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EPOCH 4PLUS - Advanced Test Equipment Rentals

1. Figure51 Custom DAC Curve 97 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 4 7 9 4 7 1 98 S gt AMP TVG 100 Z REF 1 3 B BRANGE 5 B0Bin CURRENT AMP 882 MIN DEPTH 1 999 41 999 in 108 ea O ae E E 1 y ADT 40 A A A fen bees 20 g DAC VI EW Figure 52 Custom DAC Curve TVG Table Option Advanced DAC TVG s TVG Table option facilitates manual definition of TVG setups including gain manipulation fine gain adjustment and TVG point addition or deletion The TVG Table option is the only feature in Advanced DAC TVG that is exclusively TVG and does not toggle between a DAC and TVG view The TVG Table function visually displays the slope of the change in gain across the defined screen range using a line allowing the operator to easily visualize the relationship between the indications and any custom gain modifications made during the TVG Table setup The EPOCH 4PLUS TVG Table function has a number of primary uses Immersion Inspection One of the main uses for the TVG Table function is in immersion setups A standard TVG curve can be created using a reference block to aid in flaw sizing prior to immersion inspection However the interface echo during an immersion inspection can be very high in amplitude which can severely decrease the near surface inspection capabilities of the instrument Using a TVG Table the operator can manually adjust the gain in the screen ra
2. Figure 70 ID Generation After an inspection plan is created in Gage View Pro the file will appear like any other EPOCH 4PLUS file and can be uploaded to the instrument The operator simply recalls this file from the datalogger and the instrument recalls the first calibration to begin the inspection This feature has multiple benefits e The operator is guided through the inspection process e The operator is more likely to use proper instrument setups and transducers e Inspection data is uniform from inspection to inspection and operator to operator e The operator cannot easily adjust pre loaded calibrations e The data is easily exported from multiple inspections aligned by Weld Number This makes it easy to monitor each individual weld for quality shifts over time Along with the ability to upload the saved inspection plan multiple times to any EPOCH 4PLUS an operator can also duplicate an inspection plan onboard the instrument Once an inspection has been completed the operator can open the datalogger highlight the inspection plan and create a new blank template plan by pressing the F2 key labelled NEW PLAN Inspection Data Export On completion of an inspection Gage View Pro allows the operator to download the completed inspection plan file to a PC Once the file is stored on the PC the operator can choose to export data to an Excel spreadsheet for reporting purposes When Spotweld inspection data is exported
3. Figure 104 APISUE Software Option Part 910 250C 151 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 17 4 9 17 4 1 152 SETUP CURRENT AMP 2 DAC 4 i in TVG a a ADY DAC TVG OS PRE Ba cee akan ese SPOTWELD IF GATE DGS FLOATING GATE EDIT PARAMETR WAVE ANALYSIS AWS D1 1 AUTO FREEZE Figure 105 APISUE Software Option cont When API 5UE is activated the function keys on the EPOCH 4PLUS aid the inspector in collecting data for calibration and in collecting inspection data The F5 key allows the operator to automatically bring any captured echo to 80 of FSH which is helpful in obtaining a precise A max reading from a reference notch Calibrating to a Reference Standard The API SUE code specifies that prior to inspection the instrument must be calibrated using areference notch of known depth in certain circumstances a through drilled hole is desirable for calibration see APT s Recommended Practice SUE for details concerning reference standard selection The depth of this reference notch must be entered correctly in the activation menu for the API 5UE software option Prior to calibration with a reference notch the instrument should be calibrated to verify beam index point refracted angle and distance in the inspection material See section 7 5 for details regarding angle beam calibration Envelope Mode Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS to a reference notch is most easily accomplished using the Envelope method of
4. El El E E Creating Files and Identifier ID Codes Thickness readings and waveforms are stored in the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger in a file with an associated ID You can either manually enter file names and IDs using the EPOCH 4PLUS keypad or you can create them in the Gage View PRO Interface Program and download them to the instrument Contact Olympus NDT or your local representative for more information on the Gage View PRO Interface Program Y ou can create file names in the EPOCH 4PLUS Memory screen in preparation for saving thickness readings and waveforms On entering the memory screen acursor appears atthe first available empty file location If the cursor is flashing over an existing file use the down arrow key to move to the next available empty file location Enter the file name with extension date time and a short descriptive note using the alphanumeric keypad sad casas acy E a rada File Number File Hame Date Time Hote Figure 40 Entering File Information The following rules and conditions apply 8 5 Part 910 250C Managing the Datalogger and Data Communication Features e The file name is limited to eight alphanumeric characters with an extension of three characters If no file name is assigned the instrument automatically assigns a generic name UNTITLED 001 UNTITLED 002 and so forth e The note is limited to 10 alphanumeric characters e You can manually enter the date and time Alternately the EPOCH 4P
5. EPOCH 4PLUS 4 4 4 4 1 34 Using the Pulser Key The following pulser receiver and filter parameters can be adjusted on the EPOCH 4PLUS keypad e Waveform Rectification e Pulser Energy e Pulser Damping e Pulser Test Mode e Filter Selection e Pulser Type square wave or spike excitation e Pulser Frequency tuned for square wave pulser only To access the available parameters follow these steps 1 Press PULSER multiple times to toggle through the several features 2 Press 2nd F PULSER FILTER to go directly to the filter parameter Each pulser receiver and filter characteristic adjustments can be done in either full A Scan or Split Screen e In the full A Scan the current parameter being adjusted appears at the top left of the screen and directly above the waveform e In the Split Screen mode the parameter is highlighted on the lower half of the EPOCH 4PLUS screen Note For reviewing the adjustments in this manual the Split Screen mode was used To view how the selections of the pulser receiver affect a waveform couple a transducer to a sample or test block which produces an echo on the top half of the screen Waveform Rectification The EPOCH 4PLUS can operate in one of four different rectification modes e Full Wave e Half Wave Positive e Half Wave Negative RF unrectified The RF mode is not active while operating in DAC or TVG mode or Peak Memory To select a waveform rectificat
6. lo m xD 241 y m cor O oe oS JJ Fa z l 7 4 CURRENT AMP 96 AMP MAX 98 MEMORY AYAILABLE WAYE 1876 THICK DELETE Figure 43 Editing the File Contents To clear the ID follow these steps 1 Pressing F1 prompts you to enter one of the following a Press F1 to clear the data from the ID code thickness readings or waveforms This action leaves the ID name in place and lets you save other data to the same ID Y ou can then opt to begin saving new data to these same ID codes b Press F2 to abort To delete the ID follow these steps 1 Press F3 2 The gage prompts you to enter one of the following a Press F1 to delete the ID name and data saved in that ID location The file will be deleted and the remaining files will move up one location b Press F2 to abort 81 EPOCH 4PLUS 82 Using Software Options 9 Using Software Options This chapter describes the different software options that are available for the EPOCH 4PLUS The EPOCH 4PLUS is intended to be a highly versatile instrument It is capable of being configured to perform specialized functions related to certain applications or code requirements Since some inspectors may not make use of these functions they have been offered as software options Contact Olympus NDT or your local representative for information on ordering these options Topics include 9 1 Defining Acti
7. To activate the X Value feature follow these steps 1 Press OPTION 2 Use the slewing keys to move the highlight bar over Setup and press ENTER 3 Use the slewing keys to move the highlight bar over Advanced User and press ENTER 4 Use the slewing keys to move the highlight bar over X VALUE and press ENTER Press ENTER to toggle the X Value Correction On Off When turned on use the slewing keys to enter the actual X Value This is the distance between the front of the wedge and the Beam Index Point B LP 6 Press OPTION to return to the live screen When the X Value Correction is activated the surface distance symbol for the soundpath calculator appears as a hollow arrow Save ID You can choose to save either the Minimum Depth or the Current Depth in the datalogger when you press the SAVE THICK key The default selection is to save the Current Depth If the Minimum Depth is saved the value in the datalogger will be tagged with a M symbol to signify Minimum Depth To select the value to be saved follow these steps 3 7 6 Part 910 250C Managing Basic Operations 1 Press OPTION 2 Use the slewing keys to move the highlight bar over Setup and press ENTER 3 Use the slewing keys to move the highlight bar over Advanced User and press ENTER 4 Use the slewing keys to move the highlight bar over Save ID and press ENTER Use the slewing keys to select the desired value and press ENT
8. affective length automatically Wavelength The distance between like points on successive wavefronts i e the distance between any two successive particles of the oscillating medium that are in the same phase It is denoted by the Greek letter A lambda Appendix D Cable Diagrams Appendix D Cable Diagrams Figure D 1 Parallel Port Cable Olympus NDT Part EP4 C 25PRL 6 WIRE RUN LIST 214 78718 214 773 ITT CANNON SEEDS AMP 747956 1 MOZA 1350 niy q ALPHA MIRE 34707157 E ae ef Figure D 2 Parallel Port Cable Wire Run List Part 910 250C 173 EPOCH 4PLUS FESIPTALE SUE H Figure D 3 VGA Adapter Cable Olympus NDT Part EP4 C 15VGA 6 WIRE RUN LIST 238 045 214 771 SHIELDED CABLE 15 SOCKET HD CONNECTOR 214 697 amp PIN LEMO HELIX PIN WIRE COLOR FOILED TINNED ESLER AR 10 5 6 7 8 Figure D 4 VGA Adapter Cable Wire Run List 174 Appendix E Parts List Appendix E Parts List Part Description EP4P BUE EPOCH 4PLUS Flaw Detector with color LCD Table E 1 EPOCH 4PLUS Ultrasonic Flaw Detector Part Description EP4 BAT NiMH Battery EP4 MCA X Mini Charger Adapter X Power Cord Configuration EP4 CAL NIST NIST Calibration Certificate EP4 MAN Instruction Manual EP4 TC Plastic Transport Case EP4 PS Stainless Steel Pipe Stand EP4 HS Hand Strap Table E 2 Items Included wit
9. F4 WELD A F5 WELD B 105 EPOCH 4PLUS ENTER SAVE WITHOUT Spotweld STAMP The information is only saved once you choose the stamp Each ID that you save has a two letter code attached corresponding to the desired stamp Examples of thickness readings saved with the various stamps are shown below ID gt 0123456789012345 GD 1 00 in STICK ID gt 0123456789012345 US 1 00 in UNDERSIZED ID gt 0123456789012345 ST 1 00 in STICK ID gt 0123456789012345 WA 1 00 in WELD A ID gt 0123456789012345 WB 1 00 in WELD B 9 8 Spotweld Assistant SWA 9 8 1 Description The Spotweld Assistant SWA software for the EPOCH 4PLUS aids in the characterization of weld nugget quality in Spotweld inspections to help build on the template comparison functionality of the EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Overlay feature adding the increased capability of an onboard Spotweld characterization algorithm with adjustable criteria allowing the user to customize the weld interrogation process to unique user conditions The Spotweld Assistant option is not intended to remove the necessity of a highly trained operator but rather is intended to aid such a trained professional in the inspection process The ultrasonic interrogation and characterization of weld quality in Spotweld applications is an increasingly popular technique As opposed to many flaw detection applications that monitor for errant reflections within a part and or backwall dropout from a part Spotweld ins
10. Once the TVG Table is complete use the DONE key F5 to return to the TVG setup screen If necessary the operator can return to the TVG Table setup before completing the entire curve setup process 12 When TVG setup is completed press the DONE key F2 to begin inspection All TVG setup parameters are now locked and cannot be adjusted Note If at any time the operator needs to delete a point during TVG curve setup the DEL PT key F4 deletes the last point taken for the TVG curve If the operator needs to delete ALL points taken for a particular TVG curve setup the DEL ALL key F3 deletes all points taken during setup These functions are only accessible during TVG curve setup If at any time the operator needs to delete a point during TVG Table setup the DEL PT key F3 deletes the highlighted point from the TVG Table This function is only available during TVG Table setup Once the TVG Table settings are defined and the TVG points have been captured edited and completed the operator can manipulate RANGE ZERO OFFSET and ANGLE and also can add necessary scanning gain or transfer correction The live A Scan view 101 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 4 9 9 5 9 5 1 9 5 2 102 includes the TVG gain adjustment slope line to visually define the gain changes across the visible screen range as defined by the TVG setup and or TVG Table setup Advanced DAC TVG and the EPOCH 4PLUS Datalogger Advanced DAC TVG setups curves and inspe
11. data including calibration settings Ds and waveform data are exported as usual Gage View Pro also exports the Spotweld Assistant weld characteristic stamp and the operator selected weld stamp described previously in Inspection Data Storage These stamps appear for each weld ID and allow the operator to 9 9 Part 910 250C Using Software Options track potential changes that need to be made to the weld rating algorithm In cases where the operator rejects the Spotweld Assistant recommended stamp or in cases where the weld nugget has been rated anything other than GOOD the weld data is highlighted in RED to alert the operator A B E D E 1 File Name C F Date 1 21 2005 2 56 22 PM 2 3 SWA SWA USER THICK 4 5 ID gt WELDO1 0 074in 6 ID gt WELD02 0 075in 7 ID gt WELD03 0 075in 8 ID gt WELDO4 0 056in g ID gt WELDOS in 10 ID gt WELDO6 0 07 lin 11 ID gt WELDO in 12 ID gt WELDOS 13 ID gt WELDOS9 14 ID gt WELD10 in in 0 069in Figure71 Weld Data Note For step by step instructions on the operation of GageView Pro including setting up a Spotweld inspection plan exporting data to Excel and transferring data from the EPOCH 4PLUS to a PC see the Gage View Pro manual Interface Gate The EPOCH 4PLUS employs the Interface Gate principally in immersion applications where the water path distance between the front surface of the test material and the transducer face is continuously changing The applicat
12. exceeding the gate threshold Adjust the gain setting so that the echo amplitude is approximately 80 I EPOCH 4PLUS 58 GAIN _ 5 Ode RANGE 1 00 in a D 591 REJEC MIN DEPTH a 291 we r 6 8 18 FULLWAYE 3 0 6 0 MHz ENERGY LOW DAMP 5 y PULSER SQUARE PULSE ECHO FREQ 5 MHZ WIC i CAL a ALARM OFF A 598 OF OFF 36 6 oF 40 0 db 60 0 de Figure 20 Calibrating for a Thick Block Using a Straight Beam Transducer 8 A thickness reading appears in large text above the A Scan Once a steady reading is achieved press VEL The screen freezes and a pop up box appears again on the screen Use the alphanumeric keypad to enter the exact known thickness of the test sample For this example press 5 0 0 The entry appears in the pop up box If you enter an incorrect number press 0 multiple times to clear the entry and then type the correct thickness ENTER VALUE FOR THICK STANDARD 000 501 Figure 21 Entering a Thick Standard Value 9 Press ENTER to complete the Auto Calibration The Zero Offset and Velocity parameters adjust automatically and the correct thickness reading of any gated echo displays on the screen Note It is possible to use the Auto Calibration feature on a single test block of known thickness You can use multiple backwall echoes instead of coupling on both a thin step and a thick step You can leave the transducer coupl
13. follow these steps 1 Press CALIBRATION from the live screen The Cal symbol appears on the screen 2 Press the desired key 1 2 9 associated with the desired calibration to recall A pop up box appears on the screen to confirm 3 Press F1 to recall the calibration or F2 to abort Creating Memos Use the MEMO feature to enter descriptive comments to include with stored data This is used to supplement the single note 10 character maximum that can be added to each file Memos are usually used to provide further details about a measurement condition or calibration Memos can only be entered from the live screen 8 10 Part 910 250C Managing the Datalogger and Data Communication Features To place a memo in the database prior to a particular thickness reading enterthe memo prior to saving the reading To place a memo in the database after saving a thickness reading and or waveform enter it afterwards To enter a memo follow these steps 1 Press MEMO A pop up box appears with three lines of available entry space 2 Use the alphanumeric keypad to enter a memo 3 Press F1 to save the memo in the datalogger or F2 to abort Editing a File Editing the File Directory Portion of the Memory Screen You can create multiple files in the EPOCH 4PLUS and then store a variety of data in the files These files are displayed in the File Directory which is located in the lower portion of the Memory screen
14. keys to skip spaces or move the cursor back to re enter over an existing character To enter letters follow these steps 1 Press ALPHA to begin entry of alpha characters A flashing __ appears 2 Press the corresponding number where the letter exists There are two or three letters per key Choose the correct letter by pressing the key multiple times For example to enter the letter A press the 2 key once To enter the letter C press the 2 key three times 3 Use the lt or gt keys to skip spaces or move the cursor back to re enter over an existing character 73 EPOCH 4PLUS 8 4 74 a To avoid having to continuously use the gt key when entering letters an automatic advance is built into the Alpha mode This sequence does not apply when editing data Any letters that are not over the same key can be entered directly and the cursor will automatically advance b If two letters are over the same key use the gt key to advance the cursor To enter the word WELD use the following sequence W E L D Alpha 9 3 3 5 5 5 3 To enter delimiters symbols follow these steps Note Delimiters or Symbols are treated as letters and are accessed in the Alpha mode Symbols are only valid when entering ID codes from the live screen 1 Press ALPHA to enter symbols The entry cursor flashes __ 2 Press ID SYMBOL multiple times to move through the following list SPACE
15. mark IW TYPE 1 REFERENCE BLOCK Figure 30 Reference Block Displaying the 0 Mark 2 Manipulate the probe until a high amplitude signal appears on the screen after the Main Bang This is the reflection from the large arc of the block that is located on the Type I block at 4 100 mm 3 Move the probe forward and backward to bring the echo to its maximum amplitude peak it up Make sure the echoes do not exceed 100 Reduce the Gain setting if necessary Note The Peak Memory feature on the EPOCH 4PLUS is an excellent tool to aid in finding the BIP Press PEAK MEM to turn on the feature This feature 65 EPOCH 4PLUS 7 5 2 66 draws and collects the echo envelope of the signal while also drawing the live waveform Match the live waveform with the maximum point corresponding to the previously accumulated echo dynamic curve Refer to the figure above for a detailed schematic of using the Peak Memory feature to find the BIP Press PEAK MEM again to turn off the feature AA AAA 4 GAIN it ER RANGE 6 45 vin REJEC a k in ina gt E i k E RNE tb Ab 3 Ario ico ls P E O trial a SE in E 3 8 VEL 8 1286 FULLWAVE 8 8 3 e MHz ZERO 11 86 ENERGY MED ANGLE 45 6 DAMP 58 Q an PULSEECHO Pel rH 5 2 4 070 3 OFF OFF 16 6 dB 20 0 iE 38 8 dB 40 08 dB 686 6 dB Figure 31 Locating the Beam Index Point 4 Hold the probe stationary once you have peaked up the signa
16. 3 4 Is the Table of Contents complete and useful 1 2 3 4 Content Do explanations enable readers to understand what to do 1 2 3 4 Do notes cautions or warnings appear whenever needed in the appropriate place 1 2 3 4 Is everything accurate 1 2 3 4 Are the main points properly stressed 1 2 3 4 Are there sufficient helpful examples 1 2 3 4 n u uu au uu aun uu Writing and Editing Is the reading level appropriate to the audience 1 2 3 4 Are the tone and style appropriate for the purpose and audience 1 2 3 4 Is terminology consistent 1 2 3 4 Are grammar syntax spelling and punctuation correct 1 2 3 4 Illustrations Do the illustrations contribute to the usefulness of the document 1 2 3 4 Are the illustrations effectively integrated into the text 1 2 Are the illustrations clearly labelled 1 2 Layout and Design Is the layout effective for the audience and purpose 1 Is the overall design consistent and coherent 1 Overall Document 1 2 3 4 Additional Comments Which topics are not covered that you would like to see covered in the next revision Errors found in this manual Page Description of Error Name Company Mailing Address Phone E Mail Address Fax No a uu A
17. 4PLUS is ready for use with the same parameter settings used when this calibration was initially saved Saving and Recalling Quick Recall Calibrations The EPOCH 4PLUS has a total of nine dedicated quick recall transducer calibration slots These are located in files 1 9 of the datalogger and are denoted by an asterisk next to the file number These files can only store one calibration with complete setup parameters and waveform in each file They are designed to store the most frequently used calibration setups and can be recalled using two key presses To save Quick Recall Calibrations follow these steps 1 Enter the Memory screen and create a file name for the desired quick recall file file locations 1 9 See Creating Files and Identifier ID Codes on page 4 After entry of the file name exit the Memory screen with the cursor over the desired file 2 Enter an ID code See Creating Files and Identifier ID Codes on page 4 3 Press SAVE WAVE Note A memo can be entered before or after the calibration is actually saved in order to provide more detail about the type of calibration Thickness readings cannot be saved in Calibration Files 1 9 ERROR will appear if SAVE THICK is pressed when attempting to do so Only one waveform calibration setup can be saved in Calibration Files 1 9 ERROR appears if SAVE WAVE is pressed a second time when saving to a file 1 9 To perform a Quick Recall Calibration
18. 5 A screen confirms the reference indication Press the F1 function key to accept and store the weld reference or press the F2 key to abort and begin again To store the reference patterns for the GOOD condition follow the steps below 1 Couple to a known GOOD weld condition 2 Verify that the gain setting brings the first multiple to about 80 FSH 3 Use the FREEZE key to freeze the live A Scan after obtaining the best possible reflect from the GOOD weld nugget Ifusing the AUTOFREEZE software option this will happen automatically 4 Onceasatisfactory GOOD weld ring down pattern is established and frozen press the 2nd F key followed by the F2 function key to store the GOOD weld reference 5 A screen confirms the reference indication Press the F1 function key to accept and store the weld reference or press the F2 to abort and begin again Note If the EPOCH 4PLUS emits an audible tone after confirming either the GOOD or UNWELD condition this indicates the weld pattern is invalid and no reference template has been saved Check the live parameters and settings of the instrument and try to store the weld again 111 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 8 4 2 9 8 5 112 HELP Key The EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Assistant option has an onboard quick reference guide to aid in the initial reference setup described above This HELP screen is accessible at any time during setup by pressing the F3 function key Press the F1 function
