From 2015 ASNT Ultrasonics for Nondestructive Testing Topical Paper Summaries, July 2015. ISBN: 978-1-57117-366-9.

Copyright © 2015 by The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc.

AdvancedUT
Advanced UTPersonnel
PersonnelDevelopment
DevelopmentSolutions
Solutions
Parrish A. Furr
Parrish A. Furr
Loenbro Inspection
Loenbro Inspection
409 14St SW, Great Falls, MT 59404
409 14St SW, Great
(205) Falls, MT 59404
356-2531
(205) 356-2531

INTRODUCTION
Phased Array Ultrasonics (PAUT) and Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD) applications have grown tremendously
over the past decade. Nearly all major industrial sectors now allow or have provisions for the use of advanced
ultrasonic systems. With this, it is imperative that the development of qualified personnel keep pace with the
industry’s demand of the technology.

The qualification of personnel in advanced ultrasonics has proven to be a challenging task for many. It’s one thing
to invest in the equipment and to provide inspectors with training, but the difficulty is typically most related to
providing adequate work experience so that inspectors are able to develop sufficient and proficiency in the particular
technique to be applied. Sending inspectors in the field who lack quality training and experience can be detrimental
to the success of the project, the inspection company, the inspectors themselves, and the advancement of the
technology.

Once these inspectors are qualified and certified it is then imperative to have quality systems in place in order to
achieve consistency on projects. I’ve been fortunate over the last several years to work in a capacity that has
allowed me to see both good and bad practices from companies all over the United States and the world in regard to
advanced UT applications. While serving in a training, auditing, and consulting role I’ve witnessed some of the
inner workings for how various companies seek to develop quality in these applications. One of the biggest issues I
have seen is that, in order to maintain a competitive advantage, companies with great quality plans don’t want to
share much of this information. While this may be good from a business perspective, it does no good for the
industry as a whole.

This paper is to provide concepts relative to the achievement of personnel qualification in advanced ultrasonics and
to provide quality program ideas intended to help maintain consistent quality.

PERSONNEL QUALIFICATION ISSUES

Personnel qualification and the gaining of adequate work experience in particular has proven to be difficult for
companies and especially those branching into new technology. So first let’s look at the qualification requirements
for the basic certification system(s) here in the US.

Total NDE
Training Experience Required Experience
Method Technique Level Required (in method/technique) Required
UT - I 40 hrs 210 hrs 400 hrs
UT - II 40 hrs 630 hrs 1200 hrs
PAUT and
UT II 80 hrs 160 hrs 1360 hrs
TOFD
Note 1 – PAUT and TOFD are separate qualification meaning the training and experience noted above applies for each individual
technique.
Note 2 – These are simply minimum recommendations under SNT-TC-1A but minimum requirements under CP-189. In either case,
the companies specified requirements in its written practice shall always take precedence.

Table 1: SNT-TC-1A and ASNT CP-189 UT Personnel Qualification Requirements.

24
Copyright 2015. No part of this document or its contents may be copied, uploaded to the internet, or stored in any shared retrieval system.
Qualification to UT level II is detailed as a prerequisite to the advanced UT techniques. It is very essential that
individuals wanting to seek the advanced UT methods develop a fairly proficient working knowledge of
conventional UT concepts in order to better understand the advanced concepts of PAUT and TOFD. The UT Level
II qualification requirements for training and work experience are noted in Table 1 above and separated out below
for clarity:

-Minimum UT Training = 80 hrs in the UT method

-Minimum Experience in UT = 840 hrs in the UT method and 1600 hrs of total NDE

After this initial training and experience is obtained, additional training and experience is then specified for each
additional advanced technique. It is important to note that the minimum work experience specified for PAUT and
TOFD in TC-1A and CP-189 is not applicable for all industries. ASME and AWS for example are in discussions of
elevating the minimum work experience requirements for qualification under those Code documents.

-Minimum Additional Training = 80 hrs in each technique

-Minimum Additional Experience = 160 hrs in each technique

The training aspect of qualification is not as big of an issue as there are already a few well-known and established
training organizations that are well equipped to teach the basic fundamentals of the method. The biggest gap in the
qualification process is the work experience, and the number one question always asked is: “how do I gain work
experience from a Level II in a particular method/technique if we don’t have a Level II in that method/technique?”
It is a very valid question and one that should be addressed since all certification systems list this as a requirement
for the validity of work experience gained. When work experience is obtained independently or from non-qualified
individuals it begs to ask the question of “how can the blind lead the blind?”

