based (b) Gate Shapes
Note: When gate width, leg setting, or other parameters are configured so that the A or B gate does not appear on the
display screen, changing the GATE SHAPE setting to IMAGE BASED automatically adjusts (snaps) the gate
start and gate width, if required, to keep the gate visible on the display screen.
2.8.5 Assign TTL Output / Alarm Indication Light to a Gate (DISPLAY-RESULTS2-TTL #1)
A warning light appears on the front of the instrument (see Figure 2 on page 2 for light location). This light
corresponds to a TTL output, which occurs when there is a gate triggering event. When the A- or B-Gate is triggered, a
warning light illuminates (except when the GATE LOGIC is set to OFF). Use the following procedure to indicate
which gate activates the light:
• Configure the RESULTS displayed to include SBA, SA, and BEAM Angle.
• Position the A and B Gates to capture the two known reflectors on the calibration standard (capture the deeper
reflector with the B-Gate). Set Gate Detection Logic to POSITIVE. Be sure IF GATE LOGIC is set to OFF.
• Move the BEAM CURSOR to select the “nominal” effective angle of the probe wedge, which is the refraction
angle in the test object based on the given wedge angle (Snell’s Law).
To launch the calibration process:
1. Activate the CAL Submenu (Located in the PART MENU) by pressing below it. Selections will appear down
the left side of the display.
2. Couple the probe to the calibration standard so that the first reflector is captured in A-Gate and the second (deeper)
reflector is captured by the B-Gate. Press next to VELOCITY and adjust the value until the displayed SBA
value matches the depth of the calibration standard’s known reflector.
3. Couple the probe to the calibration standard so that the first reflector is captured in A-Gate. Press next to
PROBE DELAY and adjust the value until the displayed SA value matches the depth of the calibration standard’s
known reflector.
The material velocity and probe delay are now adjusted to match the instrument/probe/test piece combination.
Setup Procedure
Calibration Procedure
4. Recalculate the delay laws by pressing and holding for three seconds.
Figure 21: Calibration shown using an IIW block with 2” and 4” radius
The Phasor XS supports two modes of depth calibration. Recording of depth calibration references requires entering
the values in the D-CAL menu. Depth calibration is best performed using side-drilled holes in a calibration standard.
One-Point calibration used a reference echo recorded on each beam of the scan to calculate a delay time that will allow
the instrument to display the same depth distance for the reference reflector on every beam.
Two-Point calibration uses two reference echoes recorded at different depth on each beam of the scan to calculate a
delay time and velocity that will allow the instrument to display the same depth distances for the reference reflectors on
every beam.
Depth calibration mode’s effect on result readings is indicated by the depth calibration icon displayed in the icon
window.
• 1-POINT — Select to start a 1-point D-CAL (only calibrates probe delay for each beam)
• 2-POINT — Select to start a 2-point D-CAL (calibrates the material velocity and each beam’s probe delay)
Throughout the process, GATE START allows users to adjust the gate position for each reference point. The instrument
uses Gate A and will automatically change the selected gate and set the detection mode as needed. Once finished, the
Phasor XS will reset the Gate A detect mode and reset the selected gate.
Choose 1-POINT or 2-POINT to begin the respective depth calibration record process. The D-CAL menu will
transition through the following steps.
Note: As with other key entries, the user must press the key twice, once to select and once to execute the action.
During the Record steps, the instrument displays the current reference point in the RECORD parameter. Set the
reference point depth in the respective D-REF 1 or D-REF 2 parameter field. For a 2-point calibration, the D-REF 1
depth must be less than D-REF 2. The instrument displays the amplitude map window (shown in Figure 22 below) to
show the amplitude values of each beam.
If a problem occurs during the record process, the instrument will block the record and display the cause of the
problem. Examples are:
• TOF Not Detected - no echo in the gate to evaluate the time-of-flight (depth) of the echo.
• Invalid TOF Difference - the second point's TOF must be greater than point 1.
Once calibrated, the reference points are locked. To change the reference points, the user must delete the calibration
references.
Note: The D-CAL MODE is used internally to support previous version POP files and manage the record state.
To delete the calibration, press DELETE CAL in the D-CAL menu. If pressed, display the following message to
confirm the delete:
If the user presses the HOME key to confirm the deletion, the instrument deletes the references and returns the
instrument to the D-CAL Select step. The instrument will cancel the delete action after 5 seconds of no key input or if
the user presses any key other than the HOME key.
Note: After one-point calibration, the Phasor XS updates PROBE DELAY to PROBE DELAY plus calibration delay
minus the minimum (of all beams) wedge delay (including physical wedge delay and virtual wedge delay).
Note: TCG and Depth calibration modes operate independently. TCG may have up to 16 points, recorded in any
order.
The overlay image is linked to the position of the origin line. Moving the origin line will move the overlay on the
image. The OVERLAY DISPLAY parameter is used to display or hide the overlay once it has been defined. There are
four preset overlay types and one custom overlay. The following preset overlays are supported:
Value Description
Single V V type weld preparation, centered around the origin line
Double V X type weld preparation, centered around the origin line
Ref. Line A simple reference line that may be used to define a
boundary or other region
Rectangle A rectangle object use to outline a region of the image
3. Select the desired overlay type with the WELD TYPE parameter. The is used to select the first row of
parameter options.
4. Using the dimensioned drawing that is displayed as a reference set each of the dimension parameters to describe
the part or region being inspected.
5. Once all dimensions have been set properly, press the button to exit the overlay wizard and activate the overlay
on the image.
6. The position of the overlay may be moved on the image by adjusting the position of the origin offset.
Note: The overlay will be hidden when a law calculation is pending or when angle correction is off.
Note: Custom overlays may be generated on a PC and loaded into the Phasor XS using the LOAD OVERLAY action
in the file menu. Activate the CUSTOM overlay by setting the WELD TYPE to CUSTOM. The user cannot set
any dimensions for a custom overlay. Contact your support representative for more information on creating
custom overlays.
• Set the displayed view to include either A-Scan, Sector (or Linear) Scan, or a combination of the two (Section 3.1)
• Select the measured values to be displayed (Section 3.2)
• Link and Unlink the A-Scan’s position with the Sector or Linear Scan when both are displayed (Section 3.3)
• Control the Beam Cursor’s Angular Position with the Function Knob (Section 3.3)
• Assess on-screen images in Freeze Mode (Section 3.4)
• Adjusting the gain setting (Section 3.6)
• Operate in TCG Mode (Section 3.7)
When operating in Phased Array Mode, there are three ways in which the resulting image may be viewed. Press to
change the view mode, noting that each change requires a few seconds to update the display screen. During this brief
delay, appears near the upper right corner of the screen. If the A-Scan and Sector (or Linear) Scans are displayed
simultaneously, the relation of the two scans with respect to each other can be modified as described in Section 3.3.
Available views include:
• A-Scan only
As described in Section 2.5, switching between Sector and Linear Scans requires recalculation of the phased-array
delay laws. If a change is required, access the ELECTRNC Submenu (in the SCAN Menu) and choose the TYPE of
scan. Note that the IF Gate’s LOGIC Function must be set to OFF before selecting a sector scan type.
Gate triggering can, in some cases, occur at a point that does not appear on the display screen. Setting the GATE
SHAPE Function to DEPTH BASED ensures that off-screen triggers of the A- or B-Gates are ignored. See
Section 2.8.4.
Figure 25: Either the Sector (shown here) or Linear Scan can be displayed by itself. Note key on-screen axes
and other features identified here.
Figure 26: The A-Scan can be displayed (note its vertical orientation) together with either the Sector (shown)
or Linear Scan.
• P%A Peak amplitude captured by Gate A associated with the beam generating the PSA result (as a % of FSH).
• PSA^ Soundpath of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently captured by Gate A.
• PPA^ Projection distance from specified origin of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently
captured by Gate A.
• PDA^ Volume corrected depth of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently captured by Gate A.
• PZA^ Uncorrected depth of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently captured by Gate A.
• PSA/ Soundpath of the first echo that crosses gate A threshold of all beams in scan.
• PPA/ Projection distance from specified origin of the first echo that crosses gate A threshold of all beams in scan.
• PDA/ Volume corrected depth of the first echo that crosses gate A threshold of all beams in scan.
• PZA/ Uncorrected depth of the first echo that crosses gate A threshold of all beams in scan.
GATE B – Readings for all beams
• P%B Peak amplitude captured by Gate B associated with the beam generating the PSB (as a % of FSH).
• PSB^ Soundpath of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently captured by Gate B.
• PPB^ Projection distance from specified origin of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently
captured by Gate B.
• PDB^ Volume corrected depth of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently captured by Gate B.
• PZB^ Uncorrected depth of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently captured by Gate B.
• PSB/ Soundpath of the first echo that crosses gate B threshold of all beams in scan.
• PPB/ Projection distance from specified origin of the first echo that crosses gate B threshold of all beams in scan.
• PDB/ Volume corrected depth of the first echo that crosses gate B threshold of all beams in scan.
• PZB/ Uncorrected depth of the first echo that crosses gate B threshold of all beams in scan.
GATE A – Readings for selected beam
• A%A Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the highest echo to cross A-Gate in the beam selected by the
beam cursor.
• SA^ Soundpath represented by the highest echo to cross A-Gate in the beam selected by the beam cursor.
• PA^ Projection distance from specified origin to the reflector represented by the highest echo in A-Gate
in the beam selected by the beam cursor. (see Figure 3-3)
• DA^ Volume corrected depth to the reflector represented by the highest echo in A-Gate in the beam selected by
the beam cursor. (see Figure 3-3)
• ZA^ Uncorrected depth to the reflector represented by the highest echo in A-Gate in the beam selected by the
beam cursor. (see Figure 3-3)
• BEAM Angular position of the Beam Cursor in Sector View, or Beam number in Linear view.
• SBA Soundpath difference between the echoes in Gate A and Gate B in the beam selected by the beam
cursor.
• A%I Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the highest echo to cross I-Gate in the beam selected by
the beam cursor.
• OFF No reading will be displayed in the reading box.
Note: The readings listed below are the only readings that properly calculate the thickness results. The other
readings listed in Chapter 3 are invalid in the custom application.
• A%A Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the highest echo falling within the width of A-Gate
• A%B Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the highest echo falling within the width of B-Gate
Note: When S, D, P, or R readings are displayed, the Gate-Detection Mode (5.1.2) setting for the referenced gate (A
or B) is indicated by a ^ (Peak Mode) or a / (Flank Mode).
• TmA Minimum thickness found in gate A for the entire probe scan
• TmB Minimum thickness found in gate B for the entire probe scan
• TSmA Scan Minimum, minimum thickness found in gate A for the entire part scan
• TSmB Scan Minimum, minimum thickness found in gate B for the entire part scan
• TBA Absolute value of the difference between TB and TA for the selected beam.
• TmBA Absolute value of the min (TB – TA) for all beams in the probe scan.
• 1TA Cursor 1 thickness in gate A for the selected beam at the given scan position.
• 1TB Cursor 1 thickness in gate B for the selected beam at the given scan position.
• 2TA Cursor 2 thickness in gate A for the selected beam at the given scan position.
• 2TB Cursor 2 thickness in gate B for the selected beam at the given scan position
• 1TmBA Cursor 1 min (TB - TA) for all beams in probe scan
• 2TmBA Cursor 2 min (TB - TA) for all beams in probe scan
• 1A%A Cursor 1Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the highest echo falling within the width of A-Gate
• 2A%A Cursor 2Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the highest echo falling within the width of A-Gate
• 1A%B Cursor 1 Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the highest echo falling within the width of B-Gate
• 2A%B Cursor 2 Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the highest echo falling within the width of B-Gate
• 1TmA Cursor 1 Minimum thickness found in gate A for the entire probe scan
• 2TmA Cursor 2 Minimum thickness found in gate A for the entire probe scan
• 1TmB Cursor 1 Minimum thickness found in gate B for the entire probe scan
• 2TmB Cursor 2 Minimum thickness found in gate B for the entire probe scan
• OTA Percentage over gate A threshold for all samples in the Top View scan
• OTPA Percentage over gate A threshold for samples between position cursors
• OTCA Percentage over gate A threshold for samples between both position and beam cursors
• OTB Percentage over gate B threshold for all samples in the Top View scan
• OTPB Percentage over gate B threshold for samples between position cursors
• OTCB Percentage over gate B threshold for samples between both position and beam cursors
• B2B1 Distance between beams. Available for probe scans of straight beam (0-degree) linear scans. (If the
user selects this reading and the probe scan is any other type (sector or angled-linear), the result will
display dashes (“----”).)
Note: TBA will account for V-Path error correction of each gate result prior to calculating the thickness difference.
TBA is available in Frame View Running & Top View Running.
TmBA is available only in Frame View Analysis
1TBA, 2TBA, 1TmBA, 2TmBA, B2B1 and the parameters starting in OT are available only in Top View
Analysis.
• Clearing the TSmA can also be accomplished by displaying the test menu where “CLEAR” is displayed. (To clear
TSmA manually, press this key to get the TEST menu, and press CLEAR.)
• After STOP or FREEZE of Top View, the instrument automatically places the position of the Scan Minimum
Thickness at the middle of the screen and the cursors snap to the position and beam of the Scan Minimum.
The four measured readings can be displayed in any of the four small reading boxes at the top of the display screen. In
addition, the result displayed in one of the four small boxes can be shown in the large reading box (see Figure 26 on
page 54). Also note that when time-of-flight or thickness readings are displayed, the detection method selected for that
gate is indicated with a ^ (representing PEAK) or / (representing FLANK). See Section 2.8.2 to select detection
methods.
Note: The Japanese JIS code requires the use of the “W” and “Y” result prefix for sound path (“S”) and projection
distance (“P”) results. The results will function the same (yield the same results) as their corresponding “S”
and “P” results. The result window label should match the selected reading.
Conventional Channel
• WA—Gate A sound path (same as SA)
Phased Array
The following result labels are included in the READING 1 to 4 list for Frame View live and analysis (freeze mode)
and Top View live:
• PWA^ Soundpath of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently captured by Gate A. (Same as
PSA^)
• PYA^ Projection distance from specified origin of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently
captured by Gate A. (Same as PYA^)
GATE B – Readings for all beams
• PWB^ Soundpath of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently captured by Gate B. (Same as
PSB^)
• PYB^ Projection distance from specified origin of the peak amplitude of all beams in scan that are currently
captured by Gate B. (Same as PPB^)
GATE A – Readings for selected beam
• WA^ Soundpath represented by the highest echo to cross A-Gate in the beam selected by the beam cursor. (Same
as SA^)
• YA^ Projection distance from specified origin to the reflector represented by the highest echo in A-Gate in the
beam selected by the beam cursor. (Same as PA^)
• WA/ Soundpath of the first echo that crosses gate A threshold in the beam selected by the beam cursor. (Same as
SA/)
• YA/ Projection distance from specified origin of the first echo that crosses gate A threshold in the beam selected
by the beam cursor. (Same as PA/)
GATE B – Readings for selected beam
• WB^ Soundpath represented by the highest echo to cross B-Gate in the beam selected by the beam cursor. (Same
as SB^)
• YB^ Projection distance from specified origin to the reflector represented by the highest echo in B-Gate in the
beam selected by the beam cursor. (Same as PB^)
• WB/ Soundpath of the first echo that crosses gate B threshold in the beam selected by the beam cursor. (Same as
SB/)
• YB/ Projection distance from specified origin of the first echo that crosses gate B threshold in the beam selected
by the beam cursor. (Same as PB/)
Miscellaneous
• WBA Soundpath difference between the echoes in Gate A and Gate B in the beam selected by the beam cursor.