19. ALARM 1 0 129 6 444 29 2 OFF 2 1 747 0 582 0 OFF 16 8 dB 76 9 dB 30 6 dB 40 6 dB 60 0 dB Figure8 Split Screen Display 2 Press ENTER several times to toggle through the instrument parameters 3 Usethe 41 yl and gt keys to change the setting from the current highlighted function 3 6 3 Display Flags and Markers To indicate when particular display functions are active a setof flags and markers appear on the right side of the waveform display er l ANG A AK 22 Indicates the 2nd F key has been pressed The unit is waiting for you to press one of the second function keys Press 2nd F again to cancel Indicates the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the Peak Depth mode thickness and soundpath measurements are made to the peak of the highest amplitude signal within the flaw gate This symbol also appears when the amplitude display is active as all amplitude measurements are made to the peak of the signal Indicates the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the Edge Depth mode and all thickness and soundpath measurements are to the leading edge of the first signal within the flaw gate Indicates the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the Echo to Echo measurement mode and the measurement is being made between the peaks of the two selected signals TVG DAC CSC SW SWA IF WV AWS BEA API PRF DGS l Managing Basic Operations Indicates the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the Echo to Echo measurement mode and the measurement is being ma
20. ANALYSIS AWS D1 1 AUTO FREEZE DYNAMIC COLOR MORE OPTIONS lo OPTION EXIT ERAT E AAA ARAB AAABAAAD DD Bi Figure 82 EPOCH 4PLUS Option Menu To turn the DGS AVG option on highlight ON and press ENTER The operator also has the choice of dB or FBH Flat Bottom Hole for the method of echo height evaluation compared to the DGS AVG curve If dB is chosen the EPOCH 4PLUS will compare a gated echo s height to the DGS AVG curve in terms of dB If FBH is chosen the EPOCH 4PLUS will display the equivalent flat bottom hole size for a gated echo This selection can be changed after the DGS AVG setup is complete Press OPTION to continue STEP 2 The operator must now choose the transducer that will be used for defect sizing The operator can navigate through the transducer library The F1 through F4 function keys select the transducer type e The arrow keys are used to highlight individual transducers and to scroll the list e ENTER is used to select a transducer e OPTION continues to the next step e F5 aborts the setup process Using Software Options The transducer library is shown below DGS AVG TRANSDUCER LIBRARY Q O o o o o Q Q Q o oO F4 CUSTOM ENTER SELECT TRANSDUCER OPTION OKs FS ExIT a Figure 83 Transducer Library STEP 3 The operator must now select the reference reflector to be used to draw the DGS AVG curves The choices are
21. Auto Freeze option The Auto Freeze option can be deactivated at any time by pressing 2 4 F FREEZE again In order to make the EPOCH 4PLUS automatically freeze the user must setup the proper gate alarm s The EPOCH 4PLUS will Auto Freeze when a gate alarm is triggered For example if the user positions Gate 1 above the first echo location for a Spotweld inspection and places a positive logic alarm on Gate 1 when the echo breaks Gate 1 the EPOCH 4PLUS will Auto Freeze This function will work for all alarm types on both Gate 1 and Gate 2 Auto Freeze is not active for Interface Gate alarms When the Auto Freeze option has been setup and activated a snowflake shaped icon appears on the right side of the display where the standard FREEZE F icon would appear as shown below Part 910 250C Using Software Options ANGLE BAHIN MI N DE PTH 1 1 4 6 18 This screen shows that Auto Freeze has been activated but that it has not been triggered The Snowflake Icon has appeared after pressing 2 F FREEZE In order to trigger Auto Freeze a Gate Alarm must be triggered 6 2 8 VEL 0 2330infus FULLWAVE BROADBAND ZERO 6 088 us ENERGY LOW ANGLE B B2 DAMP 58 PULSER SQUARE THICK 6 000 in PULSE ECHO FREQ 5 BAMHZ GATE START WIDTH LEVEL ALARM 1 0 967 0 582 68 2 2 1 747 0 582 OFF OFF 1 POS 1 NEG 1 MINDEP Figure 97 Snowflake Icon As o y GAIN 20 8dB RANGE 5 BBBin 1 192 REJECT 02 MIN DEPTH 1 191 in
22. DAC curve This allows for greater flexibility while inspecting parts after calibration Additionally a new feature of the DAC setup allows the operator to manually bring each echo to 80 of FSH prior to taking a DAC point This is accomplished using the F5 key AUTO 80 during DAC setup Once the DAC curve is completed and the operator presses the DONE key F2 the gain level returns to the base level Note The instrument automatically takes each DAC point from 80 FSH even if the operator does not use the AUTO 80 function manually When the instrument does this automatically the gain level returns to the base gain after each point is taken Part 910 250C 93 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 4 4 2 9 4 5 94 JIS The Japanese Industrial Standard DAC curve setup and functionality is identical to the standard DAC TVG functionality described in Section 9 2 The only modification in Advanced DAC TVG to the JIS function is the capability of toggling between a DAC and TVG view However only the main DAC curve is viewable in TVG mode 20 80 DAC Option The Advanced DAC TVG software incorporates a combination of the DAC curve and TVG techniques using the 20 80 DAC option For most sizing and inspection codes that use a DAC curve the inspector cannot interrogate a potential defect that does not rise above 20 of FSH In the past scanning gain is added to inspect these defects that appear further into a part and only reflect below 20 Necessary
23. History Technical Help Call Olympus NDT and ask for a sales engineer to assist you 2 1 2 2 Part 910 250C Operating the Power Supply Operating the Power Supply This chapter describes how to operate the EPOCH 4PLUS using different power supply options Topics are as follows e Using AC Line Power e Using Battery Power e Operating Time for the Battery e Replacing the Battery e Charging the Battery e Using a AA Alkaline Battery Using AC Line Power AC line power is supplied via the Charger Adapter part number EP4 MCA The EP4 MCA has auniversal AC POWER input so it operates with any line voltage from 100 120 or 200 240 Volts AC and with 50 to 60 Hz line frequency To use AC line power follow these steps 1 Connect the power cord to the Charger Adapter unit and to an appropriate line power source 2 Connect the DC Output power cable from the Charger Adapter unit to the Charger AC Adapter input jack on the right side of the EPOCH 4PLUS 3 Turn the EPOCH 4PLUS on via the front keypad 4 Proceed with normal operation Using Battery Power The EPOCH 4PLUS uses a Nickel Metal Hydride NiMH battery pack An optional AA Alkaline battery pack is available Press ON OFF to power up the unit after the initial status screen The EPOCH 4PLUS proceeds to the split screen display A battery symbol is always present at the bottom right corner of the display and indicates the remaining battery
24. II Calibration Block for this calibration procedure The steps below use Olympus NDT IIW Type I carbon steel calibration block part number TB7541 1 To calibrate using an Angle Beam transducer follow these steps 1 Follow the initial set up procedure outlined in Section 7 2 7 5 1 Part 910 250C Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS Connect the transducer to an appropriate cable and then connect the cable to either of the transducer posts on the EPOCH 4PLUS 2 Enter the correct refracted angle for the transducer wedge combination For this example enter 45 3 Enter the approximate shear wave velocity of the material being inspected For this example using carbon steel enter a velocity of 0 1280 in us 3251 mm us if working in metric units 4 Enter an appropriate range for the test block being used For this example enter a range of 10 000 in 250 00 mm if working in metric units Review sections 7 5 1 7 5 4 for the following procedures e Locating the Beam Index Point B I P of the probe e Verifying the Refracted Angle Beta e Calibrating for Distance e Calibrating for Sensitivity Note If the EPOCH 4PLUS is set to work in metric units in each procedure listed above the calibration process is exactly the same except that the entries below will be in millimeters rather than inches Locating the Beam Index Point B 1 P To locate the BIP follow these steps 1 Couple the probe to the test block at the O
25. Indication The signal displayed on the screen signifying the presence of a sound wave reflector in the part being tested Indication Defect Level The number of decibels of calibrated gain which must be set on the instrument to bring the indication defect echo signal to peak at the reference line on the screen Initial Pulse IP The pulse of electrical energy sent by the pulser to the transducer Leg In angle beam testing the path the shear wave travels in a straight line before being reflected by the opposite surface of the material being tested Linearity Vertical or Amplitude The characteristics of an ultrasonic test system indicating its ability to respond in a proportional manner to a range of echo amplitudes produced by specified reflectors Linearity Horizontal or Distance The characteristics of an ultrasonic test system indicating its ability to respond in a proportional manner to a range of echo signals produced by specified reflectors variable in time usually a series of multiple back reflections Longitudinal Wave Mode of wave propagation characterized by particle movement parallel to the direction of wave travel Main Bang Term used to describe the Initial Pulse Voltage Term Appendix C Glossary Definition Mode Conversion Changing a portion of a sound beam s energy into a wave of a different mode due to refraction at incident angles other than zero degr
26. Quick Recall Calibration Files You can save ALL data associated with a Spotweld Inspection Setup in these files Pressing the SAVE WAVE key when the Spotweld Overlay option is active stores the following items in file locations 1 9 e Live waveform or frozen waveform if the FREEZE key is used e Setup parameters e Allreference waveform overlays assigned to the F1 F5 keys Note The overlays stored with the setup are NOT visible in the datalogger screen or from the Interface Program However the overlays are stored with the setup and will be recalled to their respective F1 F5 key locations when recalled to the live screen Press the CALIBRATION key followed by the number of the desired file in the datalogger 1 9 to complete this recall procedure Datalogger File Locations 10 and higher Storage of Weld Rating Stamping Datalogger file locations 10 and higher are generally used to save data acquired during the actual inspection of Spotweld parts When saving data to files 10 you can stamp the individual Identifier ID with a two letter code representing the quality of the weld by pressing the SAVE THICK or SAVE WAVE key SAVE THICK saves the ID with only the thickness reading SAVE WAVE saves the ID with the thickness reading waveform and setup parameters After one of these keys is pressed the following prompt appears SELECT STAMP TYPE TO SAVE F1 GOOD F2 UNDERSIZED F3 STICK
27. Saving and Recalling Quick Recall Calibrations on page 8 To recall a saved calibration in Files 10 and greater follow these steps o fo oS Press to enter the Memory screen Use the slewing keys to select the file where the desired calibration is located When the file is highlighted press F1 to enter the Contents screen Use the slewing keys to scroll through the selected file Only IDs with saved waveform parameter setups can be recalled to the live screen The ID name being viewed displays at the top of the screen As you scroll through the file this ID will continually change a When an ID is listed that has a corresponding waveform and setup parameters saved with it a Recall selection is available by pressing F2 b The Recall selection disappears when an ID is listed that contains a measurement value only depth amplitude or TOF ALEA 41 MEMORY AVATLABLE 5 WAVE 6114 THICK 121784 gf BT 19548 i E emma AIIE 15 DAC1A Bi i ra P96 rms ANTAA 29530 A tiee ANA rd E Oo se TREUT Saet lea ERT lk ks el Figure 41 Recalling a Selection 77 EPOCH 4PLUS 8 8 8 9 78 5 Press F2 for Recall when the appropriate ID is listed at the top of the screen see Step 4 above for details The calibration is recalled and the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the Freeze mode You cannot change any parameters while in Freeze mode 6 Press FREEZE to go to the live screen The EPOCH
28. Standard Mode is used when flaw detection is the main purpose of the application The EPOCH 4PLUS provides a digital thickness readout corresponding to the distance between the echo detected in the Interface Gate and the echo detected in Gate 1 Gate 1 and Gate 2 automatically track the Interface Gate based on the location of the echo in the Interface Gate The tracking distance is a result of the Interface Gate blanking period which is the distance between the Interface Gate start position and the Gate 1 start position Set this blanking period to optimize the inspection by ensuring that the proper echoes are captured in the gates Operating in Echo to Echo Mode Use the Echo Echo Mode when thickness gaging is the main purpose of the application The EPOCH 4PLUS provides a thickness readout corresponding to the distance between the echo detected in Gate 1 and the echo detected in Gate 2 The Echo Echo is also capable of ignoring the thickness associated with a painted or coated surface on the material Gate 1 automatically tracks the Interface Gate based on the location of the echo in the Interface Gate The tracking distance is a result of the Interface Gate blanking period which is the distance between the Interface Gate start position and Gate 1 start position Gate 2 automatically tracks Gate 1 based on the location of the echo in Gate 1 The tracking distance is a result of the Gate 1 blanking period which is the distance
29. The operator now has the option of manually entering any of those data points that does not look accurate F1 F2 or F3 accepting the calibration F4 or clearing the entire calibration and starting again F5 Once you are satisfied with the collected data press F4 to accept the calibration and to begin inspecting Manual Mode When the PEAK MEMORY function is not in use on the EPOCH 4PLUS it is possible to manually collect each calibration data point to calibrate the instrument for inspection This manual collection works only when the PEAK MEMORY function is OFF or after data has been collected using the Envelope Mode see above 153 EPOCH 4PLUS 154 Note Manual Mode calibration is facilitated by viewing the digital measurement in Depth Amplitude mode After activating the API 5UE software and inputting a reference notch depth use the following steps to calibrate the EPOCH 4PLUS in Manual Mode 1 Find the signal from the reference notch 2 Adjust your screen range to adequately display the full range of motion of the reference notch signal 3 Adjust GATE 1 to encompass the full range of motion of the reference notch signal and bring the gate to below 40 FSH 4 Use the AUTO80 key F5 to bring the peak amplitude of the reference notch signal to 80 of FSH 5 Press the REF AMAX key F1 to collect the peak amplitude signal and assign this value as A max GAIN 26 4dB RANGE 1 4888 in CURR
30. a 042 in Figure 64 BURNT Weld Compared to GOOD Overlay Part 910 250C 113 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 8 6 9 8 6 1 114 Inspection Mode Advanced In some applications the default parameters involved in weld quality ratings are not sufficient to accurately characterize a particular weld nugget For these applications the EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Assistant software allows for operator customized rating parameters to correctly evaluate welds according to the acceptance specifications for the inspection in question Advanced User Activation To enter this advanced algorithm setup press the F4 function key TRAINING to return to the setup screen from the live basic inspection screen From the Spotweld Assistant setup screen press the F4 key ADVANCED If the word ADVANCED does not appear above the F4 key in the Spotweld Assistant setup screen the advanced option is not activated To activate the advanced training function follow the steps below 1 Press the OPTION key to enter the Options Menu 2 Use the slewing keys to highlight the SETUP option and then press ENTER 3 Highlight ADVANCED USER and press ENTER 4 Highlight Spotweld from the ADV USER list and press ENTER to activate this box An X appears in the Spotweld box to show that the option is activated 5 Press OPTION to exit the Setup Menu and return to the advanced Spotweld Assistant setup OPTIONS SETUP DAC T 6 Y DACSTYG RF SETU L
31. an Figure 90 Sizing Defects When DGS AVG is activated the operator can adjust the scanning gain in the instrument This moves the DGS AVG curves as well as the on screen echoes up and down DGS curves are also dynamically adjustable with the RANGE function if necessary When using the DGS AVG function it is possible to evaluate defect echoes that do not break the instrument s gate In the screen above right an echo is being evaluated and rated as FBH 1 21 mm even though it is not breaking the gate Soundpath measurements are not displayed unless the echo is breaking the gate DGS AVG and the EPOCH 4PLUS Datalogger DGS AVG setups and inspection results can be stored in the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger If data is saved using the SAVE THICK key the instrument will only store the file name ID and measurement value soundpath not DGS AVG evaluation If data is stored using the SAVE WAVE key the instrument will store the file name ID measurement s DGS AVG evaluation dB or FBH Registration Level all instrument setup parameters and the A Scan When a DGS AVG calibration is recalled from the datalogger the instrument displays a screen similar to the screen below Using Software Options 1 23 REF 35 4 QRANGE 63 938mm CURRENT AMP 42 REJECT 8 2 MIN DEPTH 38 84 n E 38 85 mm DOS PARAMETER SETUP DELTA_VK DELTA VT REGISTRATION WARNINGLEVEL 6 0 dB ACYSPEC 9 0 dBfm 6113 ANGLE 8 92 DAMP 58 a DATE 07 28 05
32. and back on again 29 EPOCH 4PLUS 30 4 1 4 2 Part 910 250C Adjusting the Pulser Receiver Adjusting the Pulser Receiver This chapter describes how to adjust the pulser receiver Topics are as follows e Adjusting System Sensitivity e Using AUTO 80 e Setting Gain Reference Level and Adding Scanning Gain e Using the Pulser Key Adjusting System Sensitivity To adjust the instrument sensitivity follow these steps 1 Press GAIN 2 Use the function keys to select preset values for course adjustment 3 Move the gain upward or downward with the 4 and y keys for fine adjustments The current system sensitivity is displayed and highlighted in the upper left corner 4 Adjust gain in 0 1 dB increments by pressing the 4 or y key Hold the 4 or y key to gradually increase the slewing rate Total system sensitivity is 110 0 dB Using AUTO 80 AUTO 80 quickly adjusts the gain dB setting bringing the peak of a reference echo to 80 full screen height AUTO 80 is especially useful with general welding applications and codes that require quick gain adjustments to bring an echo to 80 screen height You can use AUTO 80 to bring an echo to 80 full screen height in either Gate 1 or Gate 2 To use Auto 80 with Gate 1 follow these steps 1 Press GATE 1 2 Use the green slewing keys to position the gate over the desired echo Be sure the echo breaks the gate threshold 3 Press F5 T
33. be either red yellow or green based on alarm conditions To customize colors follow these steps 1 Press 2nd F CALIBRATION Color The adjustable items will appear above the F1 F5 keys 2 Press the appropriate key to adjust the color of the display Managing the Display The EPOCH 4PLUS can present the A Scan in two different display formats split screen and full screen A split screen presents simultaneous viewing of the waveform and all instrument set up data The full screen presents a large high resolution waveform and important basic information Note After the EPOCH 4PLUS is powered up and has completed the self test routine the split screen opens To set the display parameter press DISPLAY to switch to full screen or press DISPLAY again to switch back to the split screen Full Screen A Scan Display The full screen A Scan presents a large high resolution waveform and some basic data to aid with interpretation of the display 3 6 2 Part 910 250C Managing Basic Operations ATA 4 270 MIN DEPTH B in 188 i ga Figure7 Full Screen Display Top of the screen e The Filename Gain level ID Code Range setting and currently selected parameters are constantly displayed e A numeric display shows thickness soundpath amplitude or Time of Flight data pertaining to a gated signal Use DEPTH AMPL to select which information to show Middle of the screen
34. calibrated to a reference notch using one of the processes described above you can begin sizing potential defects using the API SUE software Crack sizes appear in the upper right corner of the live A Scan display after each sizing process Related data can be saved for each inspection using the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger Two methods of crack sizing are available with the API SUE software Envelope Mode and Manual Mode Envelope Mode A simple method of inspection of crack depth with the EPOCH 4PLUS is using API SUE in Envelope Mode This method allows the operator to collect pertinent data with the press of a single key and size potential defects in the most efficient manner The data collection process in Envelope Mode is similar to the process described above for Envelope Mode calibration Once the API SUE software has been properly calibrated to a reference notch use the following steps to size a crack using Envelope Mode 1 Find the signal from the potential defect and bring it to maximum amplitude see API s Recommended Practice 5UE for crack scanning and inspection requirements 2 Ifnecessary use the AUTO80 feature to bring the peak amplitude to 80 of FSH To use this feature press the GATE 1 key and press the AUTO80 key F5 Press PEAK MEM to activate the PEAK MEMORY function 4 Scan forward and backward from the peak amplitude of the crack to draw a peak envelope for the crack signal 5 Adjust your screen range to
35. does not acquire any further data An F appears to the right of the A Scan display indicating the function is active The Freeze function is useful when storing waveforms as it holds the current A Scan allowing the transducer to be uncoupled from the test material Once the display is frozen Managing Special Waveform Functions you can do a variety of functions such as storage of the waveform or thickness data and entry of an alphanumeric location code or memo to describe the data It is possible to manipulate the gates to obtain thickness or soundpath data The Freeze function differs from Peak Memory in that no new data is acquired and added to the instrument display The FREEZE key is ideal for high temperature measurements When Freeze is active the following parameters cannot be changed accessed e Zero Offset e Range e Zoom e Reject e Gain e Reference Gain e Peak Memory e Peak Hold e Pulser Receiver and Filter Settings To disable the Freeze function and return to normal operation press FREEZE again Part 910 250C 43 EPOCH 4PLUS 44 6 1 6 2 Part 910 250C Using the Gates Using the Gates This chapter describes how to use the gates in the EPOCH 4PLUS Topics are as follows e Positioning Gate 1 e Positioning Gate 2 e Taking Thickness Readings e Taking Echo to Echo Thickness Readings e Locating Flaws with an Angle Beam Transducer e Measuring Signal Amplitude e Operating Time o