There isn’t an absolute best way to go about solving this work experience problem but below are some concepts that
are proven to work effectively:
1. Obtain a UT Level III with PAUT/TOFD Qualifications - Make sure a UT Level III within the organization
obtains the additional training for each advanced UT technique to be performed and becomes proficient
with the technology. As an alternative, use an outside Level III who has these characteristics and
preferably has field experience with these techniques. I listed this item first because it will be the best way
to verify internal quality in training and experience. If your UT Level III doesn’t understand these
techniques then how also is he to examine personnel and be assured of their knowledge in the techniques
applied?
2. Hiring Level II PAUT/TOFD Technicians – This is usually the path typically preferred. A good technician
who has already obtained the necessary work experience can then help lead other personnel and enables the
selling of advanced UT services to immediately make a return on the investment. One issue to consider is
that there is not an abundance of these qualified individuals on the market as of yet and the risk is always
present relative to the true understanding of the technologies that these individuals bring with them. A
good qualification examination by your knowledgeable Level III should catch any major issues.
3. Sub-Contract PAUT/TOFD Technicians – Sub-contract help can be a fairly quick way to get money
flowing in while helping full time personnel gain the experience they need. This isn’t always the most cost
effective route as sub-contractor costs can run fairly high and the risk is present here as well relative to the
true understanding of the technologies that these individuals bring with them. Like the hiring of a
PAUT/TOFD Level II, a good qualification examination by your knowledgeable Level III should catch any
major issues.
4. Practice on Setup Files and Calibrations – This is a good way to keep technicians working in the technique
without necessarily having to be on the job. Providing technicians with scan plans and having them go
through the entire process of setup are important steps to developing a well-rounded proficient technician.
Since the setup files are in digital formats, these are easily auditable and files can be retained for
documentation of this practice. This process must be monitored by your Level III with PAUT/TOFD
qualifications and/or other Level II PAUT/TOFD technicians.

25
 5. Using Known Flawed Samples – One of the best tools for gaining work experience, without having current
jobs to learn on, is by using known flaw samples. Being able to compare the data with the verified flaw
reports is a great way to build user confidence in detection and characterization of weld flaws. Additional
information such as calibration adequacy, the ability to follow a scan plan, and verifying data quality can be
monitored through this process as well by having technicians submit the collected data to be reviewed by
your Level III. Purchasing known flawed samples can be expensive; however, such samples don’t
necessarily need to be purchased. There are companies and training organizations that will rent these
samples or you can use samples such as welder qualification coupons or samples pulled from the field
which have flaws verified through other NDE methods/techniques.

The last issue to address in regard to personnel qualification is examination. TC-1A and CP-189 currently only
require a 30 question specific examination. The specific examination is important but a thorough practical
assessment should also be performed at minimum. Individuals should be tested practically on setup file generation,
calibration, scanning, data quality, evaluation, and reporting at minimum and on multiple sample types to cover
those typical to be examined in the field. The practical must be administered by a Level III in the method and he
must be qualified in the technique as well. As vaguely mentioned previously, just having a UT Level III
certification doesn’t verify adequate understanding of PAUT or TOFD.

Quality System Development

Once your technicians are qualified and show enough proficiency to pass the examinations, there are still several
things that are essential to assure that quality work is consistently performed. Advanced UT systems are powerful
tools but contain significant variability potential. There is enough variability that if you gave multiple certified
Level II advanced UT inspectors one weld they could all go about it in several different ways and this could result in
variable outcomes if care is not taken.

When developing a quality system you need to ask yourself: What is the purpose, what are the potential quality
issues, what is the plan of action and how do we maintain results?