(Same as SBA)
3. Select the READING box location you wish to specify by pressing , then press again or turn the Function
Knob to choose from several of the selections listed above (available readings depend on designated operating
mode).
Note: While TCG reference points are being recorded, two measurement result boxes will be automatically set (if not
already configured) to display PSA and P%A values. These result selections will remain locked until the TCG
recording process is finished.
When S, D, or P readings are displayed, the TOF Detection Mode (Section 2.8.2) setting for the referenced
gate (A or B) is indicated by a ^ (Peak Mode) or a / (Flank Mode).
Figure 27: Various measured values available when a probe wedge is used.
1. Activate the VIEW Submenu (located in the DISPLAY Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled ASCAN MODE. Continue to press and note the options are:
• BUD—Beam Ultrasonic Depth – any vertical location along the A-Scan corresponds to the same vertical location
on the beam-cursor selected beam in the Sector or Linear Scan image. This correspondence is maintained, even
when the displayed sector’s range is modified with changes to the LEG setting (Section 2.6.1).
• NORMAL—The vertical length of the A-Scan remains constant at full screen height and does not change with
changes in the Sector or Linear Scan’s display.
Figure 28: A-Scan Mode setting links the A-Scan’s vertical location to the corresponding scans, vertical
location, or extends the A-Scan across the full vertical height of the display.
Note: This setting effects the A-Scan only when it is displayed together with either a Sector or Linear Scan.
Controlling the Beam Cursor with the Function Knob (DISPLAY-VIEW-BEAM CURSOR)
Whenever a Sector is displayed, the Beam Cursor appears as a diagonal line across the scan display screen (it appears
as a vertical line in Linear Scans). The angular position of this cursor, which can be displayed in a Reading box
(Section 3.2), can be controlled by turning the Function Knob. To control the Beam Cursor with the Function Knob:
First press to reach the Home Menu, then quickly press it again. This will cause all displayed functions to become
deselected and will link the Function Knob to the Cursor. Note that moving the beam cursor changes the selected beam
and therefore effects the value of those displayed RESULTS that are based on the selected beam (Section 3.2).
At any time when operating in Phased Array mode, the display can be frozen by momentarily pressing (holding
for three seconds will automatically store a dataset or generate a report as called for by the ACTION chosen in the
FILENAME Submenu -- see Chapter 6). When frozen, the displayed scans can be manipulated and evaluated using the
Freeze Menu shown in Figure 29. Capabilities of the Freeze Menu include:
CURSOR 1—Operate a horizontal cursor with the Gain Knob and a Vertical or Beam Cursor with the Function Knob.
It also allows the user to display an ORIGIN LINE corresponding to the WEDGE FRONT plus ORIGIN OFFSET (if
any) distances to represent the user-defined target location.
CURSOR 2—Operate a second (color coded) horizontal cursor with the Gain Knob and a Vertical or Beam Cursor
with the Function Knob. This menu also allows the user to display an ORIGIN LINE corresponding to the WEDGE
FRONT plus ORIGIN OFFSET (if any) distances to represent the user-defined target location.
MEAS 1 and MEAS 2—Select up to four READING options (each) that correspond to the point defined by the
intersection of CURSOR 1’s and CURSOR 2’s horizontal and vertical components.
• SBM1—Soundpath measurement from the selected BEAM at the crossing point with Horizontal Cursor 1
• SBM2—Soundpath measurement from the selected Beam at the Horizontal Cursor 2 intersection
• D1 — true-depth for cursor 1. True-depth corrects for the leg number. (See section 3.5.)
• D2 — true-depth for cursor 2. True-depth corrects for the leg number.(See section 3.5.)
• AATT (absolute arrival time technique) — abs (D2 - D1). The user will use the sector image to determine the
placement of the cursors across all beams and simply calculates the size (height) of the flaw as the difference
between the top and the bottom of the flaw. (See section 3.5.)
• RATT (relative arrival time technique) —abs (Z2 - Z1)/cos (beam angle). This measurement is for subsurface flaws
and near-surface flaws. (See section 3.5.)
• OFF
OFFLN DB—Change the Gain that’s applied to the frozen display. The amount of offline gain (in dB) that’s applied to
the frozen image is indicated in the icon bar, just below the freeze icon. The offline gain is removed when the display is
unfrozen.
FILENAME—Launch the data set naming (or report generating) process as described in Section 6.1.1.
Figure 29: These A and Sector Scans are being evaluated in Freeze Mode.
Figure 30: Results are updated according to the selection of the beam cursor.
The RATT measurement is for subsurface flaws and near-surface flaws. If users need the far-surface flaws, they must
divide the RATT measurement by 2.
Digital Gain can be added to as much as 40 dB of Analog Gain. Access to this gain is by a press and hold action on the
gain step key. Digital gain allows the user to evaluate signals at higher or lower amplitude in freeze mode. Digital gain
is automatically applied depending on apperature selection. Smaller apperatures have larger digital gains applied than
larger apperatures. Available digital gain control is influenced by apperature.
As shown in Figure 31, pressing and holding next to the ANALOG or DIGITAL GAIN Function bar activates the
dB REF feature. This displays a reference gain equal to the sum of the analog and digital gain at the time of activation.
It also sets both the dBA and dBD values to zero. All changes to analog and digital gain are then made with respect to
these zero initial values. Pressing and holding again deactivates the dB REF feature but all changes made to the gain
settings remain.
Note: Pressing and holding will switch the type of gain controlled by the Gain Knob between dBD (digital gain)
and dBA (analog gain). The type of gain that is NOT controlled by the Gain Knob will appear in the top
function bar position and can be controlled by the Function Knob.
Note that the dB STEP (gain-adjustment increment) value changes as you continue to push . Available increments
include: 0.1dB, 0.2 dB, 0.5 dB, 1.0 dB, 2.0 dB, 6 dB, and LOCK.
2. Once a dB STEP value has been selected, each click of the Gain Knob will increase or decrease the instrument’s
gain by the dB STEP increment.
Note: Pressing and holding will switch the type of gain controlled by the Gain Knob between dBD (digital gain)
and dBA (analog gain). The type of gain that is NOT controlled by the Gain Knob will appear in the top
function bar position and can be controlled by the Function Knob.
1. Continue pressing while observing that the value of dB STEP (in the upper left-hand corner of the display)
changes to various step values. When the word LOCK appears as the dB STEP value, the gain knob is locked.
2. To unlock the knob, change the setting of dB STEP to some value other than LOCK.
Note: Both knobs are disabled whenever operating in Knob Emulator mode .
Figure 31: Setting Analog (dBA) and digital (dBD) Gain and using the dB REF Feature.
To account for the effect of beam angle on echo amplitude, TCG reference recording requires that each reference
reflector be detected by every beam angle (described in Section 3.7.3). Alternatively, TCG points can be manually
entered as described in Section 3.7.4. To ensure that the reference reflector is detected by each beam angle, the
Amplitude-Cycle-Diagram is displayed along with the sector scan throughout the standard recording process. Created
as the probe is moved over the reference reflector (Figure 33 on page 70), this curve represents the reflected amplitude
obtained for each beam angle. The instrument requires that a valid amplitude be measured for each beam angle before
the TCG reference point can be recorded (Section 3.6.1).
When operating in TCG mode, will appear on the display screen. Before using the TCG Function, do the
following:
• Ensure that all instrument settings (PULSER, RECEIVER, etc.) have been made. Changing these settings after the
TCG reference points are input will affect the accuracy of measurement.
• Carefully calibrate the instrument for the probe/material combination prior to beginning the TCG recording
process.
• Set the MAT THICKNESS and LEG values so that all reference reflectors will fall within the displayed sector.
These settings can not be adjusted while recording TCG points.
• TCG reference points (up to 15) must be recorded by obtaining an A-Scan echo of a representative reflector or
manually entered using the TCG EDIT Submenu. The reference points allow the instrument to calculate and
compensate for the effect of material attenuation on reflector-amplitude height. The dynamic range of the TCG
function is 40 dB. Maximum curve slope is 6 dB per microsecond. Successive data points do not have to decrease
in amplitude. That is, the TCG curve does not have to have a constantly descending slope.
3.7.1 Recording the TCG Reference Points
TCG reference points are typically taken from a standard with equally sized reflectors (holes) located at various
material depths. The primary echo from each of these points (for up to a total of 15 echoes) are recorded. When TCG is
active, the instrument compensates for different material thickness and different detecting-beam angles by applying a
varying gain level to echoes at material depths other than the baseline depth. Only one set of TCG reference points can
be stored at a time. To record TCG reference points:
1. A-Gate is used to record the reference echoes. Set GATE START and WIDTH to evaluate only the selected
reference echo. Set THRESHOLD to 5% in order to include any signal height above 5% FSH.
Note: The cyclic gain feature (Section 3.7.3) adds an incremental amount of gain to each beam group.
4. Move the probe so that additional segments on the display’s left side indicate the presence of the first reflector.
Again, display segments move to the right from their baseline position by an amount that’s proportionate to the
maximum A-Scan amplitude (in A Gate) they acquire. All segments must indicate the presence of the reflector (by
moving to the right of their baseline position) and no segment may indicate an amplitude greater than 100% full-
screen-height. Ideally, with sufficient movement of the probe, display segments will represent somewhat consistent
amplitudes.
Figure 33: The Amplitude Cycle Diagram indicates the TCG-reference amplitude recorded at each beam
angle.
5. After each display segment sufficiently indicates the reflector’s presence, press to record POINT 1.
Note: Pressing and holding (for three seconds) that appears next to the <RECORDING> Function deletes the
currently active TCG point.
6. Continue to move the probe to observe additional reference points and repeat Steps 2 and 3 until TCG points for all
reflectors are recorded (up to a maximum of 15). Then press (two times) next to FINISH. At this time the TCG
Curve is generated and active. The effects of TCG can be turned on or off (TCG MODE) without deleting the
reference points. However, the curve must be deleted before a new TCG can be recorded.
7. Access the TCG EDIT Submenu to add points to or otherwise adjust the existing TCG Curve after it has been
finished. To delete curve, press and hold key.
Note: When a TCG reference point is stored, two measurement result boxes will be automatically set (if not already
configured) to display PPA and P%A values. These result selections will remain locked until TCG reference
recording is completed (Step 6 above).
Note: TCG reference points and status (OFF or TCG) will be stored with data set. When recalled, curve status will be
the same as when it was stored. For example, if TCG is active when a data set is stored, it will be active when
that data set is recalled.
1. Press next to the BEAM GROUP Function (identified in Figure 33 on page 70).
2. Identify the first beam group(s) for which you want to define a TCG point.
3. Adjust gain as required and record the TCG reference data (by pressing next to RECORDING) for the indicated
group(s). The instrument will NOT proceed to the next TCG point at this time.
4. As prompted, continue to identify beam groups and apply suitable gain to those groups, recording the beam groups
as described in Step 4.
5. When data has been recorded for all beam groups, the TCG recording process will automatically proceed to the
next TCG point.
3.7.3 Applying Incremental Gain to Beam Groups During the Recording Process
The cycle gain control feature allows an incremental amount of gain (measured in dB) to be added to each beam. Prior
to beginning the TCG-point recording process, press next to the CYC GAIN CNTL Function then turn the Function
Knob to incrementally apply the indicated amount of gain to each beam.
For example: applying an additional 2 dB to three beams in this manner means that 2 dB is added to the first beam, 4
dB added to the second, and 6 dB added to the third.
After the TCG-point recording process has begun, cycle gain can still be added by pressing the same key, identified in
Figure 34 on page 72. (WARNING: pressing this key twice will finish the TCG process.)
3.7.3 Applying Incremental Gain to Beam Groups During the Recording Process (cont.)
Note: TCG points can be manually stored one beam at a time, or for all beams in the scan at once. To edit all beams
at once, set the BEAM CURSOR Function at either of its extreme positions. This condition, shown in Figure 35
on page 75, causes all available beams (such as 1 through 57, if the scan includes a total of 57 beams) to be
listed. Alternatively, set the BEAM CURSOR Function to each beam (Step 4 below), continue with the process
of recording the TCG point settings for that beam, then continue to the next beam until all beams in the scan
are complete. This results in a single TCG point being stored (Step 6 below) and allows the process to continue
if additional points are required. To manually define a TCG curve:
Note: Once recorded, TCG points can be edited or the entire curve they make up can be deleted. A stored curve must
be deleted before another curve can be created. To delete the stored TCG curve, press (two times) that appears
next to the DELETE CURVE Function in the NRM/TCG Submenu.
Note: When depth calibration mode in on, editing of the 1st and 2nd recorded references are blocked.
Figure 35: TCG points can be manually inserted to create a new TCG curve or to add new points to an existing
curve. Note that TCG data can be stored or edited for one beam at a time or for ALL beams in a scan by
adjusting the BEAM CURSOR Function.
• Access each conventional mode function using the built-in menu system (Section 4.4)
• Interpret the symbols that most often appear on the display (Section 4.5)
• Set up the instrument’s display and basic operating features (Section 4.6)
• Install a conventional probe and configure the Pulsar/Receiver to match the probe type (Section 4.7)
Note: Only the dedicated GEIT Lithium battery pack should be used. Only this pack can be charged while installed in
the instrument.
Note: To ensure that the battery pack is fully recharged, the battery charger must be attached to the battery pack
before it is plugged into an AC power source.
The approximate level of remaining battery life is visually displayed by the icon. The location of this icon is shown
in Figure 37 on the next page. When a fully charged battery pack is installed, the icon will appear as “full.” As the
battery life is consumed, the icon will begin to “empty.”
Note: When the battery indicator is in the last quarter as indicated by the symbol , charge the battery pack as soon
as possible. The instrument automatically shuts off when batteries are too weak for reliable operation. Settings
are saved and restored when the instrument is turned on again. When testing in remote locations, always carry
a spare battery pack.
Note: By connecting the optional Power Adapter, the instrument can be operated using an AC power source. This
adapter is connected to the instrument though the Power Adapter Port shown in Figure 36.
Figure 36: Installation of standard Lithium battery pack. Note the location of the Power Adapter Port and
Lithium battery pack on-board charging port.
• Phased Array Mode—Adjust all parameters related to phased-array measurement (see Chapter 1)
• Conventional Mode—Adjust all parameters related to conventional ultrasonic measurement
See Section 1.6 to set the mode in which the instrument starts up.
• Press one of the seven menu keys to select a menu. The menus across the bottom of the display will
immediately be replaced with the submenus contained in the selected menu.
• Press a menu key again to select the submenu containing the desired function.
• Up to four functions will be displayed in the function bar on the left side of the display. Select the desired function,
by pressing one of the four function keys .
• Change the value listed in the function box with the function knob. Some values can also be adjusted with repeated
presses of the function key.
You’ll also find these keys and knobs on the instrument:
—Mode Selector Key press to choose from Phased Array or Conventional Ultrasonic Operating Modes
—Home Key immediately returns the instrument to the Home Menu list as shown in Figure 38 on page 81.