36. gain above the reference level added to insure seeing potentially significant reflectors at the end of the V path in a weld inspection Second Critical Angle The minimum incident angle in the first medium at which the refracted shear wave leaves the body of the test specimen Sensitivity The ability of the test system instrument and transducer to detect a given size reflector at a given distance Signal to Noise Ratio The ratio of amplitudes and indications from the smallest defect considered significant and those caused by random factors such as grain scattering or instrument noise Single Element Probe A probe containing only one piezoelectric element which is used to both transmit and receive sound Skip Distance In angle beam testing the surface distance which represents one V path of sound in the material Sound Beam The characteristic shape of the ultrasonic wave sent into the material Part 910 250C Appendix C Glossary Term Definition Sound Path Distance The distance from the transducer beam index point to the reflector located in the specimen measured along the actual path that the sound travels Sometimes referred to as angular distance in angle beam testing Straight Beam Probe A probe which transmits the sound into the material Normal Beam Probe perpendicular to the entry surface Surface Wave Mode of wave propagation characterized by an elliptical
37. gain adjustment is then noted to calculate the flaw size The 20 80 DAC feature takes advantage of the TVG functionality of Advanced DAC TVG to create a DAC curve that only falls between 20 and 80 screen height Any echo that falls below 20 FSH during setup has 12 dB added to it automatically A new DAC curve section starting at 80 FSH is created This setup divides the screen into 12 dB DAC Gain regions The DAC Gain is displayed based on the location of the gated echo in time ii ADAC ae REF 1 1 GRANGE 5 880in CURRENT AMP 46 4 5 083 inl Figure 48 DAC Gain To activate the 20 80 DAC option follow the steps below 1 Select 20 80 from the ADV DAC TVG option in the Options Menu by highlighting the function and pressing ENTER 2 Use the RIGHT and LEFT slewing keys to capture the first echo of the desired DAC curve and press the DRAW DAC key F1 3 Continue using the RIGHT slewing key to capture the next desired DAC curve echo and press the DRAW DAC key F1 to capture successive points Any point that is captured below 20 of screen height will automatically be raised by 12 dB and the DAC curve will continue to draw from 80 FSH downward A dashed vertical line indicates the point where gain adjustment begins within a particular screen range 9 4 6 Part 910 250C Using Software Options 4 Onceall desired DAC curve points are drawn press DONE F2 to complete the DAC curve and begin inspe
38. given by a specification or code Cross Talk An unwanted condition affecting dual element transducers in which acoustic energy travels from the transmitting crystal to the receiving crystal by routes other than the intended path through the material Damping Control A variable resistance across the pulser circuit output which shapes the excitation pulse Typically it is used to change pulse characteristics to optimize either penetration low damping or near surface resolution high damping Note High damping Low damping ohms 50 Q Low damping High damping ohms 400 Q Damping Material Any gel rubber like substance or other material which when used in the transducer results in a shorter ringing time of the piezoelectric crystal Decibel dB A unit which compares levels of power Two power levels P1 and P2 are said to differ by n decibels when n 10 logio 6 This unit is often used to express sound intensities In this case P2 is the intensity of the sound under consideration and P1 is the intensity of some reference level In the case of the displayed voltages on a cathode ray tube screen the relationship becomes n 20 1080 A Delay Control 166 Subcircuit of the sweep generator that allows a variably adjustable time period from the sending of the trigger pulse to the start of the sweep across the CRT Appendix C Glossary Term Definition Detectability The abili
39. known as attenuation The way sound is attenuated in a weld nugget indicates some characteristics about that nugget In a quality weld nugget the metallic structure of the metal is changed during the weld process causing higher attenuation than in a clean single sheet Ideally the sound also travels twice the distance of a single sheet of material or more depending on the number of sheets welded This causes a higher rate of attenuation than in a single sheet UNWELD condition The ring down pattern for a GOOD weld typically shows consistent attenuation on each successive reflection and full attenuation occurs faster than in the UNWELD condition However inconsistent or extremely rapid attenuation can indicate a BURNT weld or may indicate porosity within the weld Echo Spacing The spacing of multiple backwall echoes within a material indicates the thickness of the material The quality of a weld nugget can also be characterized by comparing the echo spacing toa known UNWELD condition In the case of two welded sheets the spacing of the ring down echoes in a GOOD weld condition should be greater than the spacing of a single sheet of the same material because the sound must travel further through both sheets to return an echo When the spacing of echoes is too close together an UNWELD or THIN weld condition may be indicated Intermediate Echoes Intermediate echoes are usually low amplitude echoes that occur between the expected high
40. phenomenon known as wrap around noise This can sometimes occur when testing long soundpaths and can result in random noise and echoes on the A Scan display The Low PRF option locks the PRF on the EPOCH 4PLUS at 30 Hz Activating Low PRF Mode To activate the Low PRF mode follow these steps Press OPTION Use the slewing keys to highlight the PRF selection and press ENTER Use the slewing keys to highlight LOW and press ENTER Press OPTION to return to the A Scan display A LPRF symbol displays on the right side of the screen to inform you that the Low PRF mode is enabled A A Exiting Low PRF Mode To exit the Low PRF mode follow these steps 1 Press OPTION 9 6 9 6 1 9 6 2 9 7 Part 910 250C Using Software Options 2 Use the slewing keys to highlight the LPRF selection and press ENTER 3 Use the slewing keys to highlight Auto and press ENTER 4 Press OPTION to return to the A Scan display High Pulse Repetition Frequency HPRF Pulse Repetition Frequency PRE is a measure of how often the transducer is being pulsed by the electronic circuitry in the EPOCH 4PLUS The standard PRF setting of the EPOCH 4PLUS is Auto where the PRF changes automatically from 60 Hz to 360 Hz depending on the range setting For some applications it may be necessary to increase the PRF rate Activating High PRF Mode To activate the High PRF mode follow these steps Press OPTION Use
41. position material thickness minimum depth and all soundpath data are displayed using microseconds us instead of inches or millimeters To change the units of measure follow these steps 1 Move the highlight bar over Unit and press ENTER 2 Use the slewing keys to select the desired unit setting and press ENTER 3 Press OPTION to exit Analog Out The EPOCH 4PLUS is capable of continuously outputting the depth or amplitude information to an external device such as a strip chart recorder or a PC outfitted with an analog digital converter card The information is outputted as a voltage either on a 0 1 volt or 0 10 volt scale Select the output scale and then connect the EPOCH 4PLUS to the external device via the analog output LEMO connector on the top of the instrument To change the voltage output scale follow these steps 1 Move the highlight bar over Analog Out and press ENTER 2 Use the slewing keys to select the desired voltage scale setting and press ENTER 3 Press OPTION to exit Clock The EPOCH 4PLUS has a real time internal clock The clock can be set once and the instrument then stamps individual files in the datalogger with the correct time date whenever information is saved to that file The time date is also updated whenever additional information is saved to the file The clock is reset during an instrument Master Reset and when it initially ships from the factory To set the clock follow thes
42. standard By matching the live waveform to a particular overlay you can evaluate the acceptability of a Spotweld Note The Spotweld option goes beyond the Spotweld application alone Almost all flaw detection applications involve some sort of visual comparison between a known standard and an unknown test sample With the Spotweld option you can save waveform patterns from known samples and then use them for comparison during the actual inspection This makes the feature useful for all types of waveform comparison flaw detection applications Activating Spotweld Overlay Mode To activate Spotweld Overlay mode follow these steps 1 Press OPTION 2 Use the slewing keys to select Spotweld and press ENTER 3 Select Spotweld Overlay and press ENTER 4 Select On and press OPTION to exit the menu and return to the live screen Defining Switchable Overlays The Spotweld overlays are stored under keys F1 FS as follows Function Key Description F1 Good Weld The reference echo from a good weld F2 U S Undersized Weld The reference echo from an undersized weld F3 Stick Weld A stick weld condition F4 Weld A A storage location for other user defined welds that may need to be used for testing F5 Weld B A storage location for other user defined welds that may need to be used for testing Table 8 Spotweld Overlays When the overlay prompt appears below the display pr
43. the right side of the main keypad Press to allow access to the first function key presses 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ID Press ALPHA to allow access to the second function key presses Delete the 26 letters of the Roman alphabet and a variety of mathematical symbols Using the Memory Screen Toenter the Memory screen press The Memory screen is split into two windows e Lower window displays a directory of files e Upper window displays the file contents To toggle between the two windows press F1 Other function key prompts appear when applicable Press F5 to exit and return to the live screen 8 3 Part 910 250C Managing the Datalogger and Data Communication Features File Content Window File Directory Window Gt scene NEO 0 EI AAA ECE CONTENTS I EXIT Figure39 Memory Screen no stored files Using the Alphanumeric Keypad The EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger can be used for thorough documentation of inspection data by entering alphanumeric strings in the following ways e Toenter file names extensions dates times and notes e Toenter identifier ID location codes for thickness or A Scan data To enter memos To enter numbers follow these steps 1 Press to put the EPOCH 4PLUS in Numeric Entry mode A flashing MW appears 2 Press any numeric key to enter the selected digit The cursor automatically advances one position to the right 3 Use the lt or gt
44. the AUTO 80 key F5 to bring any echo to 80 of FSH prior to capturing the echo for the DAC curve 9 Once all desired DAC curve points have been drawn press the DONE key F2 to complete the DAC curve and begin inspection The primary curve appears thicker than the customized reference curves Part 910 250C Figure50 DAC Curve Note gt AMP DAC 100 REF 1 3 B BRANGE 5 BMBB n CURRENT AMP 312 MIN DEPTH 1 999 4 1 999 in _ RET Using Software Options If at any time the operator needs to delete a point during DAC setup the DEL PT key F4 deletes the last point taken for the DAC curve If the operator needs to delete ALL points taken for a particular DAC setup the DEL ALL key F3 deletes all points taken during setup These functions are accessible only during DAC curve setup Once the Custom DAC Curve settings are defined and the DAC points have been captured and completed the operator can toggle between DAC and TVG views manipulate RANGE ZERO OFFSET and ANGLE and add necessary scanning gain curve gain adjustment or transfer correction The TVG view of any Custom DAC Curve includes the user defined reference curves as well as the primary DAC curve Custom DAC Curve also incorporates the reference correction functionality if desired aa gt AMP DAC 188 2 REF 1 3 B BRANGE 5 BBBin CURRENT AMP 312 MIN DEPTH 1 999 4 1 999 in z 5 z DAC dB
45. the Main Bang moves off the left side of the screen and the interface echo from the end of the delay line tip appears on the screen Verify that the echo represents the end of the delay by tapping your finger on the end of the couplant coated delay line This dampens the signal and the echo should jump up and down on the screen Use the Zero Offset to move this echo to the left side of the screen so that it is barely visible 2 Press CALIBRATION A Cal symbol will appear to the right of the A Scan signifying the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the Auto Calibration mode To exit the Auto Calibration mode at any point press ENTER 3 Couple the transducer to the THIN calibration block step For this example the transducer will be coupled to the 0 100 step 4 Position Gate 1 so that the first backwall echo from the known thickness step is exceeding the gate threshold Adjust the gain setting so that the echo amplitude is approximately 80 A thickness reading appears in large text above the A Scan Note Make sure it is the first backwall echo being gated not a multiple echo from the end of the delay line tip 59 EPOCH 4PLUS 60 GAIN 46 8dB REJECT 6 2 RANGES 1 BB8Bin MIN DEPTH 0 05 2 0 089 108 a IE 2320n us FULLWAVE 8 6 12 0 MHz ZERO 10 41 us ENERGY LOW ANGLE a DAMP 58 PULSER SQUARE THICK 6 668 in PULSE ECHO FREQ 16 68MHz GATE START WIDTH LEVEL ALARM 7 9 Bag 37 E OFF OF
46. the actual refracted angle Beta for this particular transducer and wedge in steel If this value for Beta differs from the value entered previously enter the corrected angle now via the ANGLE key and the 4 4 and gt keys 7 5 3 Calibrating for Distance Note This step differs depending on which type of IIW calibration block is used The ASTM E 164 IIW Type I Block which has a crescent cut in the side produces echoes at 4 100 mm and 9 225 mm on the screen The U S Air Force IIW Type II Block which has a large cutout in the side produces echoes at 2 and 4 on the screen The procedure below uses the Olympus NDT IIW Type I carbon steel calibration block part number TB7541 1 We recommend that the EPOCH 4PLUS s Range parameter be set to 10 250 mm for this step Regardless of whether a Type I or Type II Calibration block is used this should ensure that the echoes from the block are visible on screen To calibrate for distance follow these steps 1 Couple the probe to the block so that the BIP is directly over the 0 mark on the ASTM test block or the Air Force block Do not move the transducer from this point during this step Part 910 250C 67 EPOCH 4PLUS 68 2 Press CALIBRATION A Cal symbol appears to the right of the A Scan signifying the EPOCH 4PLUS isin Auto Calibration mode To exit the Auto Calibration mode at any point press ENTER Position Gate 1 so that the echo ref
47. the echo Concentrate on the leading edge only Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS 4 Position Gate 1 so that the leading edge of the backwall echo from the known thickness step is exceeding the gate threshold A thickness reading appears in large text above the A Scan f 2 4 6 a 14 VEL insus FULLHAYE 3 8 6 8 MHz i S ENERGY LOW ANGLE B DAMP 58 9 PULSER SQUARE THICK 8 888 in DUAL FREQ 5 8MHzZ START TH GATE LEVEL ALARM 1 B 472 OFF 9 OFF OFF 30 8 dB 40 0 dB 60 8 dB 2 5 948 0 9 10 4 dB 26 8 dB Figure 26 Calibrating for a Thin Block Using a Dual Element Transducer 5 Press ZERO OFFSET once the reading is steady The screen freezes and a pop up box appears on the screen Use the alphanumeric keypad to enter the exact known thickness of the test sample For this example press 1 0 0 The entry appears in the pop up box If you enter an incorrect number press 0 multiple times to clear the entry and then type the correct thickness ENTER VALUE FOR THIN STANDARD 000 10 Figure 27 Entering a Thin Standard Value 6 Press CALIBRATION The display returns to the live A Scan Couple the transducer to the THICK calibration block step For this example the transducer is coupled to the 0 500 step 7 Position Gate 1 so that the leading edge of the backwall echo from the known thickness step is exceeding the gate threshold A thickness reading appears in large text above the A Scan
48. the minimum depth alarm Use the 4 y 1 and gt keys to set the desired minimum value The range of minimum depth values is limited by the start and width settings of both gates Gate 1 must be positioned to detect the first back echo Also the minimum depth alarm value must be greater than the blank period between Gate 1 and Gate 2 and less than the Gate 2 width value Alarm Condition Storage When an alarm is active a capital letter A flashes to the right of the A Scan Alarm conditions can be saved in the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger All data with an alarm is flagged in the memory by the character prior to the ID 7 1 Part 910 250C Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS This chapter describes how to calibrate the EPOCH 4PLUS Calibration is the process of adjusting the unit so that it measures accurately on a particular material using a particular transducer at a particular temperature You must adjust the Zero Offset and Velocity parameters ofthe EPOCH 4PLUS during calibration Zero Offset sometimes referred to as probe delay compensates for the dead time between the firing of the Main Bang and the entry of the sound into the test piece The unit must be programmed with the correct Velocity setting so that it matches the material velocity of the test piece The EPOCH 4PLUS has an advanced Auto Calibration feature which provides for a fast and easy calibration process The following section de
49. the part and completely obscure any potential defects in the beginning half of the inspected material A TVG Table can be used to modify the gain throughout the part to allow for clear visibility of the backwall for thickness measurement and clearer inspection of near surface reflectors An initial gain can be established and a slope defined to ramp the gain up from the interface of the part to the backwall REF 65 8 Q RANGE 2 688in CURRENT AMP 88 REJECT 8 MIN DEPTH 1 388 4 1 459in E En A ENTER NEXT PTs 3 CHANGE COL T L ADJUST ADD PT DONE Figure54 Attenuating Material 99 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 4 8 100 REF 65 8 ORANGE 2 888in CURRENT AMP 68 REJECT MIN DEPTH 1 448 4 1 463in Hse PROSA ADD PT INS PT DEL PT L DONE Figure 55 Attenuating Material TVG Table Setup The TVG Table option can be used to define a TVG curve using a test block and size reflectors without entering and or editing specific TVG points This operationis similar to the operation described in section 9 3 The TVG Table feature of Advanced DAC TVG including customized TVG point setup is activated and defined using the following steps 1 Select the TVG TABLE feature from the ADV DAC TVG option in the Options Menu by highlighting the feature and pressing ENTER 2 Press OPTION to exit the ADV DAC TVG menu 3 Atleast one reflector MUST be captured using GATE 1 Position GATE 1 us
50. ultrasonic testing We assume no responsibility for incorrect operational procedure or interpretation of test results We recommend that any operator seek adequate training prior to using this equipment Olympus NDT offers a full range of training courses including Level I and Level II Ultrasonic Testing Advanced Detection and Sizing and Ultrasonic Thickness Gaging For further information regarding training courses contact Olympus NDT While the EPOCH 4PLUS is a continuously self calibrating instrument the user must determine regulatory requirements Olympus NDT offers calibration and documentation services Contact Olympus NDT or your local representative with any special requests Typographic Conventions The following notes and table describe typographic conventions that appear in this document Warning This information indicates danger and the possibility of personal injury A 1 5 Part 910 250C Caution This information indicates that equipment damage can occur Note This information provides explanatory information Tip This information provides helpful guidelines for easy operation Convention Description Courier Font Used for file names lines of code names of processes and commands Heavy courier Used for command line user input Bold Used for textual parts of graphical user interface including menu items buttons toolbar names modes options and tabs Italics Used for scr
51. war e E BS 80 60 h 3 F 46 wap ere prasad a PA O NR RAIN ATA 28 IO A ARAN YN a A 2 6 8 18 VEL 8M 233B8infus FULLWAY BROADBAND ZERO 6 608 us ENERGY LOW ANGLE 8 DAMP SB y PULS ER SQUARE THICK 6 666 in PULSE ECHO FREQ BBMHZ GATE START WIDTH LEVEL ALAR 1 6 967 0 582 66 2 2 4 582 OFF OFF Figure 98 Standard FREEZE F Icon This screen shows the EPOCH 4PLUS when Auto Freeze has been triggered Notice that the standard FREEZE F icon has replaced the Snowflake Icon The Auto Freeze was triggered due to the active positive logic alarm on Gate 1 When the EPOCH 4PLUS Auto Freeze is triggered in HOLD MODE the standard FREEZE F icon appears If the EPOCH 4PLUS Auto Freeze is triggered in TIME MODE the F icon will flash for the duration of the freeze Note This option does not affect the EPOCH 4PLUS s datalogger or the GageView PRO Interface Program The Auto Freeze option is not saved with an instrument calibration file When a calibration is recalled the Auto Freeze option must be activated separately When a gate alarm is triggered in Auto Freeze mode the EPOCH 4PLUS will beep for one second The FREEZE key is active in Auto Freeze TIME MODE If the user presses the FREEZE key during a timed freeze the gage immediately unfreezes 145 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 16 9 16 1 9 16 2 146 AWS The AWS software option for the EPOCH 4PLUS assists with performing inspe
52. 0 C 0 F to 122 F with battery AC Mains 100 120 VAC 200 240 VAC 50 60 Hz Internal rechargeable NiMH battery pack rated at 12 V at 4000 mAH or optional disposable Alkaline AA 10 cells 6 hours nominal 3 hours typical Continuously displayed low battery warning display when battery life falls below a half hour BNC or Number Lemo English or international symbols Part 910 250C LANGUAGES USB COMMUNICATIONS PORT HIGH SPEED DATA PORT VGA OUTPUT PORT DIMENSIONS WEIGHT WARRANTY Appendix A Specifications Keypad selectable English French German Japanese Spanish Italian Russian and user customizable languages available High speed port for interfacing with PC Allows alarm outputs and trigger in out control Video output port to connect to standard VGA monitor Color LCD 11 15 H x 6 55 W x 2 4 T 5 7 Ibs 2 6 Kg One year warranty battery not included Optional second year warranty available 161 EPOCH 4PLUS 162 Appendix B Sound Velocities Appendix B Sound Velocities Part 910 250C The following table lists the ultrasonic velocity in a variety of common materials This is only a guide The actual velocity in these materials may vary significantly due to a variety of causes such as composition preferred crystallographic orientation porosity and temperature For maximum accuracy establish the sound velocity in a given material by first testing a sam