If your purpose is to truly improve and maintain quality then rules and guidelines should be set to create such in a
consistent manner. After the overall purpose is defined we need to take a look at the potential issues and find ways
to eliminate mistakes as thoroughly and efficiently as possible. With advanced UT systems, and PAUT in
particular, we should give much consideration to how we are going to control the following variables in our plan of
action:
-equipment and software types (editions/revisions)
-probe type (array type, frequency, element quantity, pitch size, etc.)
-wedge (type, curvature)
-focal law creation (focal law type, start element, element quantity, angular range or angle, etc.)
-ut parameters (range, filters, sampling rate)
-offset distances
-calibration (blocks used, velocity verification methods, depth cal, TCG, points to calibrate)
-encoding (type, resolution, scan area)
-data (scan quality, file storage systems, data disposition)
-evaluation (accept/reject, scan quality, review)

I list all of these points out, in part, to remind ourselves how much potential variability really exists with phased
array and TOFD is similar in a great deal of these aspects. The strength of these systems is versatility but if not
properly controlled this can also be a significant weakness and lead to varying quality across multiple technicians.

So finally, let’s look at solutions. These solutions/methods are intended to control the variability of the inspections
in a way that limits multi operator inputs and decisions which are the cause of most of the potential error.

26
 1. Develop Well Written and Thorough NDE Method Procedures– This is a given and is required for all NDE
methods/techniques but I emphasize “good” procedure. A good NDE procedure should cover all the
aspects required by codes but not read like codes. Code language is understood by Engineers, Level III’s
and some Level II’s but the everyday technician is very apt to misinterpret some of the Code “lingo”.
Procedures should be specific enough by limiting ranges but allow just enough flexibility to facilitate
technicians to do their job. Procedures should also not try to cover too many inspection types, industries, or
techniques. Putting too much into procedures “muddies” them up so much that practices are oftentimes
susceptible to being confused and improperly applied.
2. Limit Equipment Types – There are numerous manufacturers, equipment types, and software types on the
market today. This paper isn’t to recommend one over another but you should pick a basic set of
equipment, including instruments, probes, scanners, and software and stick to it as best as possible. Too
many equipment options leads to variability and there should be a defined way to do everything (see next
point). Also, strongly consider arranging equipment in kits to help create this consistency and improve
equipment inventory auditing.
3. Limit Scan Plan Development – Scan planning is an essential part of these advanced UT applications.
Even with adequate training variability will exist between multiple scan plan developers. Scan plan
development should be a specific qualification itself written into your program and only qualified
individuals should be allowed to perform this action or, at minimum, approve all generated scan plans.
4. Create File Management Systems – Just like scan planning, why would you want every single person
creating setup files rather than just having a designated individual create one and sharing with everyone
else? When your equipment is all the same, this is possible. This is another point of variability that should
be controlled by a specific individual or group of individuals. These responsible technicians or Level III
should perform a thorough review of each setup file generated, correct any issues, and store as a master file
that is controlled. These documents should always be reviewed by multiple qualified individuals, where
possible.
5. Qualify Your Procedure – Procedure qualification is not required in all codes necessarily but it is a great
way to be assured that your procedure and scan plans work. It can be an expensive process depending on
the material types and sizes that you may encounter but is the best way possible to verify you are
consistently getting good results with your developed scan plans and equipment selections. Even if it is not
an official qualification, proving the setup work on known flawed samples is better than nothing at all.
6. Qualify Your Personnel – Even though your personnel may pass a basic practical examination on two or
more basic specimens, it doesn’t necessarily prove that they can work through the entire range of material
types and thicknesses that could be encountered in the field. Taking your personnel through the procedure
qualification process or examining them on separate samples of similar types will prove valuable for their
confidence in their ability and your confidence in them.
7. Perform Data Audits –An auditable record is one of the primary selling points for PAUT and TOFD. Don’t
wait for the customer to find the mistakes. Set up a data review process which requires a large scale review
upon initial certification and more limited scale after consistency is observed. Even random data reviews
for certified personnel can help keep everyone honest. This is the best way to help ensure that the quality
plan is working.
8. Provide Continuing Education – Making sure that your technicians stay current on all matters related to the
industry is vital for continued development. This includes discussing mistakes that have occurred in a
group type forum with the hope to eliminate mistakes of the same type from reoccurring.

CONCLUSION
We should all put more focus on the quality aspects of our inspectors and the tests that they perform. One of the
quickest ways to ruin a customer’s perception of these technologies and limit your growth as an individual and
company is to make substantial errors in the testing process. We should endeavor to assure quality by providing our
technicians with the best possible training and work experience, and by creating a quality plan to help facilitate their
growth and understanding of the techniques applied. We are all human and, consequently, are subject to error. The
controls discussed herein will not eliminate every error but will help to minimalize the mistakes and produce more
reliable results.

27