INTRODUCTION Steels produced through the thermomechanical controtled process (TMCP) have excel lent low-temperature toughness and satisfactory weldability even in the as. rolled plates: hence it is used for ship-building and offshore structure construction as shown in the paper Moriyama (1984). To guarantee the weld soundness of these steel, non-destructive examinations such as ultrasonic angle bean examination and radiographic exasination are widely used, For offshore structures, including oil rigs, ultrasonic angle bean examination is frequently the final quality assurance means because of their complicated structures. Tn some cases of ultrasonic angie beam examination of THP steels, it has becone evident in recent years that reduction of the sensitivity occurs in some propagation directions of ultrasonic waves, and the detection of the flams becomes impossible by the conventional method such as specified by JIS Z 3060 and 306 Thus the differences in the ultrasonic propagation characteristics between THCP steels and conventional steels are pointed out. Ultrasonic angle beam examination of steel welds has been standardized and executed on the basis of elastic isotropy, because the conventional steels are rolled above 900°C and texture is randomized in the phase transition of 7 to a. Momever, some types of THCP steel plates show elastic anisotropy in dependence on the THCP condition. Hereinafter these steel products are referred to as “anisotropic steels” Silk (1961) and Singh (1982) indicate that problems for ultrasonic angle beaw examination of these steel arise if elastic anisotropy of thase steel! plates exceeds a cortain lint. Therefore it is necossary to establish a ultrasonic angle bean examination method applicable to the welds of anisotropic stecls to maintain a quality assurance level. The Non destructive Taspection Sub-comi tier, in Quality Control Com ter of the Joint Research Society of The Tron and stecl Institute of Japanystarted a Wor! Troup thi) for Investigating Ultrasonic angle Bean Exontnation sethod of MEP Steels to solve this problem, The WG consists of the sembers from five Japanese steel ills: Nippon Steel Co; Vippon Kokan Co; Kakasaki Stee! Co; Sumitomo “etal Ind. Luds and Kobe Steel C Propagation characteristics of the ultrasonic waves in anisotropic stools were reported in the past by Brag (1981), Inagaki (1982), Kitagana (1981), Musgrave (1970) and Silk (1980), Activities of the WG were to clarify the propagation characteristics in the anisotropic steels and to propose a ultrasonic angle beam examination procedure applicable to the welds of these steels. PROPAGATION CHARACTERISTICS OF ULTRASONIC WAVES IN ANISOTROPIC STEELS ce due Im ul trasonic angle beam examination, no variation arises in refraction angle or echo height with the propagation direction for isotropic steels, but the influence fof the propagation direction of ultrasonic waves is significant for anisotropic, ‘steels. Figure 1 shows an exanple of the propagation direction dependence of echo height from a side drilled tole (62.4 mm) in a highly anisotropic steel specimen exaninod by nominal 60° and 70" probes. The actual refraction angle varies with the propagation direction; the actuai refraction angle is Yarger than the nominal angle in the rolling direction (L-direction), while it is smaller in the transverse direction (C-direction). The echo height with the nominal 60° probe is nearly equal in the L-direction and in the C-direction, whereas the echo height with the noainal 70° probe is much loner in the L-direction, and the position of its maximum amplitude is unclear Transai tted pulse amplitude and actual refraction angle of various types of anisotropic steels more investigated by the V-path wethod, with various nominal refraction angle probes, The results are. shown in Pig.2. Figure 2 shows the difference of refraction angles measured with isotropic steel spocinens (standard refraction angle) and weasured with anisotropic steel specimens Getual refraction angles). The deviation of actual refraction angle from the Standard is negative in tho L-direction at an angle of 45°, whereas it is positive the L and negative in the C-direction above 60°. general, the transmitted pulse amplitude attenuates by scattering at grain boundary and it is recownended to lower the test frequency when an extensive attenuation is anticipated, Since THCP is designed to refine the grain sizes, it is expected that attenuation arising from scattering at grain boundary will be lon. Figure 3 shows examples of the DAC of side drilled holes in the isotropic and theanisotropic The echo height im the C-direction of anisotropic steel! Specimen is slightly higher than that of isotropic steel spocinen, but the gradients of both DACs are samo. On the other hand, the ocho height in the L-direction of anisotropic steel specimen is lover than that of isotropic steel specinen but the gradient of both DACs are still the samo. This evidence suggests that the reduction in tis not caused by the attenuation due