53. 0 dE 38 6 dB 40 0 dB 60 0 dB Figure 24 Calibrating for a Thick Block Using a Delay Line Transducer 8 Press VEL once the reading is steady The screen freezes and a pop up box appears again on the screen Use the alphanumeric keypad to enter the exact known thickness of the test sample For this example press 5 0 0 The entry appears in the pop up box If you enter an incorrect number press 0 multiple times to clear the entry and then type the correct thickness ENTER VALUE FOR THICK STANDARD 000 50 Figure 25 Entering a Thick Standard Value 9 Press ENTER to complete the Auto Calibration The Zero Offset and Velocity parameters adjust automatically and the correct thickness reading of any gated echo is displayed on the screen Note It is possible to use Auto Calibration on a single test block of known thickness You can use multiple backwall echoes instead of coupling on both athin step and a thick step You can leave the transducer coupled on the thin step and instead move the gate over to one of the multiple backwall echoes and enter the correct soundpath thickness 2 3 4 etc multiple of the first backwall echo during the velocity portion of the calibration Calibrating with a Dual Element Transducer The sample delay line calibration described below is performed using Olympus NDT transducer part number DHC711 RM with a frequency of 5 0 MHz and an element 61 EPOCH 4PLUS 62 diameter o
54. 000 inches e The maximum full screen range must be set less than approximately 120 3050 mm at longitudinal velocity of steel to activate TVG 87 EPOCH 4PLUS e TVG must be set up with the aid of reference standards that generate representative echoes at the points of interest 9 3 1 Activating and Calibrating TVG To activate and calibrate TVG follow these steps 1 Calibrate the EPOCH 4PLUS for the appropriate transducer 2 Adjust the Gain so that the peak of the highest amplitude echo to be used in the TVG setup is visible on the screen An echo cannot be used at a TVG point if its amplitude is greater than 100 screen height Press OPTION to display the Options Menu 4 Use the slewing keys to position the highlight bar over the TVG selection and press ENTER to display the TVG setup choices 5 Use the slewing and ENTER key to select On 6 Press OPTION to return to the A Scan display 7 Toseta TVG point position Gate 1 over the desired echo Adjust the gate level if necessary to make sure the echo breaks the gate Press F1 Generally you should start with the highest amplitude calibration echo and work down to the smallest one You can go back to fine tune the gain level at any selected point by repositioning the gate on the appropriate echo and pressing F1 again If a point is outside the allowable time limits the unit beeps to indicate an error 8 Move Gate 1 to the appropriate position to capture
55. 139 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 14 9 14 1 9 14 2 140 Backwall Echo Attenuator BEA Description The Backwall Echo Attenuator option for the EPOCH 4PLUS independently adjusts the gain in a screen range region defined by GATE 2 start and beyond This option is typically used to monitor changes in the backwall signal while inspecting for small defects within a part The EPOCH 4PLUS Backwall Echo Attenuator is commonly used with two specific forms of inspections both dealing with very small defects The first is an inspection where potential defects may not be oriented parallel to the direction of sound from the transducer Sound will still reflect from these defects but the reflection may be directed away from the transducer In this situation little or no signal is returned to the instrument for direct measurement Generally these defects are instead detected by monitoring for backwall signal loss or attenuation This backwall amplitude change may be missed entirely if the backwall signal is saturated The Backwall Echo Attenuator option allows the operator to monitor the backwall at a lower gain setting for any signal loss while still scanning the remainder of the test piece at a high gain level for small defects In a similar situation the Backwall Attenuator is very commonly used in porosity inspections Because porosity tends to scatter sound instead of returning a clear echo backwall amplitude is sometimes the only way to positively
56. 3 4 8 MHZ 0 58 gt in 0 598 5 000 10 900 mm 19 808 gt 250 00 2568 6 us 16 886 40 000 58 000 in 6 868 0 500 1 668 gt mm 2 45 25 00 58 460 8 2326 8 1238 6 8586 5900 3138 1488 3 B 6 2 NEXT PARAMETER gt CHANGE COLUMN FL CHANGE VALUE F1 DONE F DEFAULT AES Figure5 Editing the Gain Parameter 6 Press the F1 key when you have finished editing the parameters to save the settings and return to the Options menu When you select one of the parameters that you edited the new preset values appear above the F keys gt E PSEEECACEEMRANGE 5 000in JECT E YA MIN DEPTHS 6 AAA 4 6 8 10 VEL 0 2330infus FULLMAVE BROADBAND ZERO 0 000 us ENERGY LOW ANGLE 8 8 DAMP 58 PULSER SQUARE THICK 6 008 in PULSE ECHO FREQ 5 GQMHz START WIDTH LEVEL ALARM 1 165 0 582 25 2 OFF 247 2 582 DFF OFF 15 006 15 048 65 008 Figure6 Viewing New Preset Values 3 5 Color Settings The EPOCH 4PLUS is capable of displaying a maximum of eight 8 colors You can customize the color of any of the following Part 910 250C 19 EPOCH 4PLUS 3 6 3 6 1 20 e Live A Scan e Peak Memory Peak Hold A Scan e Gates all gates may be the same color depending on color availability e Text parameters popup boxes and option menu and Grid DAC TVG DGS and other curves e Background You have the option to use a dynamic color change of the waveform which means that the waveform may
57. ANGUAGE UNIT ANALOG OUT Hl A EXT TRIGGER EMAT RFDETECT O FILTER O ZERO O SPOTWE L DIMES VALUE gt SAVE ID VGA ON BEEP ON GRID OFF ALL LO CAL LOCK LIVE FILLED PEAK FILLED ALKALINE BAT O EDIT PARAMETR WAVE ANALYSIS AWS D1 1 AUTO FREEZE MORE OPTI OPTION OHOOOOO F gt b Figure 65 Setup Note The advanced Spotweld Assistant option can be activated prior to using the Spotweld Assistant software or during the setup of Spotweld Assistant 9 8 6 2 Part 910 250C Using Software Options Advanced Algorithm Training There are three steps in the EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Assistant Advanced Algorithm Training process Each step allows the user to customize the acceptable parameters regarding the three main weld characterization criteria Echo Attenuation Intermediate Echoes and Echo Spacing STEP 1 ECHO ATTENUATION The first advanced algorithm training step allows the user to customize the criteria for echo attenuation Four curves appear on the screen during this step Red Line Represents the attenuation curve of stored UNWELD condition e Green Line Represents the attenuation curve of stored GOOD weld condition e Top Purple Line Represents maximum attenuation tolerance for acceptable weld e Bottom Purple Line Represents minimum attenuation tolerance for acceptable weld condition ATTENUATION LEVEL LOW CURVE H
58. Advanced Test Equipment Rentals A ished 1981 www atecorp com 800 404 ATEC 2832 USER S MANUAL EPOCH 4PLUS Part No 910 250C F PANAMETRICS NDT Nondestructive Testing Products In accordance with European Directive 2002 96 EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment this symbol indicates that the product must not be disposed of as unsorted municipal waste but should be collected separately Refer to your local Olympus distributor for return and or collection systems available in your country pz Copyright 2005 by Olympus NDT Inc All rights reserved No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of Olympus NDT except where permitted by law For information contact pana OlympusNDT com Other product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks of their respective companies and are mentioned for identification purposes only Printed in the United States of America Warranty Part 910 250C Warranty The EPOCH 4PLUS Digital Ultrasonic Flaw Detector has been designed and manufactured as a high quality instrument Inspect the unit thoroughly upon receipt for evidence of external or internal damage that may have occurred during shipment Notify the carrier making the delivery immediately of any damage since the c
59. E A ARE a a E 102 High Pulse Repetition Frequency PRE 0 0 eee ee ee ee 103 9 6 1 Activating High PRE Modest A ce ee ek 103 9 6 2 Exiting High PRF Mode sur a ieee keene avis 103 Pobre OVETAYV cu eng ada iras 103 9 7 1 Activating Spotweld Overlay Mode 0 0 0 0 0 000 104 9 7 2 Defining Switchable Overlays opi ye Sl eee eed Sen eS 104 9 7 3 Accessing Datalogger Storage sc Di a eee oa 2S 105 Spotw ld Assistant vais an lee EAS E oP A SES 106 OSA Descriptio ys ew DS AS ae A 106 9 8 2 Basic Spotweld Characteristics oo oooooooooomoomoom oo 106 9 8 3 Option Activation e a as 109 9 8 4 Reference Weld Semip as Moe Oe nae Aas aah 110 9 8 5 Inspection Mode Basic cuida eee 112 9 8 6 Inspection Mode Advanced 0 eee eee eee eee 114 9 8 7 Spotweld Assistant and the EPOCH 4PLUS Datalogger 117 interlace Gales sci wots vet et ee GOS ty oe eee pe ee le ia 121 991 Activating the Interface Gate ses Gud oe ees do SS Fes 122 9 9 2 Operating in Standard Mode 0 0 ce eee eee eee 122 9 9 3 Operating in Echo to Echo Mode 0 0 00 eee ee eee 122 9 9 4 Managing Gate Positioning and Alarms 0000 123 9 9 5 Defining Gate Commands Vii Gud aed eee uke ea owe eee 123 Floating Gate cecilia btt er R A E 125 9 10 1 Activating Floating Gate tit ad ee ER 125 9 10 2 Operating in 6dB Mode tido tet A a 126 9 10 3 Operating in 12db Mode 0 cee eee ee
60. ECT and all pulser and filter parameters To obtain amplitude information in the DAC mode press DEPTH AMP and F3 If you highlight the DAC selection in the DAC setup screen the EPOCH 4PLUS displays the current echo height percentage in terms of full screen height and the percentage of the echo related to the primary DAC curve level If DB DAC is selected the current echo height percentage in terms of full screen height and the dB value of the echo related to the primary DAC curve level are displayed 85 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 2 2 9 2 3 86 Once the curve is complete the Reference Gain function can be activated by pressing and F GAIN REF DB This key sequence locks in a reference gain level and allows scanning gain to be added or subtracted to accommodate specific applications For example if it is required to evaluate any reflector that exceeds 50 of the DAC level 6 dB of scanning gain can be added In this manner the DAC curve when used in conjunction with the Amplitude DAC display and DAC alarm becomes an easy reference to determine if an indication exceeds the evaluation level Note that the additional scanning gain cannot be added to the original reference gain level as this would change the calibration and invalidate the DAC curve Special Considerations for JIS Z3060 DAC Curves In general the instructions in Section 9 2 1 apply to the construction of all DAC curves However there are some special provisions
61. EL to enter an approximate velocity for the test material and adjust the value with the function keys or the 4 and y keys If the velocity value is unknown find a value for the material being tested in Appendix B Sound Velocities of this manual 5 Press RANGE to set the range and then adjust the value using the function keys or the 4 Ly lt or gt keys 6 Press 2nd F ANGLE THICKNESS to set the material thickness to 0 00 or 0 00 mm Press F1 or use the y key to adjust the value to zero 7 Press ZERO OFFSET to set the zero offset value to 0 00 usec Press F1 or use the y or gt keys to bring the initial pulse to the left side of the instrument screen 8 Press ANGLE to enter the correct refracted angle for the probe 0 for a straight beam or 90 probe 45 for a 45 etc Use the function keys to access preset values or adjust in 0 1 adjustments using the 4 and y keys 9 Once the transducer is coupled to the block adjust the pulser and filter settings to create a clean A Scan Press PULSER multiple times to allow access to the various pulser and filter functions Alternately press 2nd PULSER FILTER to go directly to the filter settings Adjust each function with the function keys or the 4 y 4 and gt keys Note Refer to Chapter 4 Adjusting the Pulser Receiver for information on how to set the pulser and filter parameters Calibrating with a Straight Beam T
62. ENT AMP 887 G 632 0 447 4 0 447 in 188 Figure 108 Collecting Peak Amplitude Signal 6 Move the transducer towards the reference notch until the peak has dropped to 40 FSH on the leading edge of the signal Press the REFT1 key F2 to collect the 6 dB drop position of the leading peak and assign this value as T4 Part 910 250C Using Software Options 0 537 0 380 100 A GAIN 26 4dB RANGE 1 808 in aaia i 40 A ora oe Yen vee 8 388 in A y A F Figure 109 Collecting Peak Amplitude Signal cont 7 Movethe transducer away from the reference notch until the peak has dropped to 40 FSH on the trailing edge of the signal Press the REFT2 key F3 to collect the 6 dB drop position of the trailing peak and assign this value as T3 0 506 0 570 mar A O ee GAIN 26 4dB RANGE 1 688in CURRENT AMP 482 eo te a ae MIN ee ee ee REFAMAX REFT1 REFT2 INSPECT CLEAR 4 8 578in e A API Figure 110 Collecting Peak Amplitude Signal cont 8 Press the INSPECT key F4 to accept the calibration points and enter inspection mode If you are not satisfied with the collected points you can overwrite a particular point using the previous function keys F1 F2 or F3 or press CLEAR F5 to clear the entire calibration and begin again 155 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 17 5 9 17 5 1 156 Crack Sizing with API 5UE Once the EPOCH 4PLUS has been
63. ER to make the selection 6 Press OPTION to return to the live screen RF Detect Spotweld allows the user to perform single echo or echo to echo measurements in RF mode on either the positive or negative lobe of the waveform This option removes the mirrored gates normally present when working in RF mode Filter See Pulser Frequency Selection on page 39 The EPOCH 4PLUS is equipped with narrowband filters designed to provide a better signal to noise ratio for many applications by filtering out undesired frequencies When set to Standard you can select factory preset bandpass filters When set to Advanced you can customize the filtering by selecting both high and low pass filters individually Zero Offset The zero offset parameter compensates for the time offset between electric and acoustic zero points This offset is attributed to cable and transducer properties sound delays from angle beam wedges and delay line tips etc It is extremely important that you do not offset the screen so much that incorrect multiple backwall echoes are used during the calibration procedure For this reason some users may want to limit the number of preset function key values for the zero offset parameters The Standard setting allows you to press only F1 to directly set the zero offset value to 0 000 us The Advanced setting allows you to access the F2 through F5 keys for additional zero offset presets These are designed to closely ma
64. F a ETE p 1780 6 2498 E 8 1238 0 0580 10 CAL Figure22 Calibrating for a Thin Block Using a Delay Line Transducer 5 Press ZERO OFFSET once the reading is steady The screen freezes and a pop up box appears on the screen Use the alphanumeric keypad to enter the exact known thickness of the test sample For this example press 1 0 0 The entry appears in the pop up box If you enter an incorrect number press 0 multiple times to clear the entry and then type the correct thickness ENTER VALUE FOR THIN STANDARD 000 10 Figure 23 Entering a Thin Standard Value 6 Press CALIBRATION The display returns to the live A Scan Couple the transducer to the THICK calibration block step For this example the transducer is coupled to the 0 500 step 7 Position Gate 1 so that the first backwall echo from the known thickness step is exceeding the gate threshold Adjust the gain setting so that the echo amplitude is approximately 80 A thickness reading appears in large text above the A Scan 7 4 Part 910 250C Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS AAA ea 4 CEE CACEEBRANGE 1 000in 487 REJECT 2 MIN DEPTH 8 887 in 4 ga A 2 4 6 8 18 CAL nsus FULLWAVE 8 8 12 8 MHz ZERO 10 41 us ENERGY LOW ANGLE A DAMP 58 Q PULSER SQUARE THICK 6 666 in PULSE ECHO FREQ 16 88MHz GATE START WIDTH LEVEL ALARM 1 6 848 A ore OFF 2 4 185 a OFF OFF 16 8 dB 20
65. Gain so the peak of the highest amplitude echo that is to be used in the DAC curve is visible on the Part 910 250C Using Software Options screen An echo cannot be used in the curve if its amplitude is greater than 100 screen height 2 Press OPTION 3 Use the slewing keys to position the highlight bar over the DAC selection and press ENTER to display the DAC setup choices 4 Use the slewing and ENTER key to select the DAC standard ASME ASME 3 or JIS and also the signal amplitude units DAC or dB DAC 5 Press OPTION to return to the A Scan display 6 Position Gate 1 over the desired echo to begin drawing the DAC curve Adjust the gate level if necessary to make sure the echo breaks the gate Press F1 7 Move Gate 1 to the appropriate position to capture the next point for the curve 8 Press F1 Repeat this step until all points for the curve are captured 9 Press F2 to complete the curve once the last point are captured Tip To correct a mistake made while drawing the curve press F3 to clear the curve and start again 100 FLANCHK3 B05 gt LOC1E y GAIN 37 8dB RANGE B 50Bin 0 200 ID SELECTED MIN DEPTH 197 in ae y Made A Ce a Re Figure 44 Creating a DAC Curve When the DAC mode is active any parameter that would affect instrument calibration is automatically locked These include GAIN RANGE ZERO OFFSET VELOCITY ANGLE REJ
66. IGH CURVE ENTER NEXT f gt ADJUST T I ADJUST Figure 66 Attenuation Level The attenuation curve lines for the stored GOOD and UNWELD conditions are only adjustable by storing new reference patterns at the beginning of the Spotweld Assistant setup The maximum and minimum attenuation tolerances are adjustable in this STEP 1 screen ofthe Advanced Algorithm Training process These levels can be adjusted to allow some variation in the rate of attenuation in a nugget when the trained operator observes potentially incorrect weld ratings being applied by the Spotweld Assistant weld rating algorithm during live inspection To adjust the maximum attenuation tolerance curve use the UP and DOWN slewing arrow keys to increase or decrease the level of the curve to the desired specification To adjust the minimum attenuation tolerance curve use the LEFT and RIGHT slewing arrow keys to increase or decrease the level of the curve to the desired specifications Once the desired adjustments are made if any press ENTER to continue 115 EPOCH 4PLUS 116 STEP 2 INTERMEDIATE ECHOES The second advanced algorithm training step allows the user to customize the acceptable height of potential intermediate echoes In this step two horizontal lines appear on the screen both beginning around 6 7 FSH INTERMEDIATE ECHO DETECTION LEVEL DEFAULT AC Figure 67 Intermediate Echo Detection Level e Red Line Default acceptance height of i
67. LSE ECHO FREQ 2 27MHz 6 STA LEVEL ALARM 42 2 OFF ART SCAN DB AUTO 88 Figure 101 Displaying the D Value Pressing the SAVE WAVE key saves the data for this discontinuity in the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger In instruments with operating software versions 1 09 and higher this information is available for review in the instrument datalogger For instruments with operating software version 1 08 the AWS data must be reviewed in the Gage View PRO Interface Program version 3 0 or higher Note While using the EPOCH 4PLUS and the AWS D1 1 software option you must be aware of any inspection conditions that may cause variations in the displayed Indication Rating D value You must also be able to interpret the meaning of echo indications and reported D values corresponding to these indications API 5UE Description The API 5UE software option for the EPOCH 4PLUS assists with performing inspections in accordance with the American Petroleum Institute s Recommended Practice SUE This practice was developed specifically for Oil Country Tubular Goods OCTG manufacturers to inspect and characterize inner diameter ID cracking in newly fabricated pipe The API 5UE code uses two crack sizing methods to characterize ID cracking the Amplitude Comparison Technique ACT and the Amplitude Distance Differential Technique ADDT The software developed for the EPOCH 4PLUS aids in performing the ADDT method which uses the following formula to
68. LUS has an on board real time clock that automatically stamps the file with the current date and time when saving data to that file If subsequent information is saved to that file the EPOCH 4PLUS automatically updates the stamp with the current date and time Once the file name is created press F5 to return to the live screen Whatever file is open designated by the flashing cursor is the file that begins to have data saved to it when returning to the live A Scan The file name displays continually at the top left side of the screen Before any data is stored in the file press ID to enter the first Identification ID code A cursor appears at the ID entry line at the top right side of the screen Use the alphanumeric keypad to type in the ID To redo an entry use the blue arrow keys to backspace or press ID a second time A blank line appears To toggle back to the original ID press ID again Saving Waveforms and Thickness Readings Follow the steps outlined in Section 8 4 to setup a file name in the Memory screen and an Identifier ID file in the live screen The EPOCH 4PLUS can save two types of data Thickness Readings Press SAVE THICK to save the ID code along with the displayed depth amplitude or TOF value The waveform and the setup parameters will NOT be saved during this process and these IDs cannot be recalled to the live screen Saving this limited data allows the EPOCH 4PLUS to store a larger number of ind
69. Move the highlight bar over Unit and press ENTER 4 Move the highlight bar over ps Full Scale to view in full scale units or us DIVISION to view in units per division Press ENTER 5 Press OPTION to return to the live screen Using the Zoom Feature To zoom in on an indication position Gate 1 over the area of interest and press 2nd F RANGE ZOOM The instrument automatically uses screen delay to bring the point that corresponds to the gate start to the screen s left side and also adjusts the displayed range to match the gate width The new range equals the unzoomed gate width The lowest achievable value of the expanded range is equivalent to the minimum range of the instrument at the current material velocity setting Zoom is especially useful in certain flaw detection applications For example when detecting branches of cracking such as inter granular stress corrosion cracking IGSCC the inspector s job can be complicated by the geometry of the test specimen and also by the specific characteristics of the defect itself In instances where the pipe counterbore is close to the weld root it is possible to have three signals that all appear quite close to each other from the weld root the counterbore and the crack itself Use the Zoom function to improve the visual resolution of the EPOCH 4PLUS s display so that each individual signal can be more easily identified When evaluating a crack signal the inspector s att
70. NGE 108 68mm 37 41 REJECT B g MIN DEPTH 37 32 bh 6 2 4 6 8 18 6320 m s FULLMAVE BROADBAND ZERO 1 745 us ENERGY LOW g a DAMP 58 PULSER SQUARE 9 00 mm PULSE ECHO FREQ 2 80MHz START WIDTH LEVEL 38 365 14 958 14 2 214 64 15 814 OFF ae a Figure 86 Reference Reflector After pressing F1 at the DGS AVG Parameter Setup menu the live A Scan screen appears as shown above The operator must bring the echo from the reference reflector to 80 Full Screen Height and press F1 REF to capture the echo Once the reference echo has been captured the instrument adjusts the gain as needed and draws the DGS AVG curves on the screen This is shown below 0 00 ee ee AO LEVEL Figure87 DGS AVG Curves 136 Using Software Options In the view above the instrument range has been adjusted to properly position the DGS AVG curves on the screen This screen depicts the main DGS AVG curve and a warning curve at 6 dB 9 13 3 Operation The screens below show the DGS AVG software operating and sizing defects that the operator has gated The defect size evaluation is shown in the upper right corner of the A Scan window In the cases below the defect is sized as an equivalent Flat Bottom Hole FBH size in mm The Registration Level for this setup is 2 0 mm 18 09 HIN DEPTH e 86 mMm Figure 88 Sizing Defects Figure 89 Sizing Defects Part 910 250C 137 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 13 4 138 IN DEPTH of
