EN ISO 17640 is the technique standard: it describes how manual ultrasonic testing is carried out on a fusion-welded joint, and defines four testing levels with increasing probability of detection.
- ✓ Reference edition: EN ISO 17640:2018
- ✓ Fusion-welded joints in metallic materials
- ✓ Thicknesses equal to or greater than 8 mm, low ultrasonic attenuation
- ✓ Object temperature from 0 °C to 60 °C
EN ISO 17640 is the standard that answers the practical question of anyone who has to test a weld with ultrasound: how the examination is set up. The text “specifies techniques for the manual ultrasonic testing of fusion welded joints in metallic materials” — that is, it specifies the techniques for the manual ultrasonic testing of fusion-welded joints in metallic materials. It is not a construction code and it does not decide whether a part is acceptable: it describes how to conduct the examination.
The scope is explicitly delimited. The standard addresses joints “equal to and above 8 mm thick which exhibit low ultrasonic attenuation” — of thickness equal to or greater than 8 millimetres and with low ultrasonic attenuation — and object temperatures “from 0 °C to 60 °C”, that is between 0 and 60 degrees Celsius. If your joint is thinner, if the material strongly attenuates the beam or if the wall is hot, you are outside the declared scope and a different reference or a specifically qualified procedure is required.
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The feature that characterises the standard is the testing levels. The text defines “four testing levels, each corresponding to a different probability of detection of imperfections”: four levels, each corresponding to a different probability of detection of imperfections, designated by the letters A to D. Moving up a level means increasing the extent and completeness of the examination, and with them the probability of detecting an imperfection; level D is reserved for special applications. The choice of level does not rest with the operator: it is a requirement that comes from the specification or the product standard.
The fixed points of the standard
| Aspect | Declared content |
|---|---|
| Subject | Techniques for the manual ultrasonic testing of fusion-welded joints |
| Materials | Metallic materials with low ultrasonic attenuation |
| Thickness | Equal to or greater than 8 mm |
| Temperature | From 0 °C to 60 °C |
| Testing levels | Four (A, B, C, D), with increasing probability of detection |
How indications are evaluated
The standard provides two approaches for evaluating the indications found. The first is based on the length of the indication and the amplitude of the echo. The second goes through the characterisation of the indication obtained by moving the probe and observing how the echo responds to that movement.
In both cases the premise is a calibrated measurement chain: instrument, cable, probe and reference block form a whole, and the repeatability of the result depends on their combination, not on the instrument alone. For this reason the calibration on the block must be redone whenever one of the elements changes, and it is good practice to re-check it at the end of the examination.
Recommended products
| Product | Use |
|---|---|
| Dakota FX70-DL | Portable detector for manual examination in the field |
| Dakota FX81-DL | Benchtop configuration for repetitive testing at a workstation |
| Calibration blocks | Setting up and verifying the measurement chain |
| Transducer cables | Probe-to-instrument connection, part of the calibrated chain |
Frequently asked questions
The standard states that it applies to fusion-welded joints of thickness equal to or greater than 8 mm, in metallic materials with low ultrasonic attenuation and with an object temperature between 0 and 60 degrees Celsius.
They are the four levels provided by the standard, each corresponding to a different probability of detection of imperfections. Moving up a level increases the completeness of the examination; level D is intended for special applications. The level to be applied is stated by the specification or the product standard.
No: EN ISO 17640 is an examination technique standard. It describes how to conduct the test and how to evaluate the indications, by length and echo amplitude or by characterisation with probe movement. The acceptance criteria come from the construction code or the contractual specification.
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