to scattering at grain boundary, but by the reduced generation of shear waves by refraction. tion Intluence of Acoustic isotropy on Exar cy of f e ror in flaw location estimation in anisotropic steel occurs when the Standard refraction angle measured by TIW block is ‘used, hecause the actual refraction angle in each propagating direction through the anisotropic steel differs from the standard refraction angle obtained with TIN block, as previously stated Figure 4 shows the influence of the difference in refraction angle on the accuracy of flaw location estimation when anisotropic and isotropic steols with side drilled holes were examined. [9 this investigation, the actual refraction angle was reasured by the V-path method. When tho standard rofraction angle was used to determine the flaw location for the anisotropic steel, the accuracy of estimated Flaw depth was poor and the estimated flax depth fluctuated significantly, ‘cularly in the L-direction. These phenomena are considered to be caused by fferonce in a degree of anisotropy and deviation of the actual refraction angle in each plate, On the other hand, Fig.4 shows that the accuracy of Flaw location estimation by using the actual refraction angle measured in each anisotropic plate is nearly sane as that in the isotropic steel. A reference block for calibration of sensitivity. In order to investigate the ‘of ro isotropic stoel on sensitivity reference blocks cut ections from anisotropic steel wor: Compared with the isotropic reference block. For noninal refraction angles of 45". "and 10", the difference in echo height between those reference blocks, RB-d (ith 2 93,2 om side drilled hole), and STB-A2 (mith a 94.0%4.0 am vertical drilled bole specified in JIS Z 2348) ‘is shown in Table I.” In the case of 45° probe, the sensitivity in each propagating direction is almost sino betwen the anisotropic ‘stool and the isotropic steel. Tn the cases of 60 and 65° probes, the sensitivity of RB-4 is alnost equal between the isotropic stec! and the anisotropic steele along the L- or O-direction, however, it is 3 to 4 dR loner in the anisotropic steel ‘long C-direction than the isotropic steel Therefore, when the anisotropic steels are exauined the reference block to adjust the scanning sensitivity may be takon from any direction in either isotropic stee! or anisotropic steel, lowever, when a block is taken frow the C-direction of an anisotropic stoel, it may be necessary to make a certain correction in the sensitivity. Detectability of artificial flaws. By using several isotropic and anisotropic stools; the sariations of tha ocho height fron artificial flaws were studied with the 60° and 70° probes. The welded specinens had the weld Tine perpendicular to the L, and C directions and had @3.2 ma side drillod holes and OX square notch G10 notch specified in API ¥P-20 in the welds. Table 2 shoxs the difference in echo height botkeen the side drilled hole or notch in each spocinon and reference reflector ia W8-4 with the 60" and 70° probes. The results also shon tho detectability of the side drilled hole ard aotch when the Scanning sensitivity was calibrated by 68.2 am in RB-42248 It is probable that the planar {aM porpendicular to a scanning surface such as ‘square notch cause a node conversion and a loss of reflection amplitude with the ‘nominal 60° probe. The result shown in Table 2 shows that the echo height from ‘Square notch in the anisotropic specinen is) 3 d8 lower by. the waxinun than that in the isotropic spocimen. However, this differance is within a dispersion of echo height that was encountered in the examination of isotropic steels. When a square notch is examined by the nowinal 60° probe, the Toss of reflection amplitude is smaller in the anisotropic specimen than the isotropic specimen. This may be de to the deviation of the actual refraction angle from the nominal refraction angle jn nisotropic steels. On the other band, for the noxinal 70° probe the echo height of the L-dircction is small as shown in Table 2, Therefore the influence of the anisotropy on detectability is significant in the L-direction with the 0" probe, In the othor casos, the detectability comparable to isotropic steel is ensured provided the deviation of the refraction angle in the propagating direction is adequately taken into account. Reduction of undetactable zone, In the diract scan, the undetectable zone extends in thin plates with o relatively small refraction angle such as 60", because of the Vimited internal approach between the probes. Therefore it is desirable to use a probe with the refraction angle probe as large as possible, but the 70" probe is to anisotropic steel. There remies the applicability of the nceinal isotropic steels, actual remine angle of the nominal 69" probe may be near 70° in the L-direction Is anisotropic steel. Experivonts showod that the nominal 65° probe by making a certain correction of sensitivity. Purtherrore the 6 5° probe can be used is useful to reduce the undetectable zone in relatively thin plates,