71. O 80 TH LEVEL OPTION EXIT DAC MIN DEPTH 6 604 10 BROADBAND PULSER SQUARE 3 EXPANDED MEM PUULSE ECHO FREQ 5 68MHz ALARM OFF OFF l Figure95 Options Menu This option functions with the following options e DAC TVG e Advanced DAC TVG PRE e CSC e Spotweld OVERLAY e Spotweld ASSISTANT e INTERFACE GATE The Auto Freeze option is activated in the Options Menu using an activation box Press ENTER on AUTO FREEZE as shown below 143 EPOCH 4PLUS 144 p 196 m IN DEPTH 1 195 in PEPE FLOATING GATE gt EDIT PARAMETR hb f WAVE ANALYSIS Ie AWS D1 1 O gt EXPANDED MEM i MODE TIME 5 OPTION EXIT Figure 96 Auto Freeze Option 1 HOLD MODE When this mode is selected when the EPOCH 4PLUS Auto Freezes the display stays frozen until the user presses the FREEZE key Option 2 TIME MODE When this mode is selected when the EPOCH 4PLUS Auto Freezes the display stays frozen for a user defined period of time When TIME MODE is activated the user must set the amount of time for the EPOCH 4PLUS to freeze using the up and down arrow keys You may set the EPOCH 4PLUS to freeze for durations between 1 and 30 seconds in one second intervals Before the option becomes active the user must press 2nd F FREEZE It is recommended that you adjust the instrument parameters such as Gain and Pulser Settings before activating the
72. OCK O CAL LOCK O LIVE FILLED O PEAK FILLED Ex ALKALINE BAT C Figure9 Menu Options The selections in the Setup menu are grouped according to function Use the green slewing keys to move around this menu Press ENTER to select deselect an item Press OPTION to return to the live screen Symbol Description gt Another menu is available Highlight the item using the slewing keys and press ENTER to view the next menu This item is not selected The item is selected Table 6 Menu Symbol Descriptions Language Selection To select or change a language to use on the EPOCH 4PLUS follow these steps 1 Move the highlight bar over the Language option and press ENTER 2 Move the highlighted bar over the desired language and press ENTER 3 Press OPTION to exit Units of Measurement The EPOCH 4PLUS is capable of displaying and calculating distance parameters and soundpath data in terms of distance inches or millimeters or time microseconds When 3 7 3 3 7 4 Part 910 250C Managing Basic Operations displaying in terms of distance the screen can be set to be viewed either in units per division for example 1 000in div or 25 00mm div or units full scale for example 10 00 full scale or 250 mm full scale Units full scale describes the distance over the entire screen range When displaying in terms of time all distance parameters range zero offset gate
73. POCH 4PLUS in Amplitude Measurement mode One of the following icons appears next to the upper right corner of the A Scan y Edge Depth JN Peak Depth 46 6 4 Part 910 250C Using the Gates While in Edge Depth mode thickness readings are made to the leading edge of the first signal to exceed the flaw gate level In Peak Depth mode thickness readings are made to the peak of the highest amplitude signal that falls within the gate If no refracted angle is entered a Minimum Depth value appears above the display This value refers to the minimum detected thickness value and is only updated if a lower value is measured To resetthe minimum depth value press either GATE 1 or GATE 2 Note To obtain the most accurate and consistent thickness or soundpath readings selectthe Peak Depth mode The apparent arrival time of the leading edge of a signal varies with the signal s amplitude As a result the instrument gain setting coupling conditions and any other factor affecting signal amplitude has an impact on the accuracy of a reading made in the edge depth mode The effects of these factors are not completely eliminated in the peak depth mode but they are greatly reduced If Peak Depth is selected perform calibrations using the peak of the signal However when using a dual transducer due to the jagged peaks we recommend you use Edge Depth Taking Echo to Echo Thickness Readings The EPOCH 4PLUS is also equipped to
74. Part 910 250C 63 EPOCH 4PLUS 7 5 64 na RANGES 1 B001n 0 840 MIN DEPTH 8 449 in at 4 6 8 10 VEL nfus FULLWAVE 6 0 MHz ZERO ENERGY LOW ANGLE DAMP S PULSER SQUARE THICK DUAL FREQ 5 BBMHZ GATE WIDT LEVEL ALARM 1 7 47 2 OFF OFF OFF 2 5 940 16 8 dB 26 6 46 6 dB 66 6 dB Figure 28 Calibrating for a Thick Block Using a Dual Element Transducer 8 Press VEL once the reading is steady The screen freezes and a pop up box appears again on the screen Use the alphanumeric keypad to enter the exact known thickness of the test sample For this example press 5 0 0 The entry appears in the pop up box If you enter an incorrect number press 0 key multiple times to clear the entry and then type the correct thickness ENTER VALUE FOR THICK STANDARD 000 501 Figure 29 Entering a Thick Standard Value 9 Press ENTER to complete the Auto Calibration The Zero Offset and Velocity parameters adjust automatically and the correct thickness reading of any gated echo is displayed on the screen Calibrating with an Angle Beam Transducer The sample angle beam calibration described below is performed using Olympus NDT transducer part number A430S SB with a frequency of 2 25 MHz and an element diameter of 0 625 x 0 625 The transducer is mounted on a 45 wedge part number ABWS 6 45 We recommend using either an ASTM E 164 ITW Type Ior a U S Air Force IIW Type
75. Prior to the activation of options associated with Advanced DAC TVG the instrument must be properly calibrated to the material being inspected The ADT option is located under the Options Menu To begin the activation process highlight ADV DAC TVG from the Options Menu and press ENTER Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to highlight the desired DAC TVG option and press ENTER to select the option from the list 5 BBBIn CURRENT AMP 88 IN DEPTH 6 999 4 1 000in Y DACSTYbG esc SPOTWELD IF GATE DGS FLOATING GATE EDIT PARAMETR WAVE ANALYSIS AWS D1 1 AUTO FREEZE DYNAMIC COLOR MORE OPTIONS EXIT TVG TABLE OFF 2 AMP DB IAAAAAAA CACA AAA AS Figure46 Option Activation In all modes the live signal amplitude as compared to the level of the activated DAC curve is displayed at the top right of the screen The operator may choose to display this comparison in terms of either a percentage or decibel measurement After selecting a DAC TVG option from the Options Menu the user must select either AMP or DB by highlighting the desired choice and pressing ENTER The user may also choose to apply a feature known as reference correction to the amplitude analysis of the live A Scan and DAC TVG option The reference correction feature when activated allows full gain manipulation of either the live echo peaks or the DAC curve while providing the amplitude or dB comparison of the actual peak to curve rati
76. REQ 5 MHZ WIDTH LEV VEL ALARM 4 47 OFF io GRINE 44 535 IN e 828 REJECT 000 2 8 828 in i ALADO OFF OFF a 45 TE Figure 13 Angle Beam Inspection 6 6 Part 910 250C Using the Gates These symbols represent the following distances N angular soundpath distance to the reflector surface distance projection to the reflector j depth to the reflector NNNNA VVE soundpath leg that the particular reflector is located in 1st 2nd 3rd 4th beyond 4th The selection of the Measurement modes Peak Depth or Edge Depth and the appropriate soundpath reading type are displayed in large text See Taking Thickness Readings on page 2 Any signal breaking the gate threshold generates the display of soundpath data To setup information in the first leg of the soundpath follow these steps 1 Enter a value of 0 00 for material thickness when calibrating 2 Press 2nd F ANGLE THICKNESS 3 Press F1 or use the y key until the thickness value reads 0 00 With this set up all soundpath data is treated as if the information is in the first leg When working beyond the first signal segment itis important that you enter an exact thickness of the material into the EPOCH 4PLUS via the thickness setting Press 2nd F ANGLE THICKNESS and use the 4 y and gt keys to enter the proper thickness You can also use the function keys to quickly select preset value
77. THICK 8 66 mm PULSE ECHO TIME 12 23 GATE START WIDTH LEVEL ALARM i 4 BAMHZ 1 38 955 14 344 112 OFF Z 810 32 15 295 OFF OFF A PALA ee Figure91 Adjusting DGS AVG Calculations This screen allows the operator to adjust portions of the DGS AVG calculations used to draw the curves This makes DGS AVG setups for a transducer useful for multiple test pieces 9 13 5 Relative Attenuation Measurement Several methods for measuring the ultrasonic attenuation within a material are available Often the procedure is designed to measure absolute attenuation in a material This usually requires an immersion test setup and a time consuming set of measurements For the purpose of flaw sizing with the DGS AVG method it may be suitable under many conditions to measure relative attenuation in your test piece or calibration block as needed This section describes one method of relative attenuation measurement that is simple and has been found to be generally effective There may be more suitable methods available and the operator must decide the most appropriate method to arrive at the values for ACVSPEC and ACVCALBLK based on the application and local requirements 9 13 5 1 Measurements A Vo Gain difference between two successive backwall echoes d and 2d AV From DGS AVG diagram Gain difference on backwall curve from d to 2d 9 13 5 2 Calculations AV AV AV Sound Attenuation Coefficient a A V 2d 1000 dB m Part 910 250C
78. Test Modest tre tas ed 36 44S Narrowband Filters coi Aa a 36 4 4 6 Pulser Type Selection nonan car pa a a a abe 38 4 4 7 Pulser Frequency Selecione dat ds dis 39 5 Managing Special Waveform Functions 0 oooomooo 41 Bull A Au a cM nee aaa Tue a A tates ae thao COND de ore AY 4 5 2 Peak Memory edisi wie A AA A ee eee cee a 41 33 Peak old dada aa 42 5 4 Screen Freeze c2ceetidiacdoniGerige a As ti 42 6 Using the Gales 2 in cecil i eee eee eee eee eee kee 45 6 1 Pesitioning Gate sota epi iii ete sve ees 45 6 2 Posiionime Gale Llana ds wes 45 6 3 Taking Thickness Readings 2 5 5 cuaiv nid a bias Cesc ee a vane 46 6 4 Taking Echo to Echo Thickness Readings 0 e eee ee eee 47 6 5 Locating Flaws with an Angle Beam Transducer 0 000 005 48 6 6 Measuring Signal Amplitude 2 5 e229 nnn 2540809440 A Baek 49 6 7 Operating Time of Flight TOF Mode 0 0 50 6 8 Using the Zoom Peature nso ee ewrGj a a ewe 51 69 Activating Gate Alarms oc c ac vores eee Stee ie Soa A eS 52 6 9 1 Threshold Alarms coi aia hada 52 6 9 2 Minimum Depth Alar ida oa ee 53 6 9 3 Minimum Depth Alarm with a Single Gate o o ooo o 53 6 9 4 Minimum Depth Alarm in the Echo to Echo Measurement Mode 54 6 9 5 Alarm Condition Storage is 54 Table of Contents 7 Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS ooocoocoococrrnn 55 TA Getting Started cito pa da a RA Pande ped
79. The gain can be manually adjusted using the SCAN DB key F4 This function adds or subtracts gain from a Reference Gain level See section 4 3 for details on adjusting Reference Gain 3 Once the peak amplitude is displayed on the screen use the A max key F2 to assign this peak amplitude value as A nax Note the value of the peak amplitude in FSH 4 Move the transducer towards the potential defect until the peak has dropped to Ya the value of A ax in FSH on the leading edge of the signal Press T F2 to collect the 6 dB drop position of the leading peak and assign this value as T4 5 Move the transducer away from the potential defect until the peak has dropped to Y the value of A pax in FSH on the trailing edge of the signal Press T F2 to collect the 6 dB drop position of the trailing peak and assign this value as T The crack size indication appears at the top right corner of the live A Scan display REF 27 7 BRANGE 1 888in CURRENT AMP 48 0 655 8 463 B 463 in 100 T Figure 112 Crack Size Indication 157 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 17 6 158 5 REF 27 7 8 BRANGE 1 000in 0 5635 B CURRENT AMP 20 0 398 6 398 in 100 E i TTT A 88 3 E A F 60 API REF 27 7 QRANGE 1 000in CURRENT AMP 287 0 766 0 542 942 inl 108 di 0 851115 A F 80 60 Figure 114 Crack Size Indication cont To inspect
80. This mode allows the EPOCH 4PLUS to fully discharge the AA battery EPOCH 4PLUS always defaults to the AA Battery Off mode EPOCH 4PLUS 3 1 Part 910 250C Managing Basic Operations Managing Basic Operations This chapter describes how to get started with basic EPOCH 4PLUS operations Topics are as follows e Powering up e Using the Keypad e Summarizing Keypad Functions Managing the Display e Setting up Parameters e Customizing Colors Powering up LCD Screen Adjustment Pressing ON OFF causes an initial beep from the unit and then a series of relay clicks The display lights up and the unit goes through a self test for five 5 seconds Note You can do a Master Reset on the EPOCH 4PLUS during power up Press and hold EDIT and then turn the unit on Do not release EDIT until the screen lights up with a Powerup Reset prompt box Press OPTION to cancel master reset and the unit will proceed to the live screen Otherwise press ENTER to continue Use the slewing keys to move the highlight bar over the desired selection Parameters Resets the unit s parameters to the factory settings Database Erases the EPOCH 4PLUS s memory Parameters Database Completes both above operations Use the slewing keys to highlight your selection and press ENTER An appears Press OPTION to complete the MASTER RESET and proceed to the live screen With LCD screen adjustment you can adjust the screen for maximum view
81. To edit one of these files move the highlight bar over the desired file by using the up and down arrow keys Once the file is highlighted press EDIT gt 2 4 6 CURRENT AMP 962 AMP MAX TEST eo 05 181 09 00 INSPECT_ CLEAR aT INSERT DELETE SWAP EXIT Figure 42 Editing the File Directory To clear the file s contents follow these steps 1 Pressing F1 prompts you to enter one of the following a Press F1 to clear the data thickness readings waveforms memos etc from the file This action leaves the ID codes of the data in place You can then opt to begin saving new data to these same ID codes b Press F2 to clear the data plus the ID codes This leaves the file completely blank but leaves the file name and location in place You can then opt to save new data to this file after entering a new initial ID code c Press F3 to clear the entire file This action removes all date and ID information and deletes the file name 79 EPOCH 4PLUS 80 2 Press F4 to abort To insert a new file follow these steps 1 Pressing F2 prompts you to enter one of the following a Press F1 to insert a new file A blank file is then be inserted before the highlighted selected file b Press F2 to abort To delete the file follow these steps 1 Pressing F3 prompts you to enter one of the following a Press F1 to delete the file The file is deleted an
82. UE Software ista iss ees A 151 9 17 4 Calibrating to a Reference Standard 0 0 152 9 17 5 Crack Sizing With API 5UE ur sei oes sica vores Sou nes 156 9 17 6 API 5UE and the EPOCH 4PLUS Datalogger 158 Appendix A SpecificatiOnS ooooooocncoonrnm o 159 Appendix B Sound Velocities ooooooorrnrnnrarmm 163 Appendix C Glossary ii aaa ees 165 Appendix D Cable Diagrams 00 cee eee eee 173 Appendix E Parts List stickies aa ee tie ewe ies gs 175 Documentation Comments Part 910 250C EPOCH 4Plus 1 1 Part 910 250C Preface Preface The preface provides the following introductory topics Product Description About this Document Audience Typographic Conventions Related Documentation If You have Documentation Comments Revision History Technical Help Product Description The EPOCH 4PLUS is a lightweight portable flaw detector offering ultrasonic performance resolution and documentation capabilities with a color display that has special advantages over basic traditional displays You can choose from eight 8 colors for screen text A Scan waveform gates Peak Memory DAC and TVG curve and more Improvements over previous models include Compatible with EMAT transducers using a frequency range of 1 to 5 MHz resolving echoes from parts as thin as 0 080 inches 2 mm and as thick as 5 inches 125 mm Capable of storing
83. a proper reading on a very thin material Position Gate 1 so that the first backwall echo from the known thickness step is exceeding the gate threshold Adjust the gain setting so that the echo amplitude is approximately 80 MEA ir ES RANG 1 B8B in se 0 293 MIN DEPTH B in as eat i 40 26 Bi e a E a 6 8 14 CAL Y FULLWAVE 6 8 MHz ZERO ENERGY LOW ANG DAMP 5 y PULSER SQUARE THICK 6 866 in PULSE ECHO FREQ 5 BBMHZ GATE START WIDTH LEVEL ALARM 1 4 149 a 37 2 OFF 4 185 A OFF OFF LF a dE 70 A dB 36 6 dB 46 6 dB 66 6 dB Figure 18 Calibrating for a Thin Block Using a Straight Beam Transducer 5 A thickness reading appears in large text above the A Scan Once a steady reading is achieved press ZERO OFFSET The screen freezes and a pop up box appears on the screen Use the alphanumeric keypad to enter the exact known thickness of the test sample For this example press 2 0 0 The entry appears in the pop up box If you enter an incorrect number press 0 multiple times to clear the entry and then type the correct thickness ENTER VALUE FOR THIN STANDARD 000 201 Figure19 Entering a Thin Standard Value Press CALIBRATION The display returns to the live A Scan Couple the transducer to the THICK calibration block step For this example the transducer is coupled to the 0 500 step Position Gate 1 so that the first backwall echo from the known thickness step is
84. a separate crack or to collect new data for the same crack press CLEAR F5 and follow the steps above to inspect again Note At any time during an inspection in either Envelope Mode or Manual Mode it is possible to re calibrate the instrument Press the RE CAL key F1 to enter calibration mode and follow the steps in Calibrating to a Reference Standard to re calibrate the EPOCH 4PLUS API 5UE and the EPOCH 4PLUS Datalogger API SUE calibrations and inspection data can be stored easily using the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger If data is saved using the SAVE THICK key the instrument saves only the file name ID and captured indication depth from standard thickness measurement If data is saved using the SAVE WAVE key the instrument saves the file name ID reference values for A max T1 T2 and reference notch height indication values for A max T4 T and indication crack height all instrument setup parameters and the A Scan Data may be transferred to a PC for storage and reporting via the EPOCH 4PLUS GageView Pro interface program Appendix A Specifications Part 910 250C DISPLA Y GRATICULE DISPLAY UPDATE RATE SENSITIVITY SELF CALIBRATION AUTO CALIBRATION REJECT UNITS MATERIAL VELOCITY ZERO OFFSET RANGE DISTANCE READOUT REFRACTED ANGLE GATE START GATE WIDTH GATE LEVEL ZOOM Appendix A Specifications 320 pixels W x 240 pixels H color Liquid Crystal Display LCD Split screen al
85. ace echo is NOT automatically moved to the left side of the screen in this mode INTERFAC GAT gt PROCESS BB2 4 GAIN 30 db RANGE 5 000in 1 030 E in gf MIN DEPTH 1 822 SETUP IF Figure 74 Setup Mode Select the Run mode after you set the gate positions The Interface echo the echo breaking the Interface Gate remains on the left side of the screen at the zero point at all times This results in the Zero Offset or delay of the instrument changing dynamically If Peak detection mode is active the peak of the signal is at the 0 point If Edge is active the edge of the signal where it breaks the gate is at the 0 point Using Software Options MIN DEPTH 1 022 100 sa es INTERFAC GAT gt PROCESS 882 4 GAIN 38 8dB RANGE 5 000in 1 030 S in gE A ee Paul Taba mentee A ae E A AX SETUPTIF Figure 75 Run Mode 9 10 Floating Gate The Floating Gate software option is used to track the peak echo amplitude at either the 6 dB or 12 dB point of the echo Using the Floating Gate option provides a more consistent and accurate thickness reading particularly when using the Edge Depth mode Use the Floating Gate option in either peak depth or Edge Depth modes In Edge Depth mode the Floating Gate tracks the highest amplitude echo breaking the gate but takes the measurement from the left most echoes breaking the gate 9 10 1 Activating Floating Gate To activate the Floating G
86. ack of the unit at the bottom that secure the battery door cover 3 Remove the battery door cover exposing the battery 4 Slide out the battery from the bottom of the unit Install the replacement battery by reversing these steps Tip The battery has a notch on one end and fits into the unit only one way Charging the Battery Note Charge EPOCH 4PLUS batteries with the EP4 MCA Charger Adapter only There is no on off or line voltage selector switch The Charger Adapter automatically turns on when AC power is applied You can charge the EPOCH 4PLUS battery either internally in the unit or externally using a stand alone charging base To charge the battery internally follow these steps 2 6 Part 910 250C Operating the Power Supply 1 Plug the EP4 MCA Charger Adapter into an AC main line 2 Plug the output cable directly into the receptacle on the right side of the EPOCH 4PLUS To ensure complete charging charge batteries with the EPOCH 4PLUS turned off If the EPOCH 4PLUS is turned on while connected to an AC line the battery charges at a slower rate When the unit is powered on and connected to the charger the battery symbol will continuously cycle from empty to full to indicate the battery is charging Once the battery reaches approximately 85 capacity the symbol will stop cycling and remain full Charge the unit for another hour in order to achieve full capacity You can also charge the EPOCH 4PLUS battery ou
87. activated and set to be either positive or negative threshold detection by pressing pra GATE 1 ALARM 1 and following the prompts When the JIS DAC mode is active the amplitude level of a gated signal is always displayed as a percentage DAC or dB DAC with respect to the selected curve If a different curve is selected the displayed amplitude changes accordingly Saving and Recalling DAC Curves DAC curves are saved and recalled in the same manner as any general waveform calibration With DAC mode active use the SAVE WAVE key to save the entire setup in the datalogger When a setup that was stored with a DAC curve is recalled the instrument automatically comes up in the DAC mode 9 2 4 9 2 5 9 3 Part 910 250C Using Software Options Setting Alarms in DAC Mode Y ou can use the gates to set alarms while DAC is active When using the ASME or ASME 3 DAC modes all alarms are referenced to the primary curve When using the JIS DAC mode alarms are referenced to the highlighted alarm curve For example any DAC alarm can be set by using the positive threshold alarm on either Gate 1 or Gate 2 Any echo that falls within the gate and exceeds the DAC level triggers the alarm The alarm is triggered only if an echo exceeds the portion of the DAC curve immediately above the gate This same rule applies to the use of the minimum depth and negative threshold alarms while in DAC Note Alarms do not function in the area outsid
88. adequately encompass the entire peak envelope and set GATE LEVEL to less than half the peak amplitude height in FSH 6 Press the COLLECT key F2 to collect A max T1 and T from the peak envelope The crack size indication d appears at the top right corner of the live A Scan display REF 27 7 GRANGE 1 B8Bin CURRENT AMP Z 4 in ar MEA 80 By Oa A etre E A A AA AA EU a MER som P 6 A A AOTAN CTAA N RN API 40 PENES SI NEER TEET TA OO EO ENS N 20 nono AS RE CAL Figure 111 Collection 9 17 5 2 Part 910 250C Using Software Options To inspecta separate crack or to collect new data for the same crack press the CLEAR key F5 and follow the steps above to inspect again Manual Mode Manual Mode may also be used in crack sizing This mode allows the operator to manually select the A max T1 and T points from a live A Scan to obtain a crack depth indication The data collection process in Manual Mode is similar to the process described above for Manual Mode calibration Once the API SUE software has been properly calibrated to a reference notch use the following steps to size a crack using Envelope Mode 1 Find the signal from the potential defect and bring it to maximum amplitude see API s Recommended Practice 5UE for crack scanning and inspection requirements 2 Ifnecessary use the AUTO80 feature F5 to bring the peak amplitude to 80 of FSH Note