—Gain Step Key selects the amount of gain level change that occurs with each click of the Gain Knob.
—Zoom Key expands the displayed image to fill the entire screen. Press again to return to normal view mode.
—Freeze Key freezes the A-Scan display. Press and hold for 3 seconds to generate a report (Section 3.4).
Function Rotary Knob – Rotate to change the value of the selected function.
Gain Rotary Knob – Rotate to change the instrument’s gain.
—Knob Emulator Key switches from the Home Menu to the Knob Menu, which allows you to perform Knob
functions using the keypad.
—Gate Magnify Key magnifies the displayed image, expanding to full-screen-width the gate selected in the EVAL
MODE Submenu.
Figure 37: Some of the keypad and knob functions are shown here.
Figure 38: These conventional menus, submenus, and functions are accessed through the Home Menu.
Conventional Operation Home Menu—Several menus used to configure and calibrate the instrument prior to test.
Also used to select pulser and receiver characteristics, position gates, set alarms, specify operating mode and screen
appearance, adjust the A-Scan display, and control other significant measurement features
Note: Figure 38 on page 81 shows the instrument’s Home Menu structure. The information provided in the following
two manual sections explains what each function does and shows how to access the function through the menu
system. The EVALuation MODE Function (located in the EVAL Menu) determines which results-evaluating
submenu appears in the HOME Menu (these options are listed in Figure 41 on page 93). You’ll also find
operation-manual section references that tell you where to turn in this manual for more specific information on
each function.
The Home Menu System consists of several menus, submenus, and functions.
• Available menus are accessed via the Home Menu (Figure 38 on page 81).
• Menus used for evaluating results (TCG, DAC, DGS, dB REF, AWS, and JISDAC) are first selected by the user
(via the EVAL MODE function). The evaluation menu selected then appears in the HOME Menu.
• Menus and submenus are selected by pressing below the desired item.
• When a submenu is selected, the functions contained in that submenu are listed in the Function Bar down the left-
hand side of the display screen.
• Functions are then selected by pressing the adjacent Function Key .
• Turning the Function Knob, and in some cases continuing to press , will change the value shown in the selected
function’s box. In some cases, pressing and holding will set the function’s value to zero.
Note that some functions, like RANGE, have both coarse and fine adjustment modes. Coarse and fine modes are
selected by pressing more than once. When the function name, such as RANGE, appears in all capital letters,
turning the function knob will produce large changes in the selected function’s value. When the function name appears
in all lower-case letters, turning the function knob will change the value by smaller amounts. Functions with coarse-
and-fine adjustment capabilities are noted with an * in Figure 40 on page 92.
Note: Figure 39 on page 87 displays the structure of all menus available for evaluating conventional data. Use the
EVAL MODE function, in the EVAL Menu, to choose the feature used for evaluating results (TCG, DAC, DGS,
dB REF, AWS, or JISDAC). Once selected, the menu corresponding to the EVAL MODE setting is directly
accessed through the HOME Menu.
RANGE Submenu
• RANGE—Adjusts the range of the display screen from .040” to 300” in steel. (Refer to Section 4.8.1.)
• PROBE DELAY—Represents the time delay caused by sound-wave travel through a probe’s wearplate,
membrane, delay line, or wedge. (Refer to Section 4.9.2.)
• VELOCITY—Displays the velocity for the selected material and allows the user to input a velocity. (Refer to
Section 4.9.2.)
• DISPLAY DELAY—Shifts the A-Scan viewing window to the left or right. (Refer to Section 4.8.)
PULSER Submenu
• VOLTAGE—Sets pulser voltage level (Refer to Section 4.7.4)
• DAMPING—Adjusts the damping level to match the installed probe. (Refer to Section 4.7.)
• PRF MODE—Selects the mode by which the Pulse Repetition Frequency is determined. Displays and/or allows
adjustment of its value. (Refer to Section 4.7.3.)
RECEIVER Submenu
• FREQUENCY—Selects the bandwidth of the instrument. (Refer to Section 4.7.2.)
• RECTIFY—Selects the rectification-mode which effects how the A-Scan appears on the display. (Refer to
Section 4.7.4.)
• DUAL—Identifies whether a single-element probe or a dual element probe is installed (Refer to Section 4.7.2.)
• REJECT—Determines what percentage of the A-Scan height is displayed at 0% full screen height. (Refer to
Section 4.7.6.)
Gain Submenu
• USER GAIN STEP—Specify a gain value to appear in the dB Step selections. (Refer to Section 5.6.2)
• TOF MODE—Indicates whether an A-Scan echo’s flank, or peak is evaluated by the A gate. (Refer to
Section 5.1.2)
• TOF MODE—Indicates whether an A-Scan echo’s flank, or peak is evaluated by the B gate. (Refer to
Section 5.1.2)
GATES Menu
• TOF MODE—Indicates whether an A-Scan echo’s flank, or peak is evaluated by the A gate. (Refer to
Section 5.1.2)
• TOF MODE—Indicates whether an A-Scan echo’s flank, or peak is evaluated by the B gate. (Refer to
Section 5.1.2)
GATEMODE Submenu
• A GATE LOGIC—Determines whether the gate alarm is triggered when a signal crosses the gate or does not
cross the A gate. (Refer to Section 5.1.3)
• B GATE LOGIC—Determines whether the gate alarm is triggered when a signal crosses the gate or does not cross
the B gate. (Refer to Section 5.1.3)
• OUTPUT SELECT—Set alarm light and output to indicate when one or both gates are triggered (Refer to
Section 5.1.3.)
EVAL Menu
• X VALUE—Input the specified value from the angle beam probe’s BIP to front edge.
• COLOR LEG—Indicates in which leg a reflector is located. (Used with angle beam probes.)
FILES Menu
• ACTION—Recalls or deletes the selected file and saves edits to data sets and reports.
CONFIG Menu
Note: Figure 39 below displays the structure of all menus available for evaluating conventional data. This part of the
manual explains what each function in these menus does and shows how to access the function. You’ll also find
operation-manual section references that tell you where to turn in this manual for more specific information on
each function.
Figure 39: The instrument’s various evaluation menu selections are activated via the EVAL MODE function
located in the EVAL Menu. Once selected, the active evaluation mode is added to the HOME Menu.
DAC/TCG Menu
• AUTO80—Press and hold to automatically adjust applied gain to set the value of the highest peak in A gate to 80%
of FSH.
• RECORD—Record the DAC or TCG reference point captured in A gate.
• FINISH—Complete the DAC or TCG reference point recording process (additional points can be added via the
EDIT Submenu).
• TOF MODE—Indicates whether an A-Scan echo’s flank or peak is evaluated by the A gate.
SETUP Submenu
• TCG/DAC MODE—Select between TCG or DAC, or turn feature off (Refer to Section 5.8)
• DAC TYPE—Choose between a traditional curved DAC line and a straight DAC line, which simply connects the
recorded DAC points (Refer to Section 5.9)
• DELETE CURVE—Delete DAC curve or a set of TCG reference points (Refer to Section 5.13.)
• OFFSET 2—Displays a line at a fixed-gain offset from the DAC or TCG line
• OFFSET 3—Displays a line at a fixed-gain offset from the DAC or TCG line
• OFFSET 4—Displays a line at a fixed-gain offset from the DAC or TCG line
DGS Menu
• PROBE #—Designation for built-in probe options (set to 0 for user-defined probe)
dB REF MENU
• TOF MODE—Indicates whether an A-Scan echo’s flank or peak is evaluated by the A gate.
JISDAC MENU
• AUTO80—Press and hold to automatically adjust applied gain to set the value of the highest peak in A gate to 80%
of FSH.
• RECORD—Record the JISDAC reference point captured in A gate.
Turn on the instrument by pressing . First press to select Conventional Mode. The Home Menu will be
activated. This menu’s structure was shown in Figure 38 on page 81. Activate the Setup Menu by pressing below it.
Some submenus and functions from the Setup Menu are shown in Figure 42 on page 93.
Figure 42: The CONFIG Menu allows the user to adjust most of the instrument’s display and operating
features. The SETUP Menu allows for pulser, receiver, and A-Scan adjustments.
1. Activate the REGIONAL Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it. Four functions will
appear down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled LANGUAGE. To change the selected language, continue pressing or turn
the function knob. You’ll note that the options available are English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian,
Polish, Czech, Russian, Japanese and Chinese. The default language is English.
3. The display-screen and report language will be set to the choice last selected.
1. Activate the REGIONAL submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to the selection titled DATE FORMAT. To change the selected format, continue pressing or turn
the function knob. Choose from the following date and time formats:
Y-M-D (12 or 24 hour time format)
M/D/Y (12 or 24 hour time format)
D.M.Y (12 or 24 hour time format)
3. The date and time formats shown on the display-screen and in outputted reports will be set to the choice last
selected.
1. Activate the STARTUP Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled DATE. The date is displayed to show the Day, Month, and Year. Note
that the first time you press , the day character is highlighted. The next time you press , the month character is
highlighted. Finally, pressing again will cause the year character to be highlighted.
3. To change the month, days, or year, turn the function knob while the desired character is highlighted.
4. When complete, press one more time. The current date will be set to the date displayed.
1. Activate the STARTUP Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled TIME. Time is displayed in 12 or 24-hour format. Note that the first time you
press , the hours character is highlighted. The next time you press , the minutes character is highlighted.
3. To change the hours or minutes setting, turn the function knob while the desired character is highlighted.
4. When complete, press one more time. The current time will be set to the time displayed.
Note: Once set, the internal clock will maintain the current date and time.
1. Activate the REGIONAL Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled UNITS. You’ll note that the following options are available:
• •mm—default setting which displays values in millimeters
• •INCH— displays values in inches
3. To change the units of measurement, continue pressing or turn the function knob.
4. The unit of measurement will be set to the choice last displayed.
4.6.2 Display Appearance
Use the procedures in this section to adjust display appearance. The adjustments will require access to the DISPLAY
submenu, which is accessed from the CONFIG Menu (shown in Figure 42 on page 93).
1. Activate the DISPLAY Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled BRIGHTNESS. Settings range from 1 to 10.
3. To change the brightness level, continue pressing or turn the function knob.
4. The display brightness will remain at the level last displayed.
1. Activate the DISPLAY Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled GRID.
3. To change the grid type, continue pressing or turn the function knob. Each grid style is shown in the display
screen’s A-Scan window as it is selected.
4. The grid style will be set to the last one displayed.
1. Activate the DISPLAY Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled COLOR. There are four preset color schemes.
3. To change the display’s color scheme, continue pressing or turn the function knob.
4. The display color will remain at the scheme last displayed.
1. Activate the DISPLAY Submenu (located in the CONFIG Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled ASCAN COLOR. There are six A-Scan color options.
3. To change the A-Scan’s color, continue pressing or turn the function knob.
4. The A-Scan echo will remain the color last displayed.
IMPORTANT: The Phasor XS may fail if a user removes or attaches the probe while the instrument is running. If this
occurs, the user will lose any unsaved settings. To protect against this failure, GE recommends that the
user power OFF the instrument before attaching or replacing a probe.
1. Activate the RECEIVER Submenu (located in the SETUP Menu by pressing below it.
3. To change the probe type, continue pressing or turn the function knob. Each available probe type is represented
by an icon that’s displayed in the Icon Bar (near the upper left corner of the display) whenever that probe type is
indicated. The following types are available:
• ON—For dual-element
• ( will be displayed)
1. Activate the RECEIVER Submenu (located in the SETUP Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to the selection titled FREQUENCY.
3. To change the specified frequency, continue pressing or turn the function knob. You’ll note that the following
frequency settings are available:
• 1, 2, 2.25, 4, 5, 10, 13 MHz—Set to match conventional probe frequencies
Modifying the Signal Ratio to Noise by Changing the Damping Level (SETUP-PULSER-DAMPING)
1. Activate the PULSER Submenu (located in the SETUP Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press next to the selection titled DAMPING.
3. To change the specified damping level and optimize the A-Scan signal appearance, continue pressing or turn the
function knob. You’ll note that the following damping levels are available:
• 50 or 1000 (see Figure 44 below)
The damping level will be set to the one last displayed.
1. Activate the SETUP Menu (located in the HOME Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Select the PULSER Submenu by pressing below it. Two functions will appear down the left side of the display
screen.
3. Press next to the function titled PRF MODE. You’ll note that there are two options:
• AUTO—The instrument calculates and sets a pulser firing rate at 75% of the maximum frequency possible,
based on range and material velocity.
• MANUAL—allows the full range of PA PRF (minimum 20 to 20 kHz in 10 Hz steps), limited by the A-scan and
gate range, FPGA timing, etc.
Note: The previous manual setting is not stored. In other words, if the user toggles to AUTO and back to MANUAL,
the MANUAL value will be the “auto” value.
4. To manually set the Pulser Repetition Frequency, press next to the function titled PRF MODE and set it to
MANUAL. You may now adjust the PRF value by turning the function knob.
5. The automatically calculated value (if PRF MODE is set to AUTO) will be displayed in the function box.
Note: The PRF VALUE setting may be automatically limited based on the user-selected pulser voltage setting. This
feature acts to limit signal dissipation.
Positive Half Rectification means that only the upper (positive) half of the RF signal is displayed.
Negative Half Rectification means that only the bottom (negative) half of the RF signal is displayed. In Figure 45
below, note that even though it’s the negative half of the RF signal, it’s displayed in the same orientation as a positive
component. This is only to simplify viewing. The signal displayed in the view identified as Negative Reactance is the
negative component of the RF signal.
Full-Wave Rectification combines the positive and negative rectified signals together, and displays both of them in a
positive orientation (Figure 45).
1. Activate the SETUP Menu (located in the HOME Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Select the RECEIVER submenu by pressing below it. Four functions will appear down the left side of the
display screen.
3. Press next to the function titled RECTIFY (Figure 44). You’ll note that there are four options:
• NEG HALFWAVE—Shows the negative component of the RF signal but displays it in a positive orientation
• POS HALFWAVE—Shows the positive component of the RF signal
• FULLWAVE—Shows the positive and negative halves of the RF wave, but both are oriented in the positive
direction
• RF—Shows the echo with no rectification
4. Select the rectification method.
Figure 45: Rectification controls how much of the returned sound pulse appears on the display screen. Note
that when RF rectification is selected, the A-Gate and B-Gate can be positioned above or below the axis.
1. Activate the SETUP Menu (located in the HOME Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Select the PULSER Submenu by pressing below it. Functions will appear down the left side of the display
screen.
3. Set the ENERGY level to HIGH or LOW or press next to the function titled VOLTAGE. Set a voltage level to
HIGH or LOW.
4.7.6 Setting the A-Scan REJECT Level
A portion of the A-Scan can be omitted from the display screen. To omit a portion of the A-Scan, you must define the
percentage of full-screen height you wish to omit. To set a reject percentage:
1. Activate the SETUP Menu (located in the HOME Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Select the RECEIVER Submenu by pressing below it. Four functions will appear down the left side of the
display screen.
3. Press next to the function titled REJECT.
4. To change the amount of A-Scan you wish to omit from the display screen (as a percentage of screen height) turn
the function knob. You may omit A-Scans up to 80% of the screen height. Whenever REJECT is set to a value
greater then 0%, the will appear in the status bar.