89. ading edge of the signal while others may require measuring to the peak of the signal To take a thickness reading assuming that the EPOCH 4PLUS is properly calibrated follow these steps 1 Position Gate 1 Since Gate 1 is used to obtain single echo thickness readings it must be positioned correctly To obtain a thickness reading the appropriate echo on the display must exceed the gate threshold Make sure the Gate 1 start is less than the minimum expected thickness value and that the Gate 1 width exceeds the maximum expected value Note When used for thickness gaging Gate 1 level should be set just high enough to avoid false readings When used for flaw detection Gate 1 should be set according to the appropriate acceptance and rejection criteria 2 Select the Measurement mode The EPOCH 4PLUS can measure to either the leading edge or the peak of a signal 3 Press DEPTH AMPL to select the appropriate mode The following selections will appear in the function boxes below the A Scan display F1 EDGE F2 PEAK F3 AMP F4 TOGGLE The F4 TOGGLE selection appears only when the unit has a refracted angle entered and when either the peak or edge mode is selected 4 Press F4 multiple times to select which of the soundpath readings depth surface distance or total soundpath is displayed in large bold text 5 Select F1 or F2 to put the EPOCH 4PLUS in the corresponding Depth Measurement mode 6 Select F3 to put the E
90. amping setting fine tunes the EPOCH 4PLUS to operate with a particular transducer selection Depending on the transducer being used the various damping settings either improve near surface resolution or improve the instrument s penetration power To select a damping option follow these steps 1 Press PULSER to access the damping parameter 35 EPOCH 4PLUS 4 4 4 4 4 5 36 2 Use the function keys for direct access or the 4 and y keys to toggle through the four available damping selections Test Mode The EPOCH 4PLUS can operate in three test modes Pulse Echo Mode Single element transducers Use either transducer connector Through Mode Two separate transducers typically on opposite sides of the test specimen Use the red transducer connector as the transmitter Dual Mode Pitch and Catch One connector acts as a transmitter the other acts as a receiver The red transducer connector is designated as the transmitter To select a Test mode follow these steps 1 Press PULSER to access the test mode parameter 2 Use the function keys for direct access or the 4 and y keys to toggle through the three selections Note To compensate for the one way soundpath in Through mode the EPOCH 4PLUS does not divide transit time by two when calculating thickness measurements Narrowband Filters The EPOCH 4PLUS has a 25 MHz bandwidth at 3 dB broadband frequency spectrum The instrument can opera
91. amplitude ring down echoes from a weld nugget When sound travels through a clean and well sized nugget virtually all of the sonic energy passes through the weld nugget and is returned to the transducer creating a ring down pattern However if the nugget size is smaller than expected some sound energy will not transmit into the weld nugget and will instead reflect from the backwall of the first sheet and return to the transducer This effect is related to echo spacing in that this partially reflected sound creates echoes that are more frequent than the ring down pattern of aGOOD weld condition However since this is usually only a small amount of sound reflected from the first metal sheet these echoes are lower in amplitude than the expected ring down echoes These smaller peaks between larger peaks indicate an UNDERSIZED weld nugget This characterization technique is the reason Spotweld transducer diameter must be matched to nugget size for comprehensive inspections 107 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 8 2 4 108 Spotweld Assistant The EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Assistant software addresses the three main evaluation criteria using an automated customizable algorithm to provide on screen weld characterizations On activation the Spotweld Assistant software requires the operator to store a known UNWELD condition and a known GOOD weld condition for reference The operator is then able to go directly to an inspection using the Spotweld Assistant de
92. arrier is normally liable for damage in shipment Preserve packing materials waybills and other shipping documentation in order to establish damage claims After notifying the carrier contact Olympus NDT so that we may assist in the damage claims and provide replacement equipment if necessary Olympus NDT guarantees the EPOCH 4PLUS to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year twelve months from date of shipment This warranty only covers equipment that has been used in a proper manner as described in this instruction manual and has not been subjected to excessive abuse attempted unauthorized repair or modification DURING THIS WARRANTY PERIOD Olympus NDT LIABILITY IS STRICTLY LIMITED TO REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF A DEFECTIVE UNIT AT ITS OPTION Olympus NDT does not warrant the EPOCH 4PLUS to be suitable of intended use or fitness for any particular application or purpose Olympus NDT accepts no liability for consequential or incidental damages including damage to property and or personal injury In addition to our standard one year warranty Olympus NDT also offers an optional two year warranty call for further details This warranty does not include transducers transducer cables or battery The customer will pay shipping expense to the Olympus NDT plant for warranty repair Olympus NDT will pay for the return of the repaired equipment For instruments not under warranty the customer will pay shipping ex
93. as an outline or a filled in trace Peak Hold The Peak Hold function is similar to Peak Memory as it captures the current screen that is displayed on the EPOCH 4PLUS when the function is accessed The difference is that with Peak Hold the captured waveform is frozen on the screen and will not update even if the live waveform exceeds the frozen waveform s amplitude Peak Hold is useful when an operator wants to obtain a waveform from a known sample and compare it to a waveform from an unknown test piece Similarities and or differences in the waveforms can be noted to help determine the unknown material s acceptability status Note The Peak Hold function cannot be activated in the unrectified RF display To activate Peak Hold follow these steps 1 Obtain an echo on the EPOCH 4PLUS screen that you want to capture 2 Press 2nd F PEAK MEM PEAK HOLD This captures the screen and still allows viewing of the live waveform A PH appears on the right side of the A Scan display indicating the function is active 3 Select the captured waveform to view as a single trace by pressing F1 or as a filled in trace by pressing F2 4 Press 2nd F PEAK MEM PEAK HOLD again to shut off Peak Hold Screen Freeze The Screen Freeze function holds or freezes the information on the screen at the moment FREEZE is pressed Once the Freeze function is activated the pulser receiver of the EPOCH 4PLUS becomes inactive and
94. as many as 6 000 A Scans or 120 000 thickness readings Calibration and test data can be labelled with a 16 character alphanumeric file name with up to 500 files In addition the editing feature allows IDs to be deleted or cleared for future use A handy memo feature allows unlimited comment and data description entries A memory display screen makes it possible to review the contents of any file by scrolling through the actual data prior to deleting or recalling the information Any stored data can be sent directly from the EPOCH 4PLUS to the optional EPOCH 4PLUS GageView PRO Interface Program which makes it easy to save view send or move data from application to application Updated benefits of the EPOCH 4PLUS include the following 25 MHz bandwidth user selectable narrowband filters optional low and high PRF rates of 30 Hz and 1 000 Hz and the option to select a tunable square wave pulser or negative spike pulser The EPOCH 4PLUS also has an automatic transducer calibration function to determine material velocity and zero offset The light weight of the EPOCH 4PLUS 5 7 lbs 2 6 Kg and the comfortable ergonomic design make it ideal for field inspectors with demanding applications The compact Nickel Metal Hydride battery pack provides six 6 hours of operation under normal operating conditions and requires recharge times of less than three 3 hours A large numeric display provides an instantaneous readout of material thickness sound
95. ate follow these steps 1 Press OPTION 2 Use the slewing keys to select the Floating Gate menu and press ENTER 3 Select the desired gate s and choose the 6 dB or 12 dB position The default setting is Off which means that the particular gate will not float and instead can be adjusted at the live screen through the gate level parameter Part 910 250C 125 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 10 2 126 IF GATE 6dB 12dB 00 800 008 Figure 76 Selecting 6 dB from the Floating Gate Menu 4 Press OPTION to exit the menu and return to the live screen after the selections are made Note The IF GATE selection in the Floating Gate menu can only be adjusted if the Interface Gate option is enabled and previously turned on in the Option menu When Floating Gate is active the gate level display in the parameter section of the EPOCH 4PLUS screen shows the setting for that particular gate The figure below details an example in which Gate 1 is floating at the 6 dB point and Gate 2 at the 12 dB point GATE START WIDTH LEVEL ALARM j 1 4 968 4 612 6dB OFF 2 2 935 8 588 12dB OFF Figure 77 Gate 1 Floating at 6 dB Gate 2 Floating at 12 dB Operating in 6 dB Mode In 6 dB mode the desired gate floats at 6 dB below the peak echo amplitude in the gate This corresponds to 50 of the echo s maximum height The screen below depicts Gate 1 with Floating Gate active in the 6 dB mode Note that the gate is exact
96. between the Gate 1 start position and Gate 2 start position 9 9 4 9 9 5 Part 910 250C Using Software Options Note The Interface Gate option is not valid if the EPOCH 4PLUS standard Echo Echo mode is activated Also Interface Gate cannot be turned on or off while the screen is frozen Managing Gate Positioning and Alarms When the Interface Gate option is activated the Interface Gate is visible on the screen This gate is in addition to Gate 1 always displayed and Gate 2 can be turned on or off The three gates differ in appearance as illustrated below Interface Gate Gate 1 Gate 2 Figure73 Gate Appearances The Interface Gate should be positioned in the region where you expect to detect the interface echo generated from the reflection at the boundary of the water path and the front surface of the test material Set a proper gate width and level to ensure this echo continues to break the gate threshold It is common to set a negative logic threshold alarm on the Interface Gate This position results in an alarm being triggered if the interface echo falls out of the Interface Gate Gate 1 is generally used as an internal flaw gate Gate 1 is commonly positioned to cover the area where you expect to detect echoes from internal flaws in the test material Pay attention to the start width and level of the gate as the echo height and location corresponds to flaw size You can choose to set a positive logic t
97. charge A completely filled battery symbol relates directly to the charge remaining on the battery A symbol that is half filled means that the battery is 50 charged All batteries show some rebound effects so the initial reading appears higher than the actual amount This is temporary a stable battery reading can be obtained after 1 2 minutes of operation EPOCH 4PLUS 2 3 2 4 2 5 Operating Time for the Battery The EPOCH 4PLUS operating time on battery power varies depending on the display type and use conditions Using a 360 Hz measurement rate allows a minimum of four 4 hours Operation and a measurement rate of 30 Hz provides up to six 6 hours operation The pulser must be set to square wave at 5 MHz high power settings to achieve maximum battery operating time Instrument settings can also affect battery life Note It may initially take several cycles of complete charging and discharging of the battery to bring the battery to full capacity This conditioning process is normal for NiMH batteries Replacing the Battery Warning The EPOCH 4PLUS Charger Adapter is designed to charge EPOCH 4PLUS batteries only DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CHARGE ANY OTHER BATTERIES Doing so may cause an explosion and injury Do not attempt to charge other electronic equipment This will cause permanent damage To replace the battery follow these steps 1 Turn the unit over so that the display is face down 2 Loosen the two screws on the b
98. ct a High Pass Filter setting below the transducer frequency being used and select a Low Pass Filter setting above the transducer frequency being used For example if a 10 MHz transducer is being used a High Pass Filter Setting of 8 0 MHz and a Low Pass Filter Setting of 12 0 MHz may provide the best signal to noise ratio Due to down shifting of frequency and other material variations you may need to adjust the filter selection when actually testing a material in order to maximize ultrasonic performance Note To select a single filter setting suitable for a wide range of transducer frequencies select the ByPass setting for both Low and High Pass Filter settings This results in the EPOCH 4PLUS operating in a broadband mode with a bandwidth of 25 MHz at 3 dB In this mode the filter selections do not have to be adjusted when a different transducer is used However the signal to noise performance of the instrument is better if filters are used to help eliminate noise from outside the test frequency spectrum To select the Low and High Pass Filter settings follow these steps 1 Press PULSER multiple times until the desired filter selection is highlighted or press 2ND F PULSER FILTER to go directly to the filter selections 2 Use the function keys for direct access to the preset selection oruse 4 and y keys to change the selection Pulser Type Selection The EPOCH 4PLUS is equipped with both a negative spike excitation pu
99. ction Note If at any time the operator needs to delete a point during DAC setup the DEL PT key F4 deletes the last point taken for the DAC curve If the operator needs to delete ALL points taken for a particular DAC setup the DEL ALL key F3 deletes all points taken during setup These functions are accessible only during DAC curve setup Once the 20 80 DAC curve is completed the operator can toggle between DAC and TVG views manipulate RANGE ZERO OFFSET and ANGLE and add necessary scanning gain or transfer correction 20 80 DAC also incorporates reference correction functionality if desired Custom DAC Curves Option The Advanced DAC TVG software option features a customizable DAC curve setup that allows operators to define up to three additional reference curves from the primary curve at varying levels from 24 dB to 6 dB The Custom DAC Curves option is ideal for unique sizing inspections and procedure development The Custom DAC Curves function also allows the option of either a straight line connection or a curved polynomial connection of each point of the DAC curve to meet various international or customer requirements To activate and set up the customized curves follow the steps below 1 Select the CUSTOM feature from the ADV DAC TVG option in the Options Menu by highlighting the function and pressing ENTER Press OPTION to display the CUSTOM DAC CURVE menu 2 Inthe CUSTOM DAC CURVE menu use the UP and DOWN s
100. ction data can be easily stored in the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger If data is stored using the SA VE THICK key the instrument will store only the file name ID and measurement value soundpath distance time NOT the DAC or TVG amplitude dB comparison value If data is stored using the SAVE WAVE key the instrument will store the file name ID measurement value soundpath distance time DAC TVG evaluation amplitude or dB Curve Adjustment Gain level active function name ASME ASME 3 Custom all instrument setup parameters including scanning gain and or reference correction settings and the live A Scan with the DAC or TVG curve overlaid In the case of a TVG Table setup pressing SAVE WAVE will also save the full TVG Table for reference When a saved setup is recalled from the datalogger the instrument will display the recalled setup in FREEZE Mode on the screen All parameters including DAC TVG setups and the TVG Table are applied to the instrument However the operator CANNOT edit DAC TVG points or customize the TVG Table Low Pulse Repetition Frequency LPRF Pulse Repetition Frequency PRF is a measure of how often the transducer is being pulsed by the electronic circuitry in the EPOCH 4PLUS The standard PRF setting of the EPOCH 4PLUS is Auto where the PRF changes automatically from 60 Hz to 360 Hz depending on the range setting For some applications it may be necessary to lower the PRF rate below 60 Hz to avoid a
101. ctions covered under the American Welding Society Structural Welding Code for steel This code provides inspectors with a method to classify discontinuities found in welds using ultrasonic inspection This code uses the following formula to develop an indication rating for a reflector found during an inspection A B C D where A Discontinuity Indication Level dB B Reference Indication Level dB C Attenuation Factor 2 soundpath in inches 1 inch dB D Indication Rating dB As an AWS inspector you must take the Indication Rating D that is calculated based on A B and C to an Ultrasonic Acceptance Rejection Criteria table produced by the AWS in order to classify the severity of the discontinuity When performing an inspection you are required to develop an AWS report that lists the values for all variables above as well as transducer information discontinuity length and location and your overall evaluation of the discontinuity For further details regarding the test equipment methods interpretation and classification requirements for these inspections refer to the AWS Code Book AWS and the EPOCH 4PLUS Olympus NDT developed the AWS D1 1 software option for the EPOCH 4PLUS to simplify your tasks and lower the overall inspection time This is accomplished by having the EPOCH 4PLUS perform some required calculations automatically and also by allowing you to document discontinuities in the EPOCH 4PLUS s datal
102. d the remaining files move up one location b Press F2 to abort To swap the file location follow these steps 1 Press F4 and use the up and down arrow keys to select the new location for the file 2 Press F1 to swap desired files The two files selected exchange places in the file directory 3 Press F2 to abort To exit the edit function follow these steps 1 Press F5 to exit the edit function You will still be in the Memory screen 2 Press F5 again to return to the live screen Editing the File Contents Portion of the Memory Screen When thickness readings and waveforms are saved in the datalogger they are saved to an individual file The contents of these files is displayed in the File Contents portion of the Memory Screen To edit individual ID codes in these files follow these steps 1 Use the slewing keys to move the highlight bar over the desired file in the File Directory lower portion of the Memory screen 2 Press F1 to enter the File Contents screen upper portion of the Memory screen 3 Use the slewing keys to review the file contents The current ID code either a waveform or a thickness reading is continuously displayed and updated at the top of the screen as you scroll through the file Part 910 250C Managing the Datalogger and Data Communication Features 4 Press EDIT when the desired ID code is displayed Jal m7 UA NA on f I I I I 1
103. de between the leading edges of the two selected signals Indicates the Peak Memory function is active Indicates the Peak Hold function is active Indicates the display is frozen because the Freeze function is active Indicates the Zoom function is active to expand the region within the flaw gate to full screen width Indicates the gate alarm is tripped Indicates Time Varied Gain is active Indicates Distance Amplitude Correction is active Indicates Curved Surface Correction is active Indicates Spotweld Overlay is active Indicates Spotweld Assistant is active Indicates Interface Gate is active Indicates Wave Analysis is active Indicates AWS software is active Indicates Auto Freeze option is active Indicates Backwall Echo Attenuation is active Indicates API software is active Indicates either Low PRF or High PRF Option is active Indicates DGS Distance Gain Sizing is active Indicates the remaining battery life in the unit The battery level is constantly displayed in the lower right corner of the display 3 7 Setting up Parameters The EPOCH 4PLUS Setup screen allows you to select basic system parameters To access the Setup screen press OPTION Move the highlight bar over Setup and press ENTER The following screen appears Part 910 250C 23 EPOCH 4PLUS 3 7 1 3 7 2 24 LANGUAGE UNIT lo ANALOG OUT CLOCK ADVANCED USER P RS232 SETUP La VGA ON BEEP ON GRID OFF ALL L
104. de layer buildup on the inner diameter of metal pipes For this application it is generally recommended to use Olympus NDT M116 or V116 transducers 9 12 1 Part 910 250C Using Software Options Note Surface preparation is almost always required for proper coupling The measurement is accomplished when you move two cursors individually along the waveform The software then calculates the time distance thickness between these two measurement points along with the dB difference between them The waveform can either be frozen or live during the measurement In addition the software is valid in any rectified mode including RF mode Activating the Wave Analysis Software The Wave Analysis software is enabled in the EPOCH 4PLUS through the Option Security key similar to the other software options To activate the Wave Analysis software follow these steps 1 Press OPTION 2 Press 4 or y and ENTER to select the Wave Analysis option gt p gt gt gt SPOTHELD gt IF GATE gt B SCAN fe DGS be FLOATING GATE EDIT PARAMETR I gt WAVE ANALYSIS EXPANDED MEM m Gl AUTO 88 al OPTION EXIT Figure 80 Selecting Wave Analysis from the Options Menu 3 Select On 4 Press OPTION to exit the menu and return to the live screen Note Wave Analysis is not valid with other software options in the EPOCH 4PLUS suchas DAC TVG and Interface Gate When Wave Analysis is active the gates on th
105. determine ID crack size d Amax T2 T1 k where d Imperfection size 149 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 17 2 150 Amax Maximum amplitude returned from defect area usually 80 T 6 dB drop point from leading peak of A pax distance or time 6 dB drop point from trailing peak of A max distance or time k Constant calculated from calibration to a reference notch During an inspection using the ADDT method from the API 5UE practice a potentially rejectable crack is found and inspected to find its peak amplitude This amplitude is then set to 80 of full screen height FSH and designated as A max The transducer is then moved towards the crack until the signal has dropped 6 dB or to one half 2 the screen height of A max This position is noted as T The transducer is then moved away from the crack until the signal has dropped 6 dB on the other side of A max This position is noted as T gt Using these measurements along with a k factor constant calculated during calibration the crack size d is calculated and recorded GAIN 25 2dB RANGE i Baain CURRENT AMP 80 gt 0 448 4 0 448 in We Saar ee ee Figure 102 Inspection For further details regarding this calculation along with the calculation of the k factor constant please refer to APT s Recommended Practice SUE specification API 5UE and the EPOCH 4PLUS The API 5UE software option for the EPOCH 4PLUS greatly reduces the number of Operations ne
106. differentiate porosity from material grain structure The Backwall Echo Attenuator is used to bring the entire backwall signal on screen to be closely monitored by the operator Activating the Backwall Echo Attenuator The Backwall Echo Attenuator is on OPTION Menu under MORE OPTIONS To activate the option follow the steps below 1 Press OPTION 2 Select MORE OPTIONS from the OPTION menu and press ENTER 3 Highlight BEA and press ENTER 4 Use the slewing keys to highlight ON and press ENTER 9 14 3 Part 910 250C Using Software Options 5 Press OPTION to exit the OPTION menu TVG ADY DACS TVG PRF csc SPOTWELD IF GATE DGS FLOATING GATE EDIT PARAMETR WAVE ANALYSIS AWS D1 1 AUTO FREEZE DYNAMIC COLOR MORE OPTIONS que un OPTION EXIT y ener 8 BBBin IN_DEPTH 0 008 Figure92 Options When the Backwall Echo Attenuator is activated the letters BEA appear at the right side of the display GATE 2 is automatically activated and cannot be turned off unless BEA is turned off first Operating Backwall Echo Attenuator Once activated the Backwall Echo Attenuator option displays a base gain level at the upper right corner of the live A Scan This base gain level displays the independent gain within the screen range after GATE 2 START Initially this base gain level is activated to show the same gain level as the primary gain control If the primary gain control co
107. directly underneath the display is made up of five function keys F1 F2 F3 F4 and F5 Part 910 250C Managing Basic Operations When an operator accesses a parameter from the main keypad preset value s are displayed at the bottom of the screen Each preset value has a corresponding function key For example press RANGE to view various preset range values at the bottom of the display Press any one of the function keys to set the range to that displayed value The main keypad is laid out with functional grouping of keys for easy identification The main keypad is divided in two sections The right side of the keypad which resembles a telephone keypad is used exclusively for datalogging purposes The left side of the keypad contains the primary operating keys of the EPOCH 4PLUS Most parameters on the EPOCH 4PLUS can be directly accessed by pressing the appropriately labelled key Some parameters are second functions These can be accessed by first pressing 2nd F and then the desired function The second function is written directly above the key For example to access ZOOM press 2nd F and then RANGE Once you access a parameter change it through one of two methods Use the function keys to directly access preset values Alternately use the green slewing keys 4 1 y 1 4 and gt to change the parameter in smaller increments ALARM 1 ALARH E er Es F 4 C 4 FREEZE
108. e check its value If thickness measurements are to be made over a wide temperature range we strongly recommend the use of Olympus NDT dual transducers that are designed for high temperature applications and that have built in delay lines with a stable sound velocity that does not change significantly with temperature Specific recommendations are Olympus NDT D790 SM and D791 dual element transducers To calibrate using a Dual Element transducer follow these steps 1 Follow the initial set up procedure outlined in Section 7 2 Connect the transducer to an appropriate cable and then connect the cable to the transducer posts on the EPOCH 4PLUS Change the Test mode to Dual Also when using a dual element transducer the Gain setting is generally set very high so that the leading edge of the backwall echoes appear as nearly vertical lines on the screen The leading edge is then used when making thickness measurements For this reason the EPOCH 4PLUS should be set to EDGE Detection mode Press CALIBRATION A Cal symbol appears to the right of the A Scan signifying the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the Auto Calibration mode To exit the Auto Calibration mode at any point press ENTER Couple the transducer to the THIN calibration block step For this example the transducer will be coupled to the 0 100 step As noted above a higher Gain setting is required to produce a clean leading edge of the signal Do not be concerned with the jagged peaks of
109. e 127 9 10 4 Using Gate Alarms sea a ts E A Saw owe 128 Curved Surface Correction coco paria ad ne pac 128 WAYS SS A as 128 9 12 1 Activating the Wave Analysis Software oooooooooooooo 129 9 12 2 Moving the Cursors 2 eve riada di bi 130 Onboard DGS AV Goa n aai de A 8 A AT A we a oe 131 9 13 1 Description ni tei sestnbeide dave dl a rabia rd Rees 131 913 2 Option AchVaulGny sts SAA AS AA 131 9N3 3 Operation ieren aie di da A eked oes 137 9 13 4 DGS AVG and the EPOCH 4PLUS Datalogger 138 9 13 5 Relative Attenuation Measurement 0 0 0 0 00000 139 Backwall Echo Attenuator ois ova E Cela fey AA 140 9 141 Descriptions es hade tdt ida 140 9 14 2 Activating the Backwall Echo Attenuator 4 140 9 14 3 Operating Backwall Echo Attenuator oooooooooomoomo 141 Table of Contents 9 14 4 BEA and the EPOCH 4PLUS Datalogger oo ooooomoooo 142 9 15 Auto Pre ze id ad A E A OTA Re eee Ar ues 143 ILMO AS ER AS a SSRN AAN A wes 146 9 16 1 AWS and the EPOCH 4PLUS 0 00 eee eee 146 9 16 2 Operating the AWS D1 1 Software 0 000005 146 9 16 3 Adding Scanning Gait 2c 626 wig ou fa Od eles Bed a A 148 9 16 4 Calculating A and C Values 0 0 cee eee ee eee 148 9 17 APLSUE datada arta ta 149 ATL Description esprrdim torreta ddd a bt tia a 149 9 17 2 API 5UE and the EPOCH 4PLUS 0 5 ce tu etal Gta ees 150 9 17 3 Activating the API S
110. e Backwall This can be the backwall from a calibration block or from the sample to be tested If the backwall echo from a calibration block is used then it is important that the block is made of the same material as the test piece and the soundpath distance is similar to the expected soundpath distances in the test piece This reflector can only be used with normal incidence transducers e Side Drilled Hole This is a common reference defect A side drilled hole is used for the sensitivity calibration of an angle beam transducer during a standard shear wave calibration e K1 IIW Block Arc This is the 4 100 mm arc on an IIW block This reflector can be used only with angle beam transducers e K2 DSC Block Arc This is the 2 50 mm arc on a DSC block This reflector can be used only with angle beam transducers e Flat Bottom Hole Specialized blocks with flat bottom holes are made for both normal incidence and angle beam transducers Part 910 250C 133 EPOCH 4PLUS 134 The Reference Reflector Menu is shown below GANG 24 148 RANGE 100 00mm 38 06 REJECT 8 MIN DEPTH 37 97 Mm i SELECT REFERENCE REFLECTOR BACKWALL SIDE DRILLED HOLE K1 IIW BLOCK ARC K2 DSC BLOCK ARC FLAT BOTTOM HOLE VEL 6326 ZERO 1 745 ANGLE E CAMP Hea PU THICK 6 66 mm PULSE ECHO FREQ 2 GATE START WIDTH LEVEL ALARM 1 RETO 14 950 14 2 OFF 2 214 64 15 814 OFF OFF eS Figure 84 Reference Reflector Menu The operator na
111. e Displays the waveform e Inthe background a numbered graticule shows signal amplitude on the vertical axis and screen division number or the function presets on the horizontal axis To view the screen divisions instead of the function presets press 2nd F then ZERO OFFSET DIV e On the right side of the waveform display a set of display flags and markers appears when certain functions are active Bottom of the screen e Displays the preset values for many of the parameters These are accessed via the function keys e The battery level icon is constantly displayed in the bottom right corner Split Screen Display The split screen display presents a condensed waveform and a status display that shows all instrument set up data This screen is useful when establishing the initial instrument settings as it enables you to quickly check all set up information and make adjustments while viewing the waveform display Even in the split screen mode the A Scan still has enough resolution to produce accurate waveforms To display a split screen follow these steps 21 EPOCH 4PLUS 1 Press DISPLAY to toggle the display to the split screen AE a nasaa 4 AEAEE 2 000 in 0 270 REJECT 2 MIN DEPTH 8 278 in B0 peie 4 60 4 40 mo Desa 2010000 Bi B 4 6 8 18 VEL FULLWAYE 6 5 8 5 MHZ ZERO ENERGY LOW ANGLE 5 DAMP 58 PULS SQUARE THICK 6 666 in PULSE ECHO FREQ 18 88MHz GATE START WIDTH LEVEL
112. e aves 55 7 2 Calibrating with a Straight Beam Transducer 0 0 00 00000 56 7 3 Calibrating with a Delay Line Transducer 0 0 0 0 e eee eee 59 7 4 Calibrating with a Dual Element Transducer 0 0000 000 61 7 5 Calibrating with an Angle Beam Transducer 0 000000 e eee 64 7 5 1 Locating the Beam Index Point B LP o ooo ooooooo 65 7 5 2 Verifying the Refracted Angle Beta oooooooooomooo o 66 7 5 3 Calibrating for Distance 2 0 eee 67 7 5 4 Calibrating for Sensitivity pinta ested ee Hee ee ee 69 8 Managing the Datalogger and Data Communication Features 71 8 1 Defining the Datalogger Storage Capacity 0 0 eee eee eee 71 8 2 Using the Memory Screen 2 cde ee bd cepa eee ee nd Capa eed wane 72 8 3 Using the Alphanumeric Keypad 0 cece eee eee 73 8 4 Creating Files and Identifier ID Codes 0 0 0 0 0 0 eee eee 74 8 5 Saving Waveforms and Thickness Readings 00 000 eee eee 75 8 6 Incrementing ID Codes tua data 76 8 7 Recalling Transducer Calibrations and Waveforms 5 T11 8 8 Saving and Recalling Quick Recall Calibrati0nS ooo oooooooo o 78 8 9 Creatina MEMOS 3 500242 A bet lea A ee eee ee eee E os 78 10 Editing a Ple conta ida cadens oe a AR aes ae 79 9 Using Software Options scort a A 83 9 1 Defining Active Inactive Options cra pp oe pata 83 9 2 Distance Amplitude Correc
113. e display disappear and are replaced with Cursor A and Cursor B as shown in the figure below 129 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 12 2 130 SCALE gt BOILER TUBE GAIN 46 1dB RANGE 6 818in Di D 013 DB VALUE 12 Idb in mar 20 oo o 7 Sere Se AA pene hk F Cursor A ee Wy Cursor B p 80 189 5 CURSOR A CURSOR B Figure81 Viewing Changes on Display when Wave Analysis is Active When Wave Analysis is active notice DB VALUE replaces MIN DEPTH at the top of the screen DB VALUE shows the difference in dB between the two cursors while the thickness value in the Top Right corner shows the difference in thickness between the two Cursors Moving the Cursors To move Cursor A and Cursor B follow these steps 1 Select F1 to access Cursor A 2 Select F2 to access Cursor B 3 Press 4 y and gt to move the cursors along the waveform The distance and dB difference between the two cursors is continually displayed at the top of the screen Note Cursor A always resides in front of Cursor B Measurements and Cursor Position in RF mode e If Cursor A and Cursor B are both in the positive lobe of the RF waveform the dB difference and Thickness values will be displayed e If Cursor A and Cursor B are both in the negative lobe of the RF waveform the dB difference and Thickness values will be displayed e IfCursor A and Cursor B are in opposite lob
114. e of the DAC curve Exiting DAC Mode To clear the DAC curve and return to the normal operation follow these steps 1 Press OPTION 2 Use the slewing keys to highlight the DAC selection and press ENTER to go into the DAC setup Use the slewing keys to highlight Off and press ENTER 4 Press OPTION to return to the A Scan display Time Varied Gain TVG The Time Varied Gain TVG option compensates or corrects for the changes in echo amplitude from equal sized reflectors at different distances due to material attenuation and beam spreading When TVG is properly set up equal sized reflectors produce indications of equal screen height regardless of their distance TVG has a dynamic range of 40 dB with a minimum echo height of approximately 5 Note the following items when using the TVG option e In version 1 04 and higher of the operating software TVG is active in all display modes RF Full Wave Half Wave and Half Wave e Inversion 1 04 and higher the zoom function is active with TVG e TVG and DAC may not be activated simultaneously e Up to 20 TVG calibration points may be programmed separated by a minimum of 0 52 microseconds approximately 0 06 or 1 5 mm at longitudinal velocity in steel e The minimum full screen range must be set greater than approximately 1 25 mm at longitudinal velocity of steel to activate TVG After a TVG curve is set up it is possible to zoom in to smaller range ranges than 1
115. e steps 1 Move the highlight bar over Clock and press ENTER 2 Use the slewing keys and the datalogging keys to enter the correct date mode date and time 3 Press F1 to set or F2 to cancel the updated settings 25 EPOCH 4PLUS 3 7 5 26 Advanced User Several EPOCH 4PLUS functions can be customized with either a standard setting or an advanced setting for users needing additional flexibility and control All functions are reset to the standard setting with an instrument Master Reset or when it initially ships from the factory To change to the advanced user settings follow these steps 1 Move the highlight bar over Advanced User and press ENTER 2 Use the slewing keys and ENTER to select or deselect the individual setting signifies the advanced user setting has been selected 3 Press OPTION to exit X Value The X Value Correction feature is used during angle beam inspections to account for the distance between the front of the wedge and the Beam Index Point B I P which is the location at which focused sound energy leaves the wedge and enters the material This is useful as it adjusts the surface distance value of the soundpath calculator so that the adjusted value corresponds to the distance from the front of the wedge to the location at which the flaw is being detected This allows you to butt the end of a ruler up against the front of the wedge to find the surface distance to the detected flaw
116. e the increment of the gain adjustment desired 2 Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to adjust the Curve Adjustment Gain by the selected increment either positive or negative 91 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 4 3 3 9 4 4 9 4 4 1 92 Transfer Correction Transfer Correction is an adjustment in the Reference Gain setting during calibration of the instrument and is typically added when the surface conditions between a calibration block and test piece are different The coupling conditions on the test surface can often cause signal loss after calibrating a DAC curve which results in inaccurate comparisons of the test reflectors with the calibrated DAC curve The EPOCH 4PLUS can easily adjust for this potential difference by adding transfer correction into the calibrated base gain after completing the DAC curve setup To add transfer correction to a completed DAC curve follow the steps below 1 Press the GAIN key 2 Select either a 0 1 dB or 6 dB adjustment increment using the F1 or F2 keys respectively 3 Use the UP and DOWN slewing keys to adjust the scanning gain by the desired increment The scanning gain is displayed at the upper left of the screen next to the calibrated base gain level 4 Once the desired scanning gain is displayed press the ADD Function Key F3 to add the scanning gain to the base gain and apply the transfer correction Note The gain increment values assigned to the F1 and F2 keys can be customized usi
117. ed Be gat Bd Motion aa tat dca oh 20 3 6 Managing the Display v4 cidsceh see ett ck eteed 2 eeeee eee tet geet 20 3 6 1 Full Screen A Scan Display 20 0 cece eee eee eee 20 3 6 2 Split Ser en Display tada sae Mew ae OSE eA Ga Bybee 21 3 6 3 Display Flags and Markers oe vovs shaw oie tna ev owes o 22 3 7 Setting up Parameters i ce ee oe ia po e a a ad 23 3 7 1 Language Selections pta a E RA E ea 24 3 7 2 Units of Me Um e e o Oe e Sid dd 25 So AMOS UE A LA tt eed 25 Sul TEE as rd 23 3 1 3 Advanced Us cocidas io brida darte Kis oe 26 A A AA aes 2 eon tak 3 haa ao aes 27 Part 910 250C EPOCH 4Plus Sot VGA OupirOn OIt s italia ardid taa 28 3 1 8 Beep On cri A A A eS 28 ILE A erie eee wees tee Wes Mia a eee 28 3 7 10 Keypad Lock Functions so ses Pe eS ek eo ed See A ia 28 Seri Eed Live Warton ti eee olan O exe pees na 29 Bad 12 SEG Peakza ds ds Aa are te a ds ds do td 29 3 7 13 AA Alkaline Battery Selection 0 0 ee eee ee eee 29 4 Adjusting the Pulser Receiver 200 e eee eee eee 31 4 1 Adjusting System Sensitivity 2 0 cece ee eee eee 31 42 Using AUTO 8000s tas eevee weeds AAA E a a vows 31 4 3 Setting a Gain Reference Level and Adding Scanning Gain 33 4 4 Using th Pulser Key moseri E ORAS 34 4 4 1 Waveform Rectification sasssa ea ysues ewes seca be aes 34 AAD Pulser ENETZ a d a 35 AS DAMMAM eds Ledo a ae A 35 444
118. ed on the thin step move the gate over to one of the multiple backwall echoes and enter the correct soundpath thickness 2 3 4 etc multiple of the first backwall echo during the velocity portion of the calibration 7 3 Part 910 250C Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS Calibrating with a Delay Line Transducer The sample delay line calibration described below is performed using Olympus NDT transducer part number V202 RM with a frequency of 10 0 MHz and an element diameter of 0 25 6 mm The calibration requires a test block with two known thicknesses made from the material to be measured Ideally the two thicknesses measurements are both below and above the expected thickness of the material to be inspected For this example we are using Olympus NDT standard 5 step steel test block part number 2214E The steps measure 0 100 0 200 0 300 0 400 and 0 500 Note If the EPOCH 4PLUS is set to work in metric units the calibration process is exactly the same except that the entries below will be in millimeters rather than inches To calibrate using a Delay Line transducer follow these steps 1 Follow the initial set up procedure outlined in Section 7 2 Connect the transducer to an appropriate cable and then connect the cable to either of the transducer posts on the EPOCH 4PLUS With a Zero Offset of 0 000 us the Main Bang or excitation pulse should appear on the left side of the screen Increase the Zero Offset until
119. eded to perform the ADDT test and reduces overall inspection time This is accomplished using the Peak Memory function on the EPOCH 4PLUS to draw a peak envelope of the crack signal and quickly capture the A max T1 and T points using a single key press Using this collected data from the peak envelope the EPOCH 4PLUS performs the necessary calculation using the formula above and displays the crack height in the upper right corner of the screen The EPOCH 4PLUS saves relevant values of the inspected crack in its datalogger for reporting purposes and or transfer to a PC using the GageView Pro interface program Using Software Options a IE PU EA GAIN 25 5dB RANGE 1 800in CURRENT AMP 88 0 645 0 456 4 0 456 in MA ae ee 4 A F P Figure 103 ADDT Test 9 17 3 Activating the API 5UE Software The API 5UE software option is located in the Options Menu under MORE OPTIONS To activate the option enter the API SUE menu and press ENTER A x appears in the menu box indicating that the feature is active You must now enter the height of your reference notch for calibration purposes Use the up and down slewing keys to increase or decrease the highlight reference depth value until the correct value is displayed Press OPTION to exit CURRENT AMP 2 4 in V VYV Y TVG ADY DAC TVG PRF csc SPOTWELD IF GATE DGS FLOATING GATE EDIT PARAMETR WAVE ANALYSIS AWS D1 1 AUTO FREEZE V VVVFVTVTYT
120. een window names dialog boxes and document titles Bold Italics Used for emphasis Bold Square Brackets with Bold Used for instrument keys on the keypad lt Italics gt Angle Brackets With italics text used for variable data gt Used for showing the next sequential step Table 1 Typographic Conventions If You have Documentation Comments Preface Olympus NDT is always interested in improving its documentation We value your comments about this manual and other Olympus NDT documentation Complete the survey atthe back of this manual and send your documentation comments to Olympus NDT by using one of the following methods e Send comments to Olympus NDT Attention Technical Publications e Contact us at pana OlympusNDT com In all your correspondence please include the title of the document its part number release date and the specific section upon which you are commenting EPOCH 4PLUS 1 6 1 7 Revision History This document may require updating because of corrections or changes to the product Publication dates are updated when a change is made to this document In addition the document number is also changed to reflect the revision The table below shows a list of all revisions for this document Date Issue Release version September 2003 910 250A First release July 2005 910 250B Revision December 2005 910 250C Revision Table 2 Revision
121. ees In NDT this usually involves conversion of longitudinal waves into shear waves or surface waves Peaking Up Maximizing the height of any indication displayed on the CRT screen by positioning the main axis of the sound beam directly over the reflector Penetration The ability of the test system to overcome material loss attenuation that is the ability of the sound beam to by pass small reflectors such as grain boundaries and porosity in the specimen Piezoelectric Elements A family of materials such as lead metaniobate quartz lithium sulfate that possess the characteristic ability to produce a A voltage differential across their faces when deformed by an externally applied mechanical force and b A change in their own physical configuration dimensions when an external voltage is applied to them Probe Another name for transducer or search unit Pulse Repetition Rate or Pulse Repetition Frequency The frequency with which the clock circuit sends its trigger pulses to the sweep generator and the transmitter usually quoted in terms of pulses per second pps Range The distance represented by the entire horizontal CRT screen display Receiver That circuit of a flaw detector that receives both the initial pulse voltage from the transmitter and the returning echoes as voltages from the transducer By passing these incoming signals through certain subcircuits the signals are rectified filt
122. el To adjust the minimum acceptable echo spacing use the LEFT and RIGHT slewing arrow keys to compress or expand the vertical echo placement marks on the purple tolerance level line The default minimum acceptable echo spacing is set to allow for nuggets that are between 85 and 100 as thick as the GOOD weld condition Compressing the echo spacing tolerance allows for greater acceptable nugget indentation while expanding the echo spacing requires indentation to adhere more strictly to the reference GOOD condition Once the desired adjustment is made if any press ENTER to complete the Advanced Algorithm Training process To enter inspection mode press the F5 key INSPECT The Spotweld Assistant software dynamically rates unknown weld conditions using the parameters adjusted during the advanced algorithm training process Weld templates can be saved using the Weld Overlay feature described in the INSPECTION MODE BASIC section Spotweld Assistant and the EPOCH 4PLUS Datalogger The EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Assistant software option makes powerful use of the onboard alphanumeric datalogger to easily store recall and save Spotweld transducer setups customized algorithm adjustments and entire inspection plans The onboard datalogger functionality is further enhanced by advanced features in the EROCH 4PLUS interface program Gage View Pro Calibration Files Once the GOOD and UNWELD references have been stored and any advanced algorithm