1. Activate the Home Menu by pressing . Functions will appear down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled RANGE. You’ll note that RANGE has both coarse and fine adjustment modes.
Coarse and fine modes are selected by pressing more than once. When “RANGE” appears in all capital letters,
turning the function knob will produce large changes in the range value. When “range” appears in all lower-case
letters, turning the function knob will change the value by smaller amounts.
3. To change the range turn the function knob. You’ll note that the range can vary from 0.040 to 300 inches.
The display’s horizontal range will remain as set.
1. Activate the Home Menu by pressing . Functions will appear down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled DISPLAY DELAY.
3. To change the display delay turn the function knob. You’ll note that the displayed echoes shift to the left or right.
• Probe installed
• TCG—Turned OFF
1. From the SETUP Menu, activate the AUTOCAL Submenu by pressing below it. Four functions will appear
down the left side of the display screen.
2. Press next to the selection titled S-REF1 and turn the function knob until the value of S-REF1 matches the
thickness of the thinner calibration standard.
3. Press next to the selection titled S-REF2 and turn the function knob until the value of S-REF2 matches the
thickness of the thicker calibration standard.
4. Apply couplant and couple the probe to the thinner calibration standard. Press next to the selection titled A
START. Turn the function knob (this will shift the starting point of the A-Gate) until the A-Gate lies over the echo
corresponding to the thinner standard’s thickness (Figure 47).
5. Press next to the selection titled RECORD. The value in the function box will change from “OFF” to
“S-REF1?” Then go to the thicker standard’s thickness and record value.
Note: The instrument’s AUTOCAL Function applies only to conventional operation, not to phased-array operation.
• PROBE DELAY—Adjustment made as a result of the AUTOCAL (zeroing) procedure. This represents the time
delay caused by sound-wave travel through a probe’s membrane, wear plate, or delay line.
• VELOCITY—Display’s the calculated velocity after calibration. (Note that the material type is listed as custom.)
4. Be sure to follow on-screen instructions to press for the activation to be successfully completed.
• Adjust the A and B-Gates, alarms, outputs, and magnification ability (Section 5.1.1)
• Configure the instrument for use of angle beam probes (Section 5.2)
• Identify which measured data to display in the RESULTS boxes (Section 5.3)
• Use the DAC/TCG evaluation modes to normalize A-Scan amplitudes regardless of the reflectors’ depths
(Section 5.8)
• Operate in DGS evaluation mode (Section 5.14)
First press and select CONVENTIONAL MODE, then press . From the Home Menu, activate the Gates Menu
by pressing below it. The submenus and functions available in the Gates Menu are shown in Figure 48 below.
Figure 48: The Gates Menu allows the user to position and otherwise configure the instrument’s gates.
• A-Scan echos on the right side of the display screen represent features that occur at a greater depth from the test-
material surface than those on the left of the display screen. Therefore, moving a gate to the right means that the
gate is evaluating a deeper portion of the test material.
• A wider gate will simply span the equivalent of more test-material depth.
• Increasing the vertical height (called threshold) of a gate means that only reflected signals of sufficiently large
amplitude will cross the gate.
Figure 49: Gate position and width can be adjusted as shown here.
FLANK—Time-based triggering point is the first flank to cross the gate and amplitude-based results are based on the
HIGHEST peak of any echo crossing the gate (NOT necessarily the peak of the echo whose flank triggered the gate).
JFLANK—Time-based triggering point is the first flank to cross the gate and amplitude-based results are based on the
peak of this first echo to cross the gate (even if it is NOT the highest echo in the gate).
Note: The detection method chosen will be reflected by a small icon. This icon is displayed in the display box
containing the measured reading, and in the options offered in the READING 1 through 6 function boxes (see
Figure 52).
Pressing magnifies the A-Scan display so the assigned gate spans the entire displayed range. To specify the gate
that should be magnified on demand:
• Probe Angle
• Probe’s X value (distance from the probe’s Beam Index Point (BIP) to the front edge of its wedge.)
• Test-piece thickness
• A%A—Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the highest echo falling within the width of A-Gate
• A%B—Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the highest echo falling within the width of B-Gate
Note: When S, D, P, or R readings are displayed, the Gate-Detection Mode (5.1.2) setting for the referenced gate (A
or B) is indicated by a ^ (Peak Mode) or a / (Flank Mode).
• SBA—Sound-Path distance or duration from the highest echo in A-Gate to the echo in B-Gate. Reading is only
available if B-Gate and A-Gate are on.
• DA—Material-thickness depth from the test-piece surface (the probe-contacted side) to the reflector represented by
the echo in A-Gate. (see Figure 51 on page 112)
• DB—Material-thickness depth from the test-piece surface (the probe-contacted side) to the reflector represented by
the echo in B-Gate. (see Figure 51 on page 112)
• LA—Leg number of the reflector represented by the echo in A-Gate. (see Figure 51 on page 112)
• LB—Leg number of the reflector represented by the echo in B-Gate. (see Figure 51 on page 112
• PA—Projection distance from the probe’s BIP to the reflector represented by the echo in A-Gate. (see Figure 51 on
page 112)
• PB—Projection distance from the probe’s BIP to the reflector represented by the echo in B-Gate. (see Figure 51 on
page 112)
• RA—Projection distance from the probe’s BIP to the reflector represented by the echo in A-Gate, minus the
inputted X-VALUE. (see Figure 51 on page 112)
• RB—Projection distance from the probe’s BIP to the reflector represented by the echo in B-Gate, minus the
inputted X-VALUE. (see Figure 51 on page 112)
• A%rA—Amplitude of the signal crossing the A-Gate as a percentage of the active EVAL MODE’s reference
amplitude.
• dBrA—dB equivalent height difference between the signal crossing A-Gate and the active EVAL MODE’s
reference height.
• A%rB—Amplitude of the signal crossing the B-Gate as a percentage of the active EVAL MODE’s reference
amplitude (see below).
• dBrB—dB equivalent height difference between the signal crossing B-Gate and the active EVAL MODE’s
reference height (see below).
• CLS—JIS CLASS (I, II, III, or IV) available only when JISDAC evaluation mode is active.
• ERS—Evaluates the reflected echo (DGS Mode) and calculates the Equivalent Reflector Size
• Gt—DGS test gain, which initializes the DGS curve’s max height at 80% FSH.
• Gr—DGS reference gain, which represents the instrument gain at which the reference echo’s peak reaches 80%
FSH.
• OFF—No reading will be displayed in the reading box.
The measured readings can be displayed in any of the up-to-six small reading boxes at the top of the display screen.
Note that when four small results are shown, another result can be displayed in the large reading box (see Figure 52 on
the next page).
The large result box can also be split into two smaller boxes, allowing up to six results to be displayed simultaneously:
Note: Under certain conditions, while TCG reference points are being recorded, two measurement results boxes will
be automatically set (if not already configured) to display SA and A%A values.
Figure 52: The RESULTS submenu is used to specify which measured values to display.
1. Continue pressing while observing that the value of dB STEP (in the upper left-hand corner of the display)
changes to various gain increment values. When the word LOCK appears as the dB STEP value, the gain knob is
locked.
2. To unlock the knob, change the setting of dB STEP to some value other than LOCK.
Note: The gain knob is automatically locked whenever the knob emulator menu is activated by pressing .
1. Press .
2. Note that the dB STEP (gain-adjustment increment) value, as labeled in Figure 39 on page 87, changes as you
continue to push . Available increments include: 0.2 dB, 0.5 dB, 1.0 dB, 2.0 dB, 6 dB, a user-defined Gain Step
(if one has been defined), and LOCK. To specify a user-defined dB STEP value, see the next manual procedure.
Note that setting the dB STEP to LOCK prevents adjustment of the instrument gain.
3. Once a dB STEP value has been selected, each click of the Gain Knob will increase or decrease the instrument’s
gain by the dB STEP increment.
5.6.2 Setting the User-Defined Gain Step (SETUP-GAIN-USER GAIN STEP)
When adjusting the A-Scan gain, each click of the gain-adjustment knob increases or decreases the gain level by the
amount of the dB STEP (see above for adjusting the dB STEP). Several values can be selected for dB STEP, including
a user-specified gain step, known as USER GAIN STEP. To input a user-specified gain step:
1. Activate the GAIN Submenu (located in the SETUP Menu) by pressing below it. Functions will appear down
the left side of the display screen.
3. To set the USER GAIN STEP size, continue pressing or turn the function knob.
Whenever an A-Scan is active, pressing the freeze key ( ) freezes the A-Scan display. The active A-Scan will remain
as it appeared when was pressed and the display will remain frozen until is pressed again.
While the display is frozen, the displayed readings are based on the frozen echoes.
Conventional measurements can be made using the Time Corrected Gain (TCG) and Distance Amplitude Correction
(DAC) functions (Figure 53 below). These functions are accessed through the DAC/TCG Menu on the HOME Menu
bar. Both the DAC and TCG functions operate based on a set of user-recorded data points. These points are recorded
from the DAC/TCG menu as described below.
The TCG function displays reflectors of equal size at equal A-Scan amplitudes, regardless of the reflector’s depth in the
test material. This is accomplished by adjusting the gain at different locations in the A-scan display, corresponding to
different material depths, to compensate for signal loss (or variation) due to attenuation, beam spread, or other factors.
When TCG is activated, appears in the status bar near the top right-hand corner of the display.
The DAC function displays all echoes at their true amplitude (without depth compensation). However, when operating
in DAC mode, a Distance Amplitude Correction curve is superimposed on the A-Scan display. The curve, like the one
shown in Figure 53 below, represents constant reflector size at varying material depth.
A DAC curve is programmed using a series of same-reflector echoes at various depths covering the range of depths to
be inspected in the test material. Because near field and beam spread vary according to transducer size and frequency,
and materials vary in attenuation and velocity, DAC must be programmed differently for different applications.
The dynamic range of the DAC function is 60 dB. Maximum curve slope is 12 dB per microsecond. Successive data
points do not have to decrease in amplitude. That is, the DAC/TCG curve does not have to have a constantly
descending slope.
1. Access the DAC/TCG menu by pressing below it. The RECORD Submenu will be selected.
2. Couple the probe to the first reference point and, using next to GATE A START and A THRESHOLD, adjust
the A-Gate so that it is broken by the primary echo. If necessary, use the Gain Knob to adjust the gain so that the
echo crosses the A-Gate and the highest peak in gate A is at approximately 80% of full-screen height. The highest
peak must not be higher than 100% full-screen height.
Note: The AUTO 80 function allows for automatic application of gain to set A-Gate’s triggering echo to 80% of full
screen height. Press to select AUTO 80 (located in the RECORD Submenu), then press and hold it again.
This function can also be accessed at any time via the knob emulator menu (activated by pressing ).
3. While the Gate is lined up over the first reference echo, press next to the RECORD function. When the value of
the RECORD function changes from 0 to 1, you have recorded the first DAC Curve point. Note that the first DAC
point is treated as the reference echo. The amplitude value at which this point is recorded becomes the “reference
amplitude” value.
Note: When the first DAC reference point is stored, two measurement result boxes will be automatically set (if not
already configured) to display SA and A%A values.
4. Continue to record additional Curve points, following steps 2 and 3, up to a maximum of 15 points (note that at
least two DAC Curve points are required).
Note: The DAC curve and status (OFF, TCG, or DAC) will be stored with the data set. When recalled, curve status
will be the same as when it was stored. For example, if DAC is active when a data set is stored, it will be active
when that data set is recalled.
Note: When rectification is set to RF, reference lines are not displayed.
When operating in TCG mode, will appear on the display screen. Before using the TCG function, do the following:
1. The instrument/probe combination has been calibrated and all instrument settings (PULSER, RECEIVER, etc.)
have been made. Changing these settings after the TCG reference points are input will affect the accuracy of
measurement.
2. TCG reference points (up to 15) must be recorded. This process allows the instrument to calculate and compensate
for the effect on material depth on reflector-echo height. The dynamic range of the TCG function is 60 dB.
Maximum curve slope is 6 dB per microsecond. Successive data points do not have to decrease in amplitude. That
is, the DAC/TCG curve does not have to have a constantly descending slope.
Figure 54: Storing at least two DAC points allows you to generate a curved or straight (shown here) DAC line
and corresponding offset lines.
Note: TCG reference points, curve, and status (OFF, TCG, OR DAC) will be stored with a data set. When recalled,
curve status will be the same as when it was stored. For example, if TCG is active when a data set is stored, it
will be active when that data set is recalled.
2. Press next to the TCG/DAC MODE function until TCG appears ( will appear)
3. Press next to the TCG DISPLAY function to turn this feature ON or OFF.
Note: The TCG curve begins at the first reference point recorded. It then proceeds horizontally from this amplitude of
this first reference point to the depth (time position) of the last reference point recorded.
Note: When rectification is set to RF, reference lines are not displayed.
3. Press next to the DELETE CURVE function a second time. Then press to confirm your selection.
4. The statement in the function box will change to TCG/DAC MODE OFF.
The instrument’s Distance Gain Sizing (DGS) feature is accessed through the DGS menu, which is located on the
HOME menu bar. The DGS feature allows the user to use a particular probe to compare a reflector in a test piece with
a known standard reflector.
The DGS feature relies on a reference curve based on a recorded reference point. The procedure for recording a
reference point using the DGS Menu is described below.
Using the DGS feature (Distance Gain Size), you can compare the reflecting power of a natural flaw in the test object
with that of a theoretical flaw (circular disk-shaped equivalent reflector) at the same depth.
Attention:
You are comparing the reflecting power of a natural flaw with that of a theoretical flaw. No definite conclusions may be
drawn on the natural flaw (roughness, inclined position, etc.).
The so-called DGS diagram forms the basis for this comparison of the reflecting power. This diagram consists of a set
of curves showing the connection of three influencing variables:
• Difference in gain G between various large circular disk-shaped equivalent reflectors and an infinitely large
backwall
• Size S of the circular disk-shaped equivalent reflector. The influencing variable S always remains constant for one
curve of the set of curves
The advantage of the DGS method lies in the fact that you can carry out reproducible evaluations of small
discontinuities. The reproducibility is most of all important, for example, whenever you aim to carry out an acceptance
test.
• Make all required instrument settings related to the pulser, receiver, and material-velocity settings.
The instrument will prevent changes to certain settings after the DGS Reference Echo has been recorded and DGS is
turned ON.
5.14.1 Specifying a Probe and Preparing to Record the Reference Echo (cont.)
1 On these probes, the user interface limits the material velocity to 3,255 km/s ± 5%.
5.14.2 Record the Reference Echo that Defines the DGS Curve
Prior to generating the DGS curve, a test standard with a known reflector must be used to define a reference point.
Acceptable test standards include these reference types:
• SDH—Side Drilled Hole with a reference defect size defined as the hole’s diameter
• FBH—Flat Bottom Hole with a reference defect size equal to the hole’s facial diameter
Follow these steps and Figure 56 on the next page to record a reference echo.
5.14.2 Record the Reference Echo that Defines the DGS Curve (cont.)
Figure 56: Recording a DGS reference point from which a DGS Curve will be generated.
1. Select the REF ECHO submenu, then the REFERENCE TYPE function. Once activated, this function allows you
to select one of the three reference types described above, and specify the size of the known standard’s reference
flaw.