123. el then add or subtract additional scanning gain After accessing the reference function the gain display will read REF XX X dB 0 0 You can now add scanning gain independent of the reference gain level To add scanning gain follow these steps 1 Press F2 to make adjustments in 6 dB increments The cursor position is to the left of the decimal point 2 Use the 4 and y keys to increment or decrement 3 Press F1 to make adjustments in 0 1 dB increments The cursor position is to the right of the decimal point 4 Use the 4 and y keys to increment or decrement Use the 4 and y keys to increment and decrement the scanning gain Tip Pressing GAIN multiple times is another method to toggle back and forth between the 6 dB and 0 1 dB increments You can add the scanning gain to the reference level toggle between the active scanning gain and 0 dB this is the scan dB feature or turn scanning gain off by pressing the following keys F3 Adds the reference gain and scanning gain together and exits the Reference Level function F4 Scan dB Toggles the scanning gain back and forth from the active scanning gain and 0 dB F5 Exits the Reference Level function without adding the entered scanning gain Prompts are displayed in the function boxes at the bottom of the screen If another parameter is accessed these prompts may change but can be brought up again by pressing 2nd F GAIN REF 33
124. ention is usually focused on the leading edge of an indication By observing the number and location of small peaks along the leading edge of the signal itis possible to make some assumptions regarding the presence and location of different branches of cracking Use the Zoom function to get a much more 51 EPOCH 4PLUS 6 9 6 9 1 52 detailed view of an indication and to make better judgements regarding flaw location and depth Zoom is useful when inspecting particularly large or thick components when detail is lost due to using long screen ranges Use the Zoom function to look at small sections of the test piece without disturbing the instrument s original calibration Activating Gate Alarms The EPOCH 4PLUS features a variety of alarm configurations that can be used in either the Single or Dual Gate modes An alarm on Gate 2 can only be set if Gate 2 is turned on by pressing GATE 2 and then pressing F4 for ON Threshold Alarms Threshold alarms can be set on Gate 1 and or Gate 2 To set a threshold alarm on Gate 1 follow these steps 1 Press GATE 1 and use the start width and level parameters to position the gate over the desired area 2 Press 2nd F GATE 1 ALARM 1 The alarms are displayed in the function boxes at the bottom of the screen 3 Press F1 for positive logic or F2 for negative logic A negative logic alarm indicates a signal is absent from the gate A positive logic alarm indicates a sig
125. enu On screen prompts explain how to adjust the F Key presets values Once the scanning gain is setup press F4 to toggle the scanning gain on and off as necessary When a discontinuity is located within the test piece the EPOCH 4PLUS provides a D value corresponding to the discontinuity However in order to display a D value the gated echo must peak at an amplitude less than 100 FSH Often you will have to press F4 to turn off scanning gain and bring the echo peak on the screen In some cases further gain adjustments are necessary Calculating A and C Values When a gated echo has a peak below 100 FSH the EPOCH 4PLUS automatically calculates the A and C values necessary to provide a D value In order to calculate the A value the EPOCH 4PLUS automatically calculates the required dB value to bring the gated echo to 80 FSH In order to calculate the C value the EPOCH 4PLUS uses the data in the soundpath calculator to generate an attenuation factor Note In order for this calculation to be accurate you must enter the correct thickness for the test piece The EPOCH 4PLUS displays the value for D in the upper right portion of the A Scan waveform display 9 17 9 17 1 Part 910 250C Using Software Options AWSWELD1 _ gt 8661 REF 43 7 RANGE 7 998in 866 REJECT 2 k 3 jm 7 134 bd in Pe s in zus FULLWAYE 8 8 3 8 MHz ZERO us ENERGY MED ANGLE 45 89 DAMP 58 y PULSER SQUARE THICK 1 588 in PU
126. er in single or multiple files locations This data should be stored in file locations 10 or higher which allow for multiple data acquisitions in a single file For instructions on saving inspection data files see Chapter 8 Managing the Datalogger and Communications Settings Once a nugget is inspected and characterized using the Spotweld Assistant and a data file has been properly setup press the SAVE WAVE key to save this weld nugget data A menu appears asking the operator to characterize the quality of the weld nugget Based on the selection from this screen the inspection data will be stored in the datalogger with a weld characteristic stamp either NO STAMP GOOD UNDERSIZED STICK UNWELD THIN BURNT or NO RATING SPOTWELD _ gt 4B GAIN 43 dB RANGE 816in 0 047 MIN DEPT H A B47 in 108 SELECT STAMP TYPE T SAVE NO Hille UNWELD THIN BURNT NO RATING T L CHOOSE STAMP ENTER DONE F1 ABORT Figure 69 Weld Nugget Quality Using Software Options Based on the reference nugget setup and any adjustments to the advanced algorithm parameters the Spotweld Assistant software automatically recommends a weld characterization for an inspected weld nugget The operator based on training and experience can choose to accept or reject that automated characterization To accept the Spotweld Assistant s weld classification press the ENTER key to complete the storage process and continue the inspection To reject the Sp
127. ered and amplified with the results send to the screen for display Reference Echo The echo from a reference reflector Reference Level The number of decibels of calibrated gain which must be set on the instrument to bring the reference reflector signal to peak at the reference line on the screen Reference Line A predetermined horizontal line usually dictated by specifications on the screen representing some percentage of total screen height at which reference echoes and indication echoes are compared 169 EPOCH 4PLUS 170 Term Definition Reference Reflector A reflector of known size geometry at a known distance such as a flat bottom hole Refraction Angle of The angle of sound reflection in the wedge which is equal to the angle of incidence also in the wedge The angle of reflectance is measured from the normal to the reflected sound beam Registration The minimum detectable flaw size Reject Control Also known as suppression it limits the input sensitivity of the amplifier in the receiver Grass or scattering noise can be reduced or eliminated from the screen by its use On most analog instruments it also destroys the vertical linearity relationship between echo heights Resolution The ability of the test system instrument and transducer to distinguish reflectors at slightly different depths Scanning Level The number of dB s of calibrated
128. es of the RF waveform the dB difference value will be blank 9 13 9 13 1 9 13 2 Part 910 250C Using Software Options Onboard DGS AVG Description The Onboard DGS AVG option is a replacement for the old DGS AVG option that has been available in the EPOCH 4 and 4PLUS and that required a PC Interface Program for DGS AVG setups This option allows complete DGS AVG setups to be performed on the instrument The DGS AVG method allows the operator to size defects based on a calculated DGS AVG curve for a given transducer material and reflector size This method requires that the operator only has one reference reflector in order to create a DGS curve for flaw sizing This is much different than the DAC or TVG method which requires that the operator have representative defects at various depths within a part in order to create a curve for flaw sizing To allow the operator to setup DGS AVG curves on the instrument quickly Olympus NDT has developed a transducer library that is stored in the instrument s memory This library contains the entire Atlas Series European specification transducers as well as several other transducers that are commonly used by inspectors The library includes four categories 1 Contact Transducers including protected face 2 Angle Beam Transducers 3 Dual Transducers 4 Custom Transducers Data needed for building DGS AVG curves is stored in the instrument s memory for each transducer in t
129. essing the F1 key displays the frozen waveform overlay of a good weld shown The overlay waveform is filled in similar to the Peak Hold function Pressing F1 a second time toggles the overlay off Pressing F2 F3 F4 or F5 results in a similar operation with their respective reference waveform overlays To store a reference waveform overlay first obtain the desired waveform on the EPOCH 4PLUS screen by coupling the transducer to the known standard Use the FREEZE key to hold the waveform on the screen If the waveform represents a good weld press 2 4F then F1 to store the waveform in the Good location Likewise pra F2 can 9 7 3 Part 910 250C Using Software Options be used to store a reference waveform for an Undersized Weld and paar F3 can be used to store a reference waveform for a Stick Weld and so on A reference waveform can be updated by simply saving over the current saved reference waveform by pressing pare F F1 again The reference waveforms are stored in the battery backed memory of the EPOCH 4PLUS This means they are saved even when the unit is powered off These reference waveforms are kept in these memory locations until new waveforms are saved in the F1 F5 keys or until you recall a file with a different set of saved overlays Accessing Datalogger Storage Datalogger File Locations 1 9 Storage of Waveform Overlays Datalogger file locations 1 9 are also known as
130. eys to adjust the Backwall Echo Attenuator gain up and down This will adjust only the gain within the region covered by GATE 2 Figure 94 Adjusting Backwall Echo Attenuator Gain Note The AUTO80 key F5 is available with Backwall Echo Attenuator as well Pressing F5 will adjust the gain within GATE 2 to bring the captured echo to 80 of full screen height when possible BEA and the EPOCH 4PLUS Datalogger Backwall Echo Attenuator setup parameters and live inspection data can be saved and stored easily using the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger If data is saved using the SAVE THICK key the instrument will save only the file name ID and measurement value from GATE 1 If datais saved using the SAVE WAVE key the instrument will save the file name ID measurement value from GATE 1 the BEA Gain Level indication all other instrument setup parameters and the A Scan This data can be transferred to a PC for storage and reporting via the EPOCH 4PLUS GageView Pro interface program 9 15 Part 910 250C Using Software Options AUTO FREEZE This software option allows you to make the instrument freeze for a specified period of time when a signal breaks a gate on the EPOCH 4PLUS display This option is listed in the Options Menu as shown below SETUP F 5 B0Bin SPOTWELD IF GATE B SCAN FLOATING GATE i i i EDIT PARAMETR y 6 WAVE ANALYSIS ULLWAY AWS D1 1 NERGY LOW AUTO FREEZE JAMP 58 y AUT
131. eys to select preset values or use the 4 y and gt keys to adjust the reject level upward or downward Any signal whose amplitude is less than or equal to the specified reject level is eliminated from the display Peak Memory The Peak Memory function enables the display to capture and store on the screen the amplitude of each display point The display updates each pixel if a signal of greater amplitude is acquired When a transducer is scanned over a reflector the signal envelope echo dynamic as a function of transducer position is held on the screen In addition the current live waveform is displayed at the appropriate place within the echo envelope This function is useful when it is necessary to peak up an indication during an angle beam calibration Note The Peak Memory function cannot be activated in the unrectified RF display mode To activate Peak Memory follow these steps 1 Press PEAK MEM 41 EPOCH 4PLUS 5 3 5 4 42 A P appears at the right side of the display to indicate the function is active 2 Scan over the reflector to acquire the echo envelope Continue to scan slowly until the live waveform peak matches the peak amplitude of the echo envelope When these two points match the signal will be peaked up 3 Press PEAK MEM again to shut off Peak Memory Note The EPOCH 4PLUS software allows you to select whether to view the live waveform and or the Peak Memory echo envelop
132. f 0 25 6 mm The calibration requires a test block with two known thicknesses made from the material to be measured Ideally the two thicknesses should represent thicknesses that are both below and above the expected thickness of the material to be inspected For this example we are using Olympus NDT standard 5 step steel test block part number 2214E It has steps measuring 0 100 0 200 0 300 0 400 and 0 500 Note If the EPOCH 4PLUS is set to work in metric units the calibration process is exactly the same except that the entries below will be in millimeters rather than inches Note Due to the acoustic characteristics of dual transducers a non linearity in the distance calibration occurs as the thickness of the material decreases The point of maximum sensitivity is determined by the roof angle of the particular dual transducer We recommend that the distance calibration is carried out using a step block that covers the range of interest Be careful when interpreting thickness readings made outside the calibrated range The EPOCH 4PLUS does not have V Path Correction therefore there may be some non linearity within the calibrated range depending on the minimum thickness used in the calibration process The zero offset value of dual element transducers can vary significantly at extreme temperatures If the temperature changes more than a few degrees from the temperature at which the zero offset value was established r
133. f Contents Table of Contents Warranty Table of Contents 1 A O ew aw Sea 1 11 Product DES CHDU Ole essri 4 s v4 pa yee d adh pace 1 1 2 About this Document enidad 00 4 sae ede L ade dea AGaa da 2 Lid Aud A A As 2 1 4 Typographic Conventions 0 o e A A A ye es 3 1 5 If You have Documentation Comments 0 000 cece eee eee eee 4 16 Revision HistOry is sheen E Bea ASRS RGSS ores Rea ee 4 1 7 Technical Help ui a pa se a pie ene peed aged wee ds 4 2 Operating the Power Supply 0 0 eee eee eee eee eee ees 5 2 1 sing AC Vane Power sce 2 2 pr ri pee ee eee eee 5 2 2 Using Battery POWE Satan 5 2 3 Operating Time for the Battery 2 2 0002 cee taria dd 6 2 4 Replacing the Battery a con ece pear eee Re tee ow a ead ew es 6 23 Charente Battery AA See oe ADS ee E E a8 ee ne 6 2 6 Using a AA Alkaline Battery 2 2 0 0 0 cb eee eee eee 7 3 Managing Basic Operati0NS 0 ooooooornnnrmnaran 9 3 1 Powering up LCD Screen Adjustment 0 0 0 eee eee eee 9 3 2 Using the Keypad cuotas ana ile td te ia 10 Stl Enter Rey e a eae hek idee te Be a al tele tee 10 3 2 2 Direct Access Operation 0 500 nd is Hoke oe eile A 10 3 3 Summarizing Keypad Functions 0 0 cece ee eee 10 3 3 1 Main Keypad Punctions e is G9 eas aw taa 12 3 3 2 Datalogger Keypad Functions 0 0 0 0 e eee eee eee 15 3 4 Editable Parameters Software 24 04 0064 22 radicada als 17 3 3 A ae tek
134. f Flight Mode e Using the Zoom Feature e Activating Gate Alarms Positioning Gate 1 Gate 1 is the primary flaw gate It provides thickness readings in both the A Scan and unrectified RF displays soundpath data when using an angle beam transducer signal amplitude time of flight data or a trigger for minimum depth or threshold alarms Movement of Gate 1 is controlled via the red GATE 1 key To access the starting position width or level of Gate 1 follow these steps 1 Press GATE 1 2 Press the appropriate function key Tip You can also access the start width and level by pressing GATE 1 multiple times 3 Use the 4 y and gt keys to position the gate Positioning Gate 2 Gate 2 is a secondary gate and is used when making Echo to Echo thickness readings or when multiple alarm gates are required To access Gate 2 follow these steps 1 Press GATE 2 to view Gate 2 controls 2 Press F4 for ON The movement of Gate 2 is done in the same manner as Gate 1 45 EPOCH 4PLUS 3 Press GATE 1 to switch back to control Gate 1 4 To turn Gate 2 off press GATE 2 followed by F4 6 3 Taking Thickness Readings The EPOCH 4PLUS is equipped with a high resolution distance calculator that provides a direct readout of thickness soundpath or Time of Flight data across the top of the A Scan Depth measurements can be made in two different ways Some applications may require measuring to the le
135. fault criteria setups or proceed to the advanced user setup In advanced user setups the operator can customize the rejectable criteria for echo attenuation levels echo spacing specifications and intermediate echo levels ATTENUATION LEVEL VE IGH CURVE ENTER NEAT T LI ADJUST 000 WELD FTAELE ERTER HEHT Figure58 Echo Spacing Setup Using Software Options LAER DEFAULT Figure59 Intermediate Echo Setup Once setup is complete the operator inspects unknown welds When a ring down pattern appears from a weld the Spotweld Assistant displays a weld rating in the upper right corner of the live A Scan that is continuously updated with the readings on the screen When weld inspections are stored to the datalogger this rating is also saved as a file tag and can be either accepted or rejected by the trained operator as a correct weld rating This dynamic rating is a recommendation only and should not substitute for the judgment of a trained professional inspector 9 8 3 Option Activation Prior to activating the EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Assistant option the operator should properly calibrate the instrument for the transducer and material being inspected The Spotweld Assistant option is located in the OPTION Menu under Spotweld To activate the Spotweld Assistant follow the steps below 1 Highlight Spotweld from the OPTION Menu and press ENTER 2 Select ASSISTANT from the Spotweld Menu and press ENTER 3 Use the slewing
136. g keys to highlight the measurement indication and use the UP and Part 910 250C Using Software Options DOWN slewing keys to adjust the measurement A small pointer appears at the top of the live A Scan indicating where on the screen the gain adjustment is being applied This indicator scrolls left or right as the measurement indication is adjusted To adjust the gain level of a TVG point use the RIGHT and LEFT slewing keys to highlight the gain indication and use the UP and DOWN slewing keys to adjust the gain level The TVG slope line will adjust on the live A Scan to indicate the gain level change To add an additional point to the TVG Table use the ADD PT key F1 A new point will be added to the end of the table starting just after the time distance index of the previous point adjustable using the same steps as listed above REF 1 0 QRANGE 5 000in CURRENT AMP 79 REJECT BZ MIN DEPTH 1 000 4 001 in w ENE a SHOE el N VLE WN B 2 4 6 8 14 ADT PT 1 9 458 us 1 000 in dB From REF B 1 18 138 us 2 801 in dB From REF MEME ADD PT INS PT DEL PT DONE Figure 56 Additional Points 10 To insert a point into the TVG Table use the INS PT key F2 A new point will be 11 inserted before whatever point is currently highlighted in time distance This point will be adjustable in the time distance range between its surrounding points and is adjustable using the same steps as listed above
137. gated portion of display to full graticule width 159 EPOCH 4PLUS 160 PEAK MEMORY PEAK HOLD SCREEN FREEZE PULSER TYPE PULSE ENERGY DAMPING RECTIFICATION ANALOG BANDWIDTH FILTER TEST MODES ALARMS MEMORY IDENTIFIERS OPERATING TEMPERATURE STORAGE TEMPERATURE POWER REQUIREMENTS BATTERY BATTERY OPERATING TIME BATTERY RECHARGE TIME BATTERY STATUS TRANSDUCER CABLE CONNECTORS KEYPAD Simultaneous display of live A Scan at 60 Hz update rate and peak envelope of A Scan Freezes Peak Memory echo envelope for waveform comparison with live A Scan Freezes and holds waveform and soundpath display Gates and thickness can be adjusted after the display is frozen Negative spike excitation on a tunable square wave Selectable Low Medium High or Max Selectable settings of 50 63 150 or 400 ohms Full wave half wave positive or negative and unrectified RF settings Broadband 25 MHz at 3 dB Broadband Narrowband or Custom Selectable Low and High Pass filters Pulse Echo Dual or Through Transmission Selectable threshold positive negative or Minimum Depth modes Storage of up to 6 000 waveforms or 120 000 thickness readings 8 character alphanumeric file names with 3 digit file extension and 16 character alphanumeric location codes Memo mode allows entry of comments Edit feature allows delete insert and clear capabilities 0 C to 50 C 0 F to 122 F 0 C to 5
138. h the EPOCH 4PLUS Spares can be purchased Part Description EP4P ADT Advanced DAC TVG software EP4P AWS AWS Weld classification software EP4P APISUE API SUE sizing software EP4P CSC Curved Surface Correction software EP4P HPRF High PRF 1 KHz EP4P LPRF Low PRF 30 Hz EP4P IG Interface Gate software EP4P FG Floating Gate software EP4P BEA Backwall Attenuator software EP4P WAVE Wave Analysis software EP4P AUTOFREEZE AUTOFREEZE software Table E 3 Instrument Software Options 175 EPOCH 4PLUS 176 Part Description EP4P SWA Spotweld Assistant software EP4P SPOTWELD Spotweld Overlay software EP4P DGS AVG Onboard DGS AVG software Table E 3 Instrument Software Options Continued Part Description GAGEVIEW GageView PRO Interface Program PRO KIT USB GAGEVIEW GageView PRO Interface Program software only PRO Table E 4 GageView PRO Interface Program and Accessories Part Description EP4 SC Shipping Case EP4 BAT AA Alkaline Battery Pack includes 10 AA cells EP4 EC External Stand Alone Charger base only requires EPOCH 4PLUS charger EP4 RPC Rubber Protective Carrying Case includes EP4 SS and EP4 CH EP4 SS Sunshade for Rubber Protective Case EP4 CH Chest Harness for Rubber Protective Case EP4 PR Printer 110 120 V Seiko DPU 414 Includes EP4 PR CABLE EP4 PRE Printer 230 240V Sei
139. hat this echo amplitude is approximately 40 A thickness reading appears in large text above the A Scan Note Another echo may be present on the screen at approximately the eighth or ninth screen division Disregard this echo as it is usually the result of beam Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS spreading and sound bouncing off the side of the block Make sure Gate 1 is not over this echo ee sb 996 hee i See eae eat ps B 2 4 6 8 18 VEL 6 1288in fus FULLWAYE B 8 3 8 MHz ZERO 11 00 ENERGY MED ANGLE 45 8 DAMP 58 PULSER SQUARE THICK 6 888 in PULSE ECHO FREQ 2 27MHz GATE AR HIDIH LEVEL ALARM 1 113 292 OFF 2 9 427 a 343 OFF OFF 10 0 dB 70 0 dB 36 6 dB 46 6 dB 66 6 dB Figure 35 Adjusting the Gain 8 Press VEL once the reading is steady The screen freezes and a pop up box appears again on the screen Use the alphanumeric keypad to enter the exact known soundpath distance for this crescent For this example press 9 0 0 0 The entry appears in the pop up box If you enter an incorrect number press 0 multiple times to clear the entry and then type the correct thickness ENTER VALUE FOR THICK STANDARD 009 00 Figure 36 Entering a Thick Standard Value 9 Press ENTER to complete the Auto Calibration The Zero Offset and Velocity parameters adjust automatically and the correct soundpath readings of any gated echoes are displayed on the screen 7 5 4 Calibra
140. he library If an operator would like to use a probe that is not in the default library the operator can enter the required transducer characteristics in the GageView Pro Interface Program and download them to the EPOCH 4PLUS Probes that are downloaded to the instrument appear in the Custom Transducers section of the Transducer library The Onboard DGS AVG option provides the operator with rapid setup time and easy flaw size evaluation This software option has been designed to meet the requirements of EN 583 2 2001 Note Itis extremely important that the operator is familiar with the EN 583 2 2001 specification and others and is qualified according to local standards to properly use this instrument function Since the curves used for defect sizing are calculated based on many variables a proper instrument setup is required for accurate results Option Activation Before activating the DGS AVG option the operator must properly setup the EPOCH 4PLUS Pulser Receiver settings for the transducer to be used The operator should also perform an instrument calibration After the instrument is properly setup and calibrated the operator should take the following steps to activate the DGS AVG option 131 EPOCH 4PLUS 132 STEP 1 The DGS AVG option is activated in the EPOCH 4PLUS