2. Couple the probe to the known standard, capture the reference flaw so that it’s reflected echo is displayed on the
instrument’s A-Scan, and adjust the A-Gate’s starting point to ensure that the resulting echo triggers the gate.
3. Adjust the gain knob until the reference flaw’s A-Scan peak measures 80% of FSH (A%A = 80%).
4. With the probe coupled to the standard, and the reference flaw’s echo captured by the A-Gate, press next to the
RECORD REF function to store a DGS reference echo.
Note: The AUTO 80 function allows for automatic application of gain to set A-Gate’s triggering echo to 80% of full
screen height. This function can be accessed at any time via the knob emulator menu (activated by pressing
).
Note: When a DGS reference echo is stored, the will appear in the display’s status bar (upper left corner). Only one
DGS reference echo can be stored at a time. To delete the currently stored reference, access the REF CORR
submenu, select DELETE REF, and follow the on-screen prompts.
Note: When a DGS reference echo is stored, two measurement result boxes will be automatically set (if not already
configured) to display SA and A%A values.
These two adjustments should be made prior to recording a reference echo. Changing these values after the DGS curve
is generated will cause the curve to be deleted.
REF ATTEN (found in the REF CORR submenu)— Specify a sound attenuation value (in dB per inch or mm of
material thickness) for the material from which the known standard is made.
AMPL CORRECT (found in the REF CORR submenu)— Correction required when using an angle-beam type probe.
This value is specified on the probe’s data sheet.
TEST ATTEN (found in the MAT ATTN submenu)— Specify a sound attenuation value (in dB per inch or mm of
material thickness) for the material from which the test piece is made.
TRANSFER CORR. (found in the MAT ATTN Submenu) —dB compensation for difference in coupling conditions
between the known standard and the test piece. Setting this to values other than zero will cause a “T” to be added to the
DGS Icon and the displayed gain value to appear in a contrasting color, indicating that the amount of applied gain
differs from the listed “instrument” gain (the contrasting color does not appear when the display color is set to the high-
contrast BLACK on WHITE).
DGS CURVE (found in the SETUP submenu)—Positions the probe’s DGS Curve based on the size of the reflector
(flaw) being tested. The setting will usually depend on the largest acceptable flaw size.
A%rA—Amplitude of the signal crossing the A-Gate as a percentage of the corresponding DGS curve amplitude.
dBrA—dB equivalent height difference between the signal crossing A-Gate and the corresponding DGS curve height.
This value is shown in Figure 57 on the previous page.
ERS—Evaluates the reflected echo and calculates the Equivalent Reflector Size
Gt—DGS test gain, which initializes the DGS curve’s max height at 80% FSH.
Gr—DGS reference gain, which represents the instrument gain at which the reference echo’s peak reaches 80% FSH.
To aid in interpreting the DGS Mode’s display, the instrument will display up to four curves representing fixed-gain
offsets from the DGS curve. These curves are enabled and positioned (by specifying the dB-equivalent amount they are
offset above or below the DGS curve) by accessing the OFFSETS submenu in the DGS menu.
The DGS evaluation must likewise be switched off and the reference echo deleted in the case of selecting a new probe,
e.g., for a new test application.
• •The reference echo is received from the test object if possible. If this is not possible, it should be ensured that the
reference block is made of the same material as the test object.
• •The evaluation is carried out using the same probe which was also used for recording the reference echo. Another
probe of the same type can be used after recording a new reference echo.
• •Echo amplitudes for reflector distances smaller than half of the probe’s near-field length are subject to heavy
variation – for physical reasons due to interference phenomena effecting the area. Thus evaluation results may
fluctuate more than the usually permissible +2 dB. An evaluation according to the DGS method is possible but not
recommended for this case.
When dB REF is activated, the amplitude of the highest echo in A-Gate becomes the reference echo against which
subsequent echo amplitudes are evaluated. At the time of dB REF activation, the gain setting also becomes a reference
against which subsequent gain values are compared.
2. Locate the reference echo in A-Gate and adjust gain as required. Press (two times) next to the RECORD
function to record the reference echo. The function box will now indicate that a reference is stored (Figure 58 on
the next page). Also note the following:
• The instrument gain and the reference echo’s amplitude now appear in the function box titled REFERENCE.
• The instrument automatically switches the dB REF MODE function to ON and the appears on the display.
• Setting MODE to OFF allows you to disable the dB REF feature without deleting the reference echo.
• Pressing next to DELETE REF, then confirming by pressing , deletes the current reference.
It’s important to remember that the highest echo in A-Gate and GAIN setting, when dB REF is selected, will become
the reference amplitude and gain value for as long as dB REF is activated.
Note: The reference echo amplitude must not exceed 100% of full-screen height.
Once dB REF is activated, the Gain-Display Window lists both the Reference Gain and Incremental Gain levels.
Also, the icon will appear. The Reference Gain remains constant throughout the dB REF session while the Incremental
Gain value changes as the Gain Knob is rotated (Figure 58 on the next page).
After dB REF is activated, any amplitude measurements are stated in relation to the reference echo amplitude.
Available amplitude readings (see Section 5.3 to change display-box reading values) when operating in dB REF mode
are
• dBrA—dB difference between the reference echo and the highest echo to cross A-Gate.
• A%rA—Amplitude of the signal crossing the A-Gate as a percentage of the reference amplitude.
• dBrB—dB difference between the reference echo and the highest echo to cross B-Gate.
• A%rB—Amplitude of the signal crossing the B-Gate as a percentage of the reference amplitude.
This feature allows analysis of welds according to AWS specifications D1.1 or D1.5 and provides a D1.1 or D1.5
rating. The AWS D1.1 feature is accessed via the HOME Menu. The feature utilizes four AWS-specified variables
including:
A INDICATION—Gain (in dB) required to position an A-Scan echo’s peak (from the measured reflector) at an
amplitude equal to the reference amplitude (between 10 and 90% of full screen height)
B REFERENCE—Gain (in dB) required to position an AScan echo’s peak (from the reference reflector) at the user
selected amplitude (between 10 and 90% of FSH)
C ATTENUATION—Determined by subtracting 1 inch from the sound-path distance to the discontinuity, using the
equation (inch units): C = (SA–1) × 2. This compensates for sound loss from material attenuation along the sound path
to the discontinuity.
Figure 59: After adjusting the gain so that the reference echo’s peak is between 20% and 90% of full screen
height, record the reference dB. This reference value will be stored in the instrument until manually changed.
Note: The dB value of A-Indication will be automatically adjusted to match the amplitude of the B-Ref upon
performing the dB rating calculation.
Before activating the AWS D1.1/D1.5 weld rating feature, be sure that all instrument settings are properly adjusted for
the specific measurement application. Then access the AWS D1.1 Menu (via the HOME Menu) and follow this
procedure:
1. Apply couplant and couple the probe to a suitable reference test standard.
2. Ensure that the A-Gate is positioned over the desired echo. Then adjust the gain until the peak of the desired
reference echo reaches the desired amplitude as shown in Figure 59 on page 132. Note that if the echo’s peak
amplitude (A%A) does not fall between 10% and 90%, the inputted point will not be accepted.
3. Press next to the B REFERENCE function (then to confirm) to define the reference dB level.
4. To evaluate a reflector in a test piece, couple the probe to the test piece. Now adjust the A-Gate position, if
required, so that it is over the desired echo as shown in Figure 59 on page 132.
5. Adjust the gain until the peak of the test-piece’s echo reaches the desired screen height as shown in Figure 59 on
page 132. The dB value that is recorded for A-Indication will be automatically adjusted based upon the amplitude
difference between it and the value recorded for B-REF. It will usually NOT match the instrument’s dB gain
setting.
6. With the AWS D1.1 SETUP Submenu displayed, note that the A, C, and D parameters automatically update to
match the A-Gate triggering echo. Press (two times) next to A INDICATION to HOLD the current parameters
until pressed again. Note that the displayed RESULTS continue to update while the A, C, and D parameters are
held (press to freeze the display and results).
1. Access the JISDAC menu by pressing below it. The RECORD Submenu will be selected (Figure 60 on
page 134).
2. Couple the probe to the first reference point and adjust the A-Gate so that it is broken by the primary echo. If
necessary, use the Gain Knob to adjust the gain so that the echo crosses the A-Gate and the highest peak in gate A
is at approximately 80% of full-screen height. The highest peak must not be higher than 100% full-screen height.
Note: The AUTO 80 function allows for automatic application of gain to set A-Gate’s triggering echo to 80% of full
screen height. Press to select AUTO 80 (located in the RECORD Submenu), then press and hold it again.
This function can also be accessed at any time via the knob emulator menu (activated by pressing ).
3. While the Gate is lined up over the first reference echo, press next to the RECORD function. When the value of
the RECORD function changes from 0 to 1, you have recorded the first JISDAC Curve point. Note that the first
JISDAC point is treated as the reference echo. The amplitude value at which this point is recorded becomes the
“reference amplitude” value.
2. Press next to the JISDAC function to select ON or OFF. The JISDAC Curve will appear whenever turned ON.
Figure 60: Storing at least two JISDAC points allows you to generate a recorded reference line (identified as H)
and corresponding offset lines. Line H, M, or L can be chosen as the reference line from which measurements
are based.
Any one of these three lines can be identified as the reference from which measurements are based (see the BOLD
LINE function below). In addition, the remaining three offset lines are drawn at 6, 12, and 18 dB above the H line.
The regions of the A-Scan display bordered by the H, M, and L lines are identified with JIS Class numbers. These
identifying numbers, shown in Figure 60 as Roman numerals, can also be displayed as results (see the CLS result in
Figure 60). CLS reports the region that contains the peak of the A-Gate triggering echo.
3. Press next to the DELETE CURVE function a second time. Then press to confirm your selection.
4. The statement in the JISDAC function box will change to OFF.
In this chapter, you’ll learn how to work with all FILES Menu functions, including:
Note: Data sets stored on an SD card will include a frozen display image and related A-Scans. Data sets stored in the
instrument’s internal memory, will not include these images. When the data set is recalled, the stored (frozen)
image will be displayed and its related A-Scans evaluated until the display is unfrozen.
Note: Phased Array and conventional files are differentiated by their extensions (.pop and .cop respectively).
Once a data set file is opened, instrument settings may be modified from their data-set-file configurations. However,
these changes will only affect the data set if additional actions are taken to do so as described in “Editing Active
Files” on page 139. Otherwise, the original file structure will remain as-saved.
Figure 61: The Files Menu allows access to all data set and output functions.
4. Press next to SOURCE/DEST until the desired file-saving destination appears. Choices include:
INT MEMORY – A limited number of data sets can be stored in the instrument; however, these data sets will
not include a stored image or related A-Scans.
SD CARD – Primary destination for data sets, which will include a frozen display image and related A-Scans.
DIALOG PROBE (Phased Array only) – Abbreviated data sets can be stored in connected phased-array dialog
probes.
5. With the desired data set name input, press next to ENTER to complete the data set creation process. The
instrument’s settings have been saved in the data set.
Note: Pressing and holding for three seconds causes a dataset to be stored or a report to be generated based on
the ACTION specified in the FILENAME Submenu (in phased array mode). In conventional mode, this three-
second press always results in a report being stored. The stored dataset will be assigned the name entered in
the FILENAME function. This default name will increment by 1 the next time a new dataset is created (i.e.,
after the dataset name “TANKAF” is entered, the next dataset name will be automatically named
“TANKAF1”) when is pressed and held unless another name is entered. This “auto-appending” naming
feature also applies to reports.
3. Press next to ENTER, then follow the on-screen instructions to make the edits to this file permanent.
Figure 62: The Text-Entry display allows quick entering or editing of file names and other alphanumeric
labels.
3. Press next to the ACTION function five, then turn the Function Knob until DELETE DATASET appears.
4. Press next to the FILENAME function. Press or turn the Function Knob until the desired filename name
appears.
5. Press next to the ENTER function. Follow the display-screen prompting and press to confirm the file-delete
command.
6. The deleted data set may not be retrieved.
2. Press next to the MEMO IN REPORT function. Choosing a value of YES indicates that the memo should be
included in part of the report. Choosing NO omits the memo from the report.
2. Press next to the HDR IN REPORT function to set the value to YES. This indicates the header should be
included in the report. Choosing NO omits the header from the report.
1. Activate the FILENAME Submenu (located in the FILES Menus) and press to set the ACTION Function to
STORE REPORT.
2. Be sure that the SOURCE/DEST Function in the active submenu is set to SD CARD.
3. Press and hold for three seconds to generate a report. Reports can only be stored on the SD card.
Note: The newly created report name automatically becomes the default report name. This default name will
increment by 1 the next time a new report is created (i.e., after the report name “TANKAF” is entered, the next
default report name will be “TANKAF1.”) This feature functions only when the generated report’s destination
is the SD CARD.
A TOP View display (initiated by setting the VIEW MODE Function in the VIEW Submenu to TOP) is generated with
data collected from the A- and B-Gated region of a sector or linear scan. A frozen TOP View display provides access to
buffered data for both time-of-flight (TOF) and echo amplitude. TOF and percent amplitude values are represented in
the TOP View image by user-selectable color palettes. The buffered TOP View data (TOF and amplitude data from
gates A and B) can be stored as part of a data set.
Note: During the scanning process, TOP View data is added to the instrument’s buffer. The buffer serves only as
temporary memory. To retain the data held in the buffer, it MUST be stored to a data set. Note that once the
buffer is full, buffered data is automatically overwritten in TIMED CONTINUOUS mode. In TIMED mode, a
full data buffer automatically stops the scanning process.
This chapter explains how to prepare for and operate in TOP View mode, which first requires that this optional feature
be installed in your instrument. It includes instruction on how to:
• Configure the standard phased array (designated FRAME view) settings to provide the desired TOP View display
(Section 7.1.1)
• Set up for TOP View during a continuous scan (see TIMED CONTINUOUS mode in Section 7.1.2)
• Acquire TOP View data during a continuous or encoder-driven scan (Section 7.2)
• Freeze the TOP View display and navigate through the buffered data (Section 7.3)
• Conduct a typical ENCODED data-acquisition session by following an application summary (Section 7.5)
Note: To avoid inadvertently deleting TOP View data before it can be stored in a data set or otherwise evaluated,
refer to the various notes in Section 7.4.
1. Be sure that the VIEW MODE Function (located in the VIEW Submenu of the DISPLAY Menu) is set to FRAME.
This corresponds to standard phased array operation.
2. Set up either a linear or sector scan to match the installed probe, material type, and inspection requirements as
described in Chapter 2. Calibrate the instrument/probe combination.
3. Adjust the A- and/or B-Gate starting point and width to capture the test-material region of interest (Figure 64 on
page 147). Refer to Section 2.8.1 to position gates.
4. Access and adjust TOP View specific functions as described on the next page.
Note: The TOP View image is based on amplitude and TOF data recorded in Gates A and B. These gate(s) must be
turned on and positioned to capture the test-material range of interest.
1. Activate the CLOCK Submenu (located in the SCAN Menu) by pressing below it.
2. Press to set the CLOCK Function to TIMED or TIMED CONT.
3. Press and turn the Function Knob to set the duration (in hertz) of the SAMPLE INTRVL. The sample interval
equates to the number of TOP View data lines acquired and displayed per second.
4. Note that the calculated value of DISPLAY LENGTH automatically updates. This calculated value represents the
amount of scanning time represented on the TOP View display at any one time. While scanning a test piece,
stopping the display (Section 7.3) allows the operator to scroll back through TOP View data that’s held in the data
buffer.
Note: While scanning in TIMED mode, TOP View data is first added to the display screen. When the screen is full,
the initial data “scrolls” into the instrument’s data buffer. Scrolling direction is defined in Step 5. In TIMED
CONT Mode, when the buffer is full, acquiring new data automatically causes the oldest data in the buffer to
be overwritten. At any time, the TOP View scanning process can be stopped, allowing on-screen and buffered
data to be stored in a data set (Figure 64 below).
Figure 64: The A- and/or B-Gated regions in a sector or linear scan provide the data sources from which the
TOP View display is generated.
7.1.2 Setting Up TOP View for TIMED, or TIMED CONTINUOUS Operation (cont.)
5. Press to activate and set the NEW DATA Function in the IMAGE Submenu (located in the DISPLAY Menu).
The selection sets the screen location (LEFT, RIGHT, TOP, or BOTTOM) at which newly acquired TOP VIEW
data is added to the display screen. This function controls the display screen scrolling direction.
6. Press to activate and set the AMP COLOR PALETTE in the IMAGE Submenu (located in the DISPLAY
Menu). Select one of the four standard palettes to represent with various color scales the amplitude of echoes
captured in A- or B-Gate. Alternatively, select CUSTOM to choose the user inputted, remotely generated,
customized color palette.
7. Press to activate and set the TOF COLOR PALETTE in the IMAGE Submenu (located in the DISPLAY Menu).
Select one of the four standard palettes to represent with various color scales the time-of-flight measurement to the
A- or B-Gate triggering echo. Alternatively, select CUSTOM to choose the user inputted, remotely generated,
customized color palette.
8. Press to activate and set the DATA SOURCE Function in the VIEW Submenu (located in the DISPLAY Menu).
Select from four types of gated data to represent in the TOP View including:
• AMP A – Amplitude of echoes captured in the A-Gate
9. Press to activate TOP View by setting the VIEW MODE Function in the VIEW Submenu (located in the
DISPLAY Menu) to TOP. The instrument will immediately begin acquiring data and filling the TOP View display.
Figure 65: Make these settings for TIMED TOP View operation. Most TOP View specific settings are accessed
from the CLOCK, VIEW, and IMAGE Submenus.
In ENCODED operation (designated this because the probe operates in tandem with a single-axis quadrature encoder),
the instrument acquires scan data whenever the encoder wheel is turning. The calculated DISPLAY LENGTH listed on
the screen (when the CLOCK Submenu is activated) represents the approximate linear distance over which the probe
can acquire data that is then represented on the TOP View display screen at one time. After the screen fills with data,
and data continues to be acquired, the oldest data is added to the instrument’s data buffer until the operator stops the
process or the buffer is “full.” This on-screen and buffered data is immediately viewable and can be stored to a data set.
Note: The TOP View quadrature encoder controls the collection of TOP View data in two ways. First, data is only
collected while the encoder wheel is turning (i.e., while the probe is moving over the test piece). Second, the
encoder allows data to be overwritten when its direction of travel is reversed. For instance, moving the probe
and encoder forward over a distance of 10 cm, then reversing the probe’s movement by 2 cm, will cause the last
2 cm of forward-moving data to be replaced by the 2 cm of reverse-moving TOP View data.
Refer to Figure 66 on page 150 and follow these steps to configure the instrument for TOP View operation in
ENCODED mode. The resulting TOP View operation is shown in Figure 68 on page 153.
Note: While scanning in ENCODED mode, TOP View data is first added to the display screen. When the screen is
full, the initial data “scrolls” into the instrument’s data buffer. Scrolling direction is defined in Step 5. When
the buffer is full the scanning process automatically stops, requiring the operator to take action before the
buffer is overwritten. At any time, the TOP View scanning process can be stopped, allowing on-screen and
buffered data to be stored in a data set (Section 7.4).
1. Press to activate the VIEW MODE Function in the VIEW Submenu (located in the DISPLAY Menu). Set its
value to FRAME.
2. Press to activate and set the NEW DATA Function in the IMAGE Submenu (located in the DISPLAY Menu).
The selection sets the screen location (LEFT, RIGHT, TOP, or BOTTOM) at which newly acquired TOP VIEW
data is added to the display screen. This function controls the display screen scrolling direction.
3. Press to activate and set the AMP COLOR PALETTE in the IMAGE Submenu (located in the DISPLAY
Menu). Select one of the four standard palettes to represent with various color scales the amplitude of echoes
captured in A- or B-Gate. Alternatively, select CUSTOM to choose the user inputted, remotely generated,
customized color palette.
4. Press to activate and set the TOF COLOR PALETTE in the IMAGE Submenu (located in the DISPLAY Menu).
Select one of the four standard palettes to represent with various color scales the time-of-flight measurement to the
A- or B-Gate triggering echo. Alternatively, select CUSTOM to choose the user inputted, remotely generated,
customized color palette.
5. Press to activate and set the DATA SOURCE Function in the VIEW Submenu (located in the DISPLAY Menu).
Select from four types of gated data to represent in the TOP View including:
• AMP A – Amplitude of echoes captured in the A-Gate
• AMP B – Amplitude of echoes captured in the B-Gate
• TOF A – Time of flight duration to A-Gate triggering echoes
• TOF B – Time of flight duration to B-Gate triggering echoes
6. Activate the CLOCK Submenu (located in the SCAN Menu) by pressing below it.
7. Press to set the CLOCK Function to ENCODED. Input the operating characteristic (inches or mm per encoder
“tick”) of the attached encoder using the ENCODER Function.
8. Press and turn the Function Knob to set the SAMPLE INTERVL (in mm or inches). This equates to the distance
traveled by the probe’s encoder wheel between lines of acquired data.
9. Note that the calculated value of DISPLAY LENGTH automatically updates. This represents the approximate
linear distance over which an encoded scan can be acquired and represented on the TOP View display at the same
time. While scanning a test piece, stopping the display (Section 7.3) allows the operator to scroll back through the
acquired TOP View data.
10. Press to activate TOP View by setting the VIEW MODE Function to TOP.
Note: The instrument will only update the data display while the encoder’s wheel turns.
Figure 66: Make these settings for TOP View operation with an encoder. Most TOP View specific settings are
accessed from the CLOCK, VIEW, and IMAGE Submenus.
Figure 67: TOP View display data, in this case acquired in TIMED mode, represents the projection of reflectors
from a region of interest (defined by the A- or B-Gate) onto a viewable plane. The TOP View display’s detailed
on-screen graticule and scale aids in determining a reflector’s size and depth within the test piece.
Note: While scanning in ENCODED or TIMED mode, TOP View data is first added to the display screen, which
contains data acquired while the scanning the approximate distance listed in the DISPLAY LENGTH Function
box. When the screen is full, as it is in Figure 68, the initial data “scrolls” into the instrument’s data buffer.
When the buffer is full the scanning process automatically stops, requiring the operator to take action before
the data is overwritten. At any time, the TOP View scanning process can be stopped, allowing on-screen and
buffered data to be stored. Storing the data in a data set erases the data buffer. Therefore, if analysis and
review of acquired data is to be performed directly on the instrument, it should be accomplished before the
data set is stored (Section 7.4).
Note: The TOP View quadrature encoder controls the collection of TOP View data in two ways. First, data is only
collected while the encoder wheel is turning (i.e., while the probe is moving over the test piece). Second, the
encoder allows data to be overwritten when its direction of travel is reversed. For instance, moving the probe
and encoder forward over a distance of 10 cm, then reversing the probe’s movement by 2 cm, will cause the last
2 cm of forward-moving data to be replaced by the 2 cm of reverse-moving TOP View data.
While operating in TOP View mode, pressing switches the display’s menu bar from any currently active menu to
the Knob Emulator/TOP View Control Menu. This menu, shown in Figure 68 on page 153, allows the screen to be
frozen by pressing below STOP, or (in TIMED mode only) cleared by pressing below CLEAR. It also allows the
display to be cleared and restarted or to resume data collection from the point at which it was stopped. See Section 7.3
to work with a frozen TOP View Display or Section 7.4 to store the acquired TOP View data in a data set.
Figure 68: TOP View data, acquired in ENCODED mode, can be viewed as an amplitude or sound-path-
distance to trigger (TOF) in A- or B-Gate.
Variations of this distance occur either because of miss-orientation of the part relative to the probe or because the
surface of the part is irregular. These variations are possible when a water gap is employed for coupling or when soft
material is used.
Note: While highly infrequent, extreme temperature variation will change this probe-to-test-piece distance by
altering ultrasonic velocity through the delay material.
Phased-array probes typically produce multiple beams, each of which can produce a slightly different reflector
distance. Therefore, an IF-, A-, and B-Gate triggering occurs for each beam. GATE positions for each beam determine
the test-piece area evaluated for transfer to the TOP View display. If improperly oriented probes or surface
irregularities were not accounted for by adjusting the A- and B-Gate starting points, the material depth of interest may
not be evaluated.
With the Interface GATE display switched to ON, A- and B-Gate’s starting positions are automatically based on the
occurrence of an IF-Gate triggering. This occurrence becomes the zero point from which A- and B-Gate starting values
are measured (Figure 69 on page 154).
For example if A-Gate’s START is set to 1 inch, the gate will start the equivalent of 1 inch from the IF-Gate trigger for
each BEAM. If the probe-to-part distance changes, the A-Gate START point will automatically adjust accordingly. In
addition, this adjustment will take place independently for each beam. This positions the A-Gate, in this case, at a fixed
distance from the sound entry surface in the test piece, insuring the desired material depth is being evaluated.
IF loss can occur from loss of coupling, or when the distance from the probe to the part exceeds an acceptable limit.
Limits are established to insure the phased array delay law calculations remain valid for the beam. The variations
described effect this Phased Array delay law calculation, for both angle steering and focal depth. Delay law
calculations are based on an assumed “Z” distance (Section 2.3.3).
Note: When operating in TOP View mode with the IF-Gate turned on, a loss of the interface signal will prevent the
the offending beam from recording data to the TOP View. Instead, the operator is alerted to the condition with
the application of a special IF LOSS color to the TOP VIEW Image.
Note: Turing ON the IF-Gate also impacts control of the DISPLAY START function. Refer to Section 2.6.3 to define
the display’s starting point with and without the IF Gate on.
Additionally, there is a DISPLAY START control related to the IF GATE. The choices are IF, IP and MATERIAL.
Note: While scanning in ENCODED mode, TOP View data is first added to the display screen, then scrolled into the
instrument’s data buffer. When the buffer is full the scanning process automatically stops, activating the Frozen
TOP View Menu (Figure 70) and requiring the operator to take action before the data is overwritten. Saving
this data to a data set file, generating a report, or otherwise carrying out an ACTION indicated in the FILES
Menu clears the buffer.
Note: The TOP View Control Menu is activated and deactivated by pressing . When the Control Menu is active,
the function keys and both knobs are disabled, but pressing or (in TIMED MODE) provides immediate
access to various HOME-Menu functions. Similarly, when acquiring data in ENCODED mode (during which
no function adjustments are allowed), pressing below STOP and pressing or provides access to
several functions that require recalculation of instrument parameters. As this recalculation will result in a
clearing of unsaved TOP View data, the operator is asked to confirm this action before proceeding.
Note: Stopping the data acquisition process and saving this data to a data set file, generating a report, or otherwise
carrying out an ACTION indicated in the FILES Menu clears the buffer.
Note: Pressing below CLEAR (TIMED mode only), while the TOP View is acquiring data, immediately eliminates
all unsaved TOP View data and restarts the display acquisition process. When the TOP View display is
STOPped (or frozen), pressing below START also eliminates all unsaved TOP View data and restarts the
display acquisition process while RESUME (not displayed when the ENCODED mode buffer is full) allows the
acquisition to continue from its position when STOP was selected.
1. With TOP View operating and the TOP View Control Menu displayed (Figure 70), press below STOP to freeze
the TOP View display (pressing has the same effect).
2. The Frozen TOP View Menu appears (Figure 70). Choose from the following menu selections:
CURSORS – Allows for left and right knob control of cursor 1 or cursor 2. All measurement of displayed TOP View
data is made according to these two cursors
VIEW – Chose for display one of the four TOP View DATA SOURCEs. Shows all acquired TOP View data on one
screen or reverts to the scale used during data acquisition. Scrolling is only enabled when the VIEW WINDOW is set
to AS AQUIRED.
MEAS 1 and MEAS 2 – Select up to six measurement options that correspond to the two values specified by cursor 1’s
and cursor 2’s position.
FILENAME – Sets the data set- and report-saving parameters, then stores data sets or generates reports. Note that
pressing and holding for approximately three seconds will cause a REPORT to generate or a DATA SET to be
stored based on the ACTION setting.
7.3 Freezing the Display and Navigating Data in TOP View (cont.)
3. Press at any time to access the TOP View Control Menu. Press below START to eliminate all unsaved TOP
View data and restart the display acquisition process. Alternatively, press below RESUME (if displayed) to
continue the acquisition process from the point at which it was STOPped.
Note: When the TOP View display is frozen, switching the acquisition mode from TIMED to ENCODED (or vice
versa) will result in a loss of data. Data to be retained must be stored in a data set prior to changing the
CLOCK setting. Similarly, selecting and altering functions that require a recalculation of instrument
parameters will result in loss of unsaved TOP View data.
Note: Pressing below CLEAR, while the TOP View is acquiring data in TIMED mode, immediately eliminates all
unsaved TOP View data and restarts the display acquisition process. When the TOP View display is STOPped
(or frozen), pressing below START also eliminates all unsaved TOP View data and restarts the display
acquisition process. Pressing below RESUME (if displayed) continues the acquisition process from the
point at which it was STOPped.
Figure 70: TOP View data can be viewed as an amplitude or sound-path-distance to trigger (TOF) in A- or B-
Gate. Note that in ENCODED mode, DATA SOURCE changes can only be made when the display is frozen.
• 1A%A, 2A%A Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the echo in gate A for the data sample selected by
cursor 1 or 2 respectively.1SA, 2SA Soundpath of the echo in gate A for the data sample
selected by cursor 1 or 2 respectively.
• 1DA, 2DA The volume corrected depth of the reflector in gate A for the data sample selected by cursor
or 2 respectively.
• 1PA, 2PA Project distance from the specified origin of the reflector in gate A for the data sample
selected by cursor 1 or 2 respectively
• 1ZA, 2ZA Uncorrected depth of the reflector in gate A for the data sample selected by cursor 1 or 2
respectively.
• OTA Percentage over gate A threshold for all samples in the top view scan
• OTPA Percentage over gate A threshold for samples between position cursors
• OTCA Percentage over gate A threshold for samples between both position and beam cursors
• C21_B2B1 Distance between beams. Available for probe scans of straight beam (0-degree) linear scans.
GATE B - Readings for all beams
• 1A%B, 2A%B Amplitude (as a % of full-screen height) of the echo in gate B for the data sample selected by
cursor 1 or 2 respectively.
• 1SB, 2SB Soundpath of the echo in gate B for the data sample selected by cursor 1 or 2 respectively.
• 1DB, 2DB The volume corrected depth of the reflector in gate B for the data sample selected by cursor 1
or 2 respectively.
• 1PB, 2PB Project distance from the specified origin of the reflector in gate B for the data sample selected
by cursor 1 or 2 respectively
• 1ZB, 2ZB Uncorrected depth of the reflector in gate B for the data sample selected by cursor 1 or 2
respectively.
• OTB Percentage over gate B threshold for all samples in the top view scan
• OTPB Percentage over gate B threshold for samples between position cursors
• OTCB Percentage over gate B threshold for samples between both position and beam cursors
• L2L1 The distance between the position of cursor 1 and cursor 2 along the scan axis. The value is
displayed as time or distance depending on the clock mode.
• DPA The difference between the 1PA and 2PA results.
• LENA The distance through the three dimensional ultrasonic data space from the indicator in gate. A
selected by cursor 1 and the indicator in gate A selected by cursor 2. This value is only
displayed for encoded top view data.
7.3 Freezing the Display and Navigating Data in TOP View (cont.)
Figure 71: LENA, the distance through the three dimensional ultrasonic data space from the indicator in gate.
The scan will stop at the press of the FREEZE key. If in the Test menu, pressing STOP will end the scan. In
ENCODED or TIMED clock mode when the data buffer is full, the scan will stop automatically.
The VIEW WINDOW is AS ACQUIRED and the SCROLL POS is set to the end of the scan (minus the image width).
The position cursors (C1 POS and C2 POS) are set at the same position—in the middle of the data that is on screen.
The beam cursors (C1 BEAM and C2 BEAM) are set on the same beam--the selected beam of the scan.
1. Position the C2 POS cursor at the end of the defect on the screen.
2. Position C1 POS cursor at the start of the defect by moving the cursor toward the start of the data. If the start of the
defect is off-screen, the data window will scroll with the movement of the cursor.
The C2 POS cursor may only be positioned in the current image area.
When the cursor is off-screen, the cursor is not shown. Both the position and beam cursor lines are hidden.
When a cursor is off-screen, a change to the position value (C1 POS or C2 POS) will cause the cursor to snap to the
side of the image closest to the previous cursor position. To avoid this, use the SCROLL POSITION in the VIEW menu
to move the data window to bring the cursor on screen.
While TOP View mode is active, press or press below STOP to freeze the display. This activates the Frozen
TOP View menu (shown in Figure 70 on page 157). Set the ACTION Function (located in the FILE Menu) to STORE
DATA SET and continue the data set storing process (as described in Section 6.1). Alternatively, after the ACTION
Function is set to STORE DATA SET, press and hold (at any time) for three seconds to store the data set.
Similarly, setting the function to STORE REPORT and holding generates a report. This storing process
automatically increments the data set’s or reports filename. Note that the data acquisition process is interrupted while
carrying out this ACTION and the TOP View data buffer is cleared.
Note: Pressing below CLEAR, while the TOP View is acquiring data, immediately eliminates all unsaved TOP
View data and restarts the display acquisition process. When the TOP View display is STOPped (or frozen),
pressing below START also eliminates all unsaved TOP View data and restarts the display acquisition
process. Pressing below RESUME (when displayed) continues the acquisition of additional data.
Note: When the TOP View display is frozen, switching the acquisition mode from TIMED to ENCODED (or vice
versa) will result in a loss of data. Data to be retained must be stored in a data set prior to changing the
CLOCK setting. Similarly, selecting and altering functions that require a recalculation of instrument
parameters will result in loss of unsaved TOP View data.
• A probe is selected to cover an area of test material with multiple straight beams. Suitable coupling is chosen and
an appropriate ultrasonic setup is performed on the instrument.
• While the instrument is still in FRAME VIEW mode, ENCODER details are supplied to the Phasor in the CLOCK
menu and the gates are positioned to identify the area of interest to be displayed on the TOP View.
• The CLOCK Function (in the SCAN Menu) is set to TIMED, and TOP View selected. A trial test is performed to
satisfy the operator that settings result in the desired TOP View. If this is not the case, the operator can return to
FRAME view and make adjustments. Alternatively, some adjustments can be made during this TIMED TOP View
session including gate, gate position, TCG band pass controls, and others.
• After all adjustment are made, the operator then switches to encoded mode, presumably with the intent of storing
the acquired data.
• The test piece is scanned until the area is covered or the buffer is filled, whichever comes first.
• If the scan is completed before the buffer is full, the operator selects STOP or presses .
• At this point, acquired data can be analyzed, immediately stored to, or discarded.
• If the data is stored in a data set, it can not be immediately analyzed the data at that time, and must instead be
analyzed after a recalling of the data set.
• From the TOP View Control Menus, the operator can select START to begin a new acquisition session, or change
back to FRAME view for closer inspection of a selected region, or select TIMED mode to adjust settings prior to
creating a new image.
8.1 Doubling
Ultrasonic thickness gauges will, under certain conditions, display readings which are twice (or, in some cases, three
times) the actual material thickness being measured. This effect, commonly known as “doubling,” can occur below the
minimum specified range of the transducer. If the transducer being used is worn, doubling is possible at a thickness
greater than the minimum of the specified range.
When using a new transducer, any reading which is less than twice the minimum specified range of the transducer may
be a “doubled” reading, and the thickness of the material being tested should be verified by the use of other methods. If
the transducer shows any sign of wear, doubling may occur at a second echo or other echo signal combinations may
produce a readable signal. The instrument reading and apparent thickness are up to about twice the actual value,
resulting in a thickness greater than twice the minimum of the specified range. This thickness should be determined by
calibrating the instrument/transducer combination on reference blocks that represent the complete range of possible
thicknesses that may be encountered in testing. This is particularly important when the test piece is being ultrasonically
measured for the first time or in any case where the history of thickness of the test specimen is unknown.
IMPORTANT: The Phasor XS may fail if a user removes or attaches the probe while the instrument is running. If this
occurs, the user will lose any unsaved settings. To protect against this failure, GE recommends that the
user power OFF the instrument before attaching or replacing a probe.
After a user chooses CUSTOM on the Welcome screen, the Phasor XS will present a special File menu. The custom
application File menu offers four commands:
• FILENAME to allow the user to scroll through the list of files available on the source drive.
• SOURCE/DEST to allow the user to choose INT MEMORY, DIALOG PROBE or SD CARD. The default
SOURCE/DEST will always be “DIALOG PROBE”
• ACTION fixed to RECALL DATASET
Load the file associated with the probe attached by using the RECALL DATASET command in the Files menu. The
file is delivered either on an SD card or on the probe itself.
After the file is successfully recalled and the unit is active, you must perform a calibration to obtain correct thickness
readings.
Adjust the GAIN so that the delay tip echo appears on the image as a faint blue line.
Note: Display of this delay tip echo is intended as an indication of PROBE wear. If this line is not visible, the probe
may be worn past its usable limits. As the probe wears, this line will migrate off screen.
Recalling the original probe DATASET supplied with the probe should make the line visible again as PROBE
DELAY value supplied (5.5 microseconds) shows available wear tolerance. If the line is not visible after
recalling DATA SET for the probe, contact your service representative.
Adjust PROBE DELAY until the blue line is at the TOP of the screen, so that it is barely visible on the image.
Then proceed to “Two-Point Calibration for Probe Zero and Material Velocity” on page 165.
• 1-POINT calculates probe delay only and should only be used after a 2-POINT has been performed (to re-adjust
probe delay) or when the material velocity is known and has been entered.
8.3.1 2-POINT D-CAL
For recording of the 2-point calibration, use the 118-540-985 (inches) or 118-540-985 (metric) calibration block (sold
separately by GE). GE recommends calibrating the instrument using these blocks. For recording the two points, place
the probe on the thin and thick sample as shown in Figure 72 below. Each beam should “see” a reflection from the
chosen thin reflector and the thick reflector.
Note: If the wide block is not available, an alternate 2 point calibration technique calls for sliding the probe across a
section of the required material, or for placement on a special calibration sample with sufficient area for
reflections from the given thickness displayed by each beam, as shown in Figure 73 below. Each beam of the
array must “see” a reflection from both the chosen thin reflector and the thick reflector. However, sliding the
probe is not necessary if a sufficient area of thickness can be “seen” by all beams.
3. Couple to the D-REF1 standard, and adjust the gain so that all beams break threshold but are not saturated
(approximately 80% amplitude). Each beam must record a signal above gate threshold and not saturated for each
point. If any beam does not record valid amplitude, a message will appear at the bottom of the screen. To achieve
successful recording of the entire peak envelope on the display, raise the GAIN so that the PEAK goes above full
screen height, then lower the gain until all beams are back on screen in the peak envelope. This procedure ensures
that the first positive half wave amplitude is the one recorded for the calibration.
6. Press RECORD twice. The D-CAL icon (Figure 77 below) will appear when the procedure is successfully completed.
8.4.1 Procedure
During custom measurement, users operate in Frame View mode (viewing the B-scan image), watching either the
image or the minimum thickness results. If users see an area of concern, they locate the area of concern on the part,
switch to encoded top view mode, scan the part, press Stop, and name and save the dataset to a POP file in the
FILENAME menu. Users can then either continue scanning, or export the thickness readings to a log file immediately.
After completing their measurements, if users did not already export the data, they may recall the dataset and export the
data to a log file.
8.4.2 Setup
The DATA LOG menu in the FILES menu will allow the user to set some of the file attributes.
Note: Users can only select SD CARD as the SOURCE/DEST; otherwise, the Phasor XS will display an error
message.
Note: Once ACTION is set to “STORE DATA LOG” and SOURCE/DEST is set to “SD CARD”, a press and hold of
the Freeze key will stop the top view scan (if not already stopped) and generate a log file with the same name
as the dataset. Each subsequent press and hold of the Freeze key will automatically generate a numbered log
file.
Within the Data Log menu, the LOG RANGE option defines how much data to export to the log file. Users can choose:
• CURSOR RANGE—exports the selected reading for only the scan positions between (and including) the CUR 1
POS and CUR 2 POS.
• ALL DATA—exports the selected reading for all scan positions within the Top View scan.
1. Sets the data logger parameter DATA REGION to “ALL DATA”, and
2. Sets ACTION to “STORE DATA LOG” in the FILENAME menu to save the data to the CSV file.
3. Press and hold the Freeze key to save the file name with an autonumber sequence (from 0001 to 9999)
The READING option defines which value to export to the log file. Users can select:
1. From the Welcome menu, select CUSTOM (on startup or by pressing the MODE SELECT key ).
2. At the custom file load menu, select and load the DGS setup file that is programmed into the dialog probe.
When the user loads a PA DGS setup file (from the dialog probe only):
• The instrument will load the PROBEDEF.SYS file to set the probe-specific information (probe part number,
serial number, frequency, number of elements, etc.) into the probe parameters. The software thus ensures that the
probe part number and serial number are properly configured.
• The instrument will not verify that the probe part number of the setup file matches that of the PROBEDEF.SYS.
The user must maintain proper setup files with dialog probes.
• The instrument will not load the PROBEDEF.SYS file when loading a POP file from the SD card. The user can
manually load the PROBEDEF.SYS file by navigating to the PROBEPRB DAT menu and choosing the
DIALOG PROBE LOAD DEF action.
If you selected an existing DGS setup file, you can begin calibration and measurement.
If you have selected a new setup, the instrument will initialize all settings and provide the full angle range as
programmed into the PROBEDEF.SYS file. You must adjust the range, gates, etc. for the desired inspection. You may
also choose a different angle range for the sector scan, with restrictions (described later).
In the PA DGS probe, the file PROBEDEF.SYS will contain the basic probe settings. The dialog probe will also
contain a POP setup file that the user can load from the dialog from the Welcome screen. The POP file will contain
settings to configure:
• Wedge Settings
• Angle
• Physical and Virtual Wedge Delay and Geometry Information as currently calculated
A user cannot overwrite or delete the PROBEDEF.SYS file. After constructing this file with the probe part number,
serial number and data, GE Inspection Technologies programs the dialog device with this file after probe validation.
The PROBEDEF.SYS contains the settings to configure the instrument for DGS for the first time. Once users define
the instrument settings that work for the inspection, they can save the full instrument setup (POP) file back to the dialog
probe.
The user may save additional setup “POP” files to the dialog probe if desired (and if there is enough free memory). In
order to overwrite a POP file on the dialog probe, the user must first delete the file and then save the current settings as
the file of the same name.Two values in the setup file indicate to the Phasor XS code that the PA DGS application
should be implemented:
Once the reference is recorded for the selected beam, when the user turns DGS on, the instrument will interpolate the
curve for all beams. This interpolation is an internal calculation that the user cannot control except by deleting the
curve and recording a new curve. Figure 81 below shows an example of two angle beam responses to backwall. The
V (delta V) value represents the gain difference between two beams at the given sound-path.
Ba
ck
wa
ll
Ba
cu
ckw
rv
e
all
Gain/dB
cu
rve
Distance/mm 200
Figure 81: DGS Backwall Curves for Two Angles
Changes to the gain will cause the curve(s) to be drawn at the corresponding level. As the beam cursor changes, the
Phasor will draw the curve if the selected beam has a DGS curve calculated for it. If DGS references were not recorded
on beams that bound the selected beam, no DGS curve was calculated and therefore no curve will be drawn.
Most codes require two to three legs. Draw the curve to the maximum sound path available on the screen. Use the
100xNF as in CV, and be aware of the end of instrument range. The DGS curve will only be drawn to the end of the
second leg in time on the selected beam.The Phasor does not calculate/report DGS results when detected past the
second leg.
For beams that have no DGS curve calculated, the gain window will appear shown in Figure 2 above.
While DGS is ON, the gain window display (shown in Figure 84 below) will be active when a beam is selected where
a DGS curve has been calculated.
The font size will shrink to include the necessary information in the window. The gain displayed in upper-left position
is total test gain (sum of digital and analog) that would put DGS curve peak to 80% SH for the selected beam.
Evaluation gain delta, in the upper-right position, is equal to the current total gain (digital and analog) — total test gain
for the selected beam. When the Phasor XS applies transfer correction, the evaluation gain delta will be displayed in
RED, or another contrasting color based on the color scheme, to draw attention to the fact that transfer correction is
active. The presence of transfer correction limits gain controls.
• ANGLE START: The instrument will only allow ANGLE START to be changed to one of the angles in the range
of angles of the custom POP file.
• ANGLE STEP:
The ANGLE STEP from the POP file is the smallest step increment that the user may set, and the value will change
in multiples of this value. For example, if the step size of the POP file is 0.5 degrees, the will limit the step size to
one of: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, etc. In this example, the user will not have the ability to select an invalid step size (such as
0.8). The maximum step size will be (ANGLE STOP – ANGLE START).
• ANGLE STOP: The instrument will only allow ANGLE STOP to be changed to one of the angles in the range of
angles of the custom POP file and will increment in multiples of ANGLE STEP, relative to ANGLE START. For
example, if ANGLE START is 31.0 and ANGLE STEP is 10.0 and the current value of ANGLE STOP is 55.0.
• A positive increment of ANGLE STOP will change ANGLE STOP to 61.0.
• Verify that the ANGLE START, ANGLE STOP and ANGLE STEP are valid. The instrument will display the
message “INVALID ANGLE RANGE” and abort. This can happen if the user changes one of ANGLE START or
ANGLE STEP parameters without changing ANGLE STOP to a valid range setting.
• Copy (do not use the internal delay law calculator) the cycle information (element delays, etc.) for each angle in
the user’s selected angle range to the cycle table.
• Calculate the mapping table for the user’s selected angle range.
If an attempt to change a parameter listed as “LIMIT for calibration” a numeric limit will be applied with respect to the
value of the parameter when the first reference was recorded for the scan. When a limit is reached the following error
message will be displayed.
The parameters that have special limits once a DGS Reference is recorded are:
These submenus and their parameters are explained in their individual sections.
• DGS CURVE
• BEAM CURSOR
DGS Mode
The DGS mode parameter controls if the DGS mode is on or off. The parameter options are:
• OFF (default)
• ON
Users can turn DGS on only if valid references have been recorded and all plausibilities have been met. If the user
attempts to turn DGS on without references, the following error message appears in the menu bar area:
“DGS CANNOT BE TURNED ON. DGS REFERENCES INCOMPLETE”
If another plausibility error occurs while calculating DGS curve information, the following message appears:
“DGS ERROR: {plausibility parameter} INVALID”, where the {plausibility parameter} indicates the cause of the
error. The DGS mode can be turned off at any time. This parameter is stored and recalled with POP data files.
DGS Curve
The parameter specifies the circular disk-shaped equivalent reflector diameter used for displaying the DGS curve. This
value is the threshold/reference for echo evaluations while DGS is on. It is displayed in the distance units active in the
instrument (mm for metric or in for imperial).
Value range:
• Min 0.01 * the largest effective crystal diameter of the scan specified. (0.01 is the smallest normalized ERS
in the DGS table)
• Max 1.0 * the smallest effective crystal diameter of the scan specified. (1.0 is the largest normalized ERS in
the DSG table)
• Default 3.00 mm
Any time the DGS probe setting is changed, the value range must be checked and updated if its limits are exceeded.
This value may be changed in any mode. If DGS is on the curve(s) drawn, the a-scan window will be updated.This
parameter will be stored and recalled with a POP data file.
Beam Cursor
This is a repeat of the beam cursor control, so the user may adjust the selected beam without leaving the DGS menu.
When the beam cursor is changed with DGS on, the ERS curve draw on the A-scan will be updated accordingly. The
gain window will be updated accordingly when the beam cursor is changed and DGS is ON.
• REFERENCE TYPE
• REF SIZE
• BEAM CURSOR
• RECORD/DELETE
Reference Type
This parameter defines the reference reflector type and specifies the reference type. The following options are
available:
Choice Description
FBW (default) F-Backwall
FBH Flat-bottom Hole
CAL BLK NO1 Calibration Block No. 1 (per ISO-2400)
This parameter cannot be changed once a reference has been recorded in the scan. All references in the scan must be
deleted before the parameter can be changed. If the user attempts to change the parameter after a reference is recorded,
the following message appears:
As the reference type is changed, the reference size parameter may need to be updated accordingly based on the
minimum/maximum allowed reference sizes. This value is stored and recalled with POP files.
Reference Size
The reference size parameter defines the size of a FBH reflector. When an FBW type reflector is specified, dashes are
displayed (----) as the reference size.
This parameter cannot be changed once a reference has been recorded in the scan. All references in the scan must be
deleted before the parameter can be changed. If the user attempts to change the parameter after a reference is recorded,
the following message appears:
The parameter always displays dashes “-----” when the FBW reflector type is active. The user cannot change this
setting. When the FBH reflector type is active, the size of the reflector is adjustable across the range of sizes:
Beam Cursor
This parameter, a repeat of the beam cursor control found in other menus, offers additional functionality. When the
beam cursor is changed, the status of the reference for the selected beam will be indicated under the “Record / Delete”
parameter.The active beam indicates the beam that a reference can be recorded or deleted.
Record / Delete
This parameter will indicate the status of the DGS reference for the selected beam. It will be either:
• (NO REF), or
• (RECORDED)
If no reference is recorded, pressing this function will record the echo in the gate as the reference for the selected beam.
If the echo TOF and amplitude detected do not meet certain criteria based on the reference type and size, the reference
will not be recorded and an error message will be displayed. While DGS is ON, the software blocks recording and
deletion operations. The following message appears:
If a reference is recorded, a quick press and release will display the following message for 3 seconds.
If the user presses Home within three seconds, the reference on the current beam will be deleted. Any other key press
will have no effect on the recorded reference.
If a reference is recorded, pressing and holding this function for 1 second will display the following message for 3
seconds.
If the user presses Home within three seconds, all recorded references in the scan will be deleted. Any other key press
will have no effect on the recorded references.
All recorded references will be stored and recalled with POP data files, along with the velocity and probe delay at first
reference record operation.
See the section on parameter limiting / blocking for details on the effect a recorded reference has on the remainder of
the Phasor XS PA parameters.
• REF ATTEN
If the user attempts to change this parameter after a reference has been recorded, the following error message will be
displayed:
The default value is 0.0 dB/m. This parameter applies to all references recorded on the scan.
• TEST ATTEN
Test Attenuation
This parameter specifies the attenuation of the test material in dB/m or db/in. The range extends from 0.0 to 100.0 dB/
m in 0.1 dB steps. This parameter may be changed at any time, and will recalculate the DGS curve displayed in order to
consider the influence of the material's attenuation. The default value is 0.0 dB/m.
Transfer Correction
This parameter allows for corrections to the gain to compensate for coupling conditions and other factors that effect
gain in the test material.The dynamic range of the amplifier and the current gain value of the instrument limit the range
of the analog gain values. Resolution is in 0.2 dB steps. This parameter may be changed at any time, and will change
the instrument's gain correspondingly, but keeps the position of the DGS curve unchanged. The default value is 0.0 dB.
When transfer correction is not 0.0 dB, the “T” version of the DGS icon will be displayed in the icon line and its color
will contrast against the background. (See “DGS Icon” on page 186.).
The Offsets menu allows the user to turn off and on and set the value of offset lines from the reference curve. The four
parameters of this menu are:
• OFFSET 1
• OFFSET 2
• OFFSET 3
• OFFSET 4
You can use the knob to change each offset's value across the supported range. The value of 0.0 is displayed as OFF. To
set the offset value to OFF, press and hold the parameter select button for 3 seconds.
When the offset value is on, a numeric gain value is displayed in signed dB units. The user may change the gain value
across the range of -24.0 dB to +24.0 dB in 0.5 dB steps. The default value for all offsets is OFF.
When transfer correction is present, the icon will change appearance to include the letter “T” (same as conventional
channel) and the color will be RED or another contrasting color, depending on the color scheme, to highlight that
transfer correction is applied in evaluation.
9.8 PA Results
The following results will be added to the existing list when DGS is operating in phased array mode:
• A%rA Selected Beam Gate A echo - % of reference result (-6dB = 50%, +6dB = 200%)
• PA%rA Selected Beam Gate A peak echo - % of reference result (-6dB = 50%, +6dB = 200%)
Results noted above starting with a capital "P" are peak values. This means that the maximum amplitude of all beams
within the Gate is used for the evaluation of the result. The user does not need to move the beam cursor to select the
maximal amplitude in the A-SCAN. The angle under which the maximum amplitude is found is displayed in the PERS
field.
The working principle is illustrated in the figures below. Figure 85 shows the DGS evaluation of a 3mm flaw under 45°
steering. Since the actual beam cursor is set to 45°, the ERS and PERS are equal.
If the maximum flaw amplitude occurs under a different angle than selected by the actual beam cursor, the PERS value
will still display the correct DGS sizing of the flaw, as it is shown in Figure 86 .
ATTENTION! The PERS value takes the maximum over all beam angles within the gate. Hence if an amplitude
from a wrong echo (not the actual flaw echo) lies within the gate,the PERS value will be wrong as
it is shown in Figure 87.
Furthermore, if the maximum amplitude selected by the gate exceeds 104% screen height, the Phasor XS will not be
able to perform DGS sizing. Instead "---" will be displayed as measurement value for ERS and/or PERS.
The NUM OF REFS will indicate the number of beams for which reference points are recorded. The "Min Eff Diam” is
the smallest effective diameter of all of the beams in the scan.All other parameters are reported from their respective
user interface parameter.
9.11 Validation
Validating the performance requires the use of a signal generator and step attenuators to more accurately induce a
signal at a given sound path and amplitude. Using the DGS curve data, construct an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the
necessary setup information for each probe:
1. For each reference recorded (each of 1 x NF, 5 x NF and 10 x NF), verify the signal at each sound path distance in
the table for amplitude:
• On the curve
Then verify the signal at three locations between points in the DGS table for amplitude:
• On the curve
• Reference TOF, Amplitude and gain on each beam a reference was recorded
• Reference size
• Reference attenuation
LOGIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 PDB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
longitudinal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 PEAK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 110
LOW END . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Phased Array Home Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Phased Array Probe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
M
PITCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
M Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
POINT GAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Magnified View Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 79
POINT POS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
MAGNIFY GATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
POS HALFWAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
MAT ATTN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
POSITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
MAT THICKNESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
POSITIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
MATERIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 34
Power Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MEAS 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63, 156
Power Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 79
MEAS 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
PPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Measured Results (Phased Array) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
PPA^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
MEMO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
PPB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
MEMO IN REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
PRB DAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
PRB GEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
MM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 95
Pre-calibration Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Mode Selector Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 79
PRF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
N PRF VALUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
NEG HALFWAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37, 100 PROBE # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
NEGATIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 PROBE ANGLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
NEW DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 PROBE DELAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
NUMBER of ELEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Probe Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Probe Index Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
O PROBE NAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Probe Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
OFFLN DB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 PSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
OFFSET Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 PSA^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
On and Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 PSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 68
OUTPUT SELECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 PULSER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98, 101
P Pulser ENERGY Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Pulser Repetition Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
P%A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
pulser voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
P%B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
pulser width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
PA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
PULSER-DAMPING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
PA^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
PZA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
PART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
PZA^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
PART NUMBER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
PZB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
PB^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
PB/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 R
PDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 RANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
PDA^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 RANGE Submenu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Per Mil-Std-810F
Cold Storage -20°C for 72 hrs, 502.4 Procedure I
Cold Operation 0°C for 16 hrs, 502.4 Procedure II
Heat Storage +70°C for 48 hrs, 501.4 Procedure I
Heat Operation +50°C for 16 hrs, 501.4 Procedure II
Damp Heat / Humidity 10 Cycles: 10hrs at +65°C down to +30°C, 10 hrs at +30°C up to +65°C,
(storage) Transition within 2 hrs, 507.4
Temperature Shock 3 Cycles:4 hrs at –20°C up to +70°C, 4 hrs at +70°C, Transitions within 5 mins.
503.4 Procedure II
Vibration 514.5-5 Procedure I, Annex C, Figure 6, General exposure: 1hr each axis
Shock 6 cycles each axis, 15g, 11ms half sine, 516.5 Procedure I
Loose Cargo 514.5 Procedure II
Transit Drop (for shipment) 516.5 Procedure IV, 26 drops
IP54 / IEC529 … Dust Proof / dripping water proof as per IEC 529 specifications for IP54 classification
Product Frequency
Code MHz Element Cable Length
Count Aperture Elevation Pitch
You must connect the instrument to the PC using a seven-pin LEMO to PC serial cable. The serial port connector pin
assignments are shown in Figure 2 on the next page.
Environmental Compliance
The equipment that you bought has required the extraction and use of natural resources for its production. It
may contain hazardous substances that could impact health and the environment.
In order to avoid the dissemination of those substances in our environment and to diminish the pressure on
the natural resources, we encourage you to use the appropriate take-back systems. Those systems will reuse
or recycle most of the materials of your end-life equipment in a sound way.
The cross-out wheeled bin symbol invites you to use those systems.
If you need more information on the collection, reuse, and recycling systems, please contact your local or regional
waste administration.
EU Battery Directive
This product contains a battery that cannot be disposed of as unsorted municipal waste in the European
Union. See the product documentation for specific battery information. The battery is marked with this
symbol, which may include lettering to indicate cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), or mercury (Hg). For proper
recycling return the battery to your supplier or to a designated collection point.
Batteries and accumulators must be marked (either on the battery or accumulator or on its packaging, depending on
size) with the separate collection symbol. In addition, the marking must include the chemical symbols of specific levels
of toxic metals as follows:
Your participation is an important part of the effort to minimize the impact of batteries and accumulators on the
environment and on human health. For proper recycling you can return this product or the batteries or accumulators it
contains to your supplier or to a designated collection point. Some batteries or accumulators contain toxic metals that
pose serious risks to human health and to the environment. When required, the product marking includes chemical
symbols that indicate the presence toxic metals: Pb for lead, Hg for mercury, and Cd for cadmium. Cadmium poisoning
can result in cancer of the lungs and prostate gland. Chronic effects include kidney damage, pulmonary emphysema,
and bone diseases such as osteomalcia and osteoporosis. Cadmium may also cause anemia, discoloration of the teeth,
and loss of smell (anosmia). Lead is poisonous in all forms. It accumulates in the body, so each exposure is significant.
Ingestion and inhalation of lead can cause severe damage to human health. Risks include brain damage, convulsions,
malnutrition, and sterility. Mercury creates hazardous vapors at room temperature. Exposure to high concentrations of
mercury vapor can cause a variety of severe symptoms. Risks include chronic inflammation of mouth and gums,
personality change, nervousness, fever, and rashes.
Visit www.ge.com/inspectiontechnologies for take-back instructions and more information about this initiative.
Warranty
Each instrument manufactured by GE Sensing is warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship.
Liability under this warranty is limited to restoring the instrument to normal operation or replacing the instrument, at
the sole discretion of GE Sensing. Fuses and batteries are specifically excluded from any liability. This warranty is
effective from the date of delivery to the original purchaser. If GE Sensing determines that the equipment was
defective, the warranty period is:
The warranties set forth herein are exclusive and are in lieu of all other warranties whether
statutory, express or implied (including warranties or merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose, and warranties arising from course of dealing or usage or trade).
Return Policy
If a GE Sensing instrument malfunctions within the warranty period, the following procedure must be completed:
1. Notify GE Sensing, giving full details of the problem, and provide the model number and serial number of the
instrument. If the nature of the problem indicates the need for factory service, GE Sensing will issue a RETURN
AUTHORIZATION NUMBER (RAN), and shipping instructions for the return of the instrument to a service
center will be provided.
2. If GE Sensing instructs you to send your instrument to a service center, it must be shipped prepaid to the authorized
repair station indicated in the shipping instructions.
3. Upon receipt, GE Sensing will evaluate the instrument to determine the cause of the malfunction.
• If the damage is covered under the terms of the warranty, the instrument will be repaired at no cost to the owner and
returned.
• If GE Sensing determines that the damage is not covered under the terms of the warranty, or if the warranty has
expired, an estimate for the cost of the repairs at standard rates will be provided. Upon receipt of the owner’s
approval to proceed, the instrument will be repaired and returned.
E-mail: geit-info@ge.com
www.ge-mcs.com
021-002-362 Rev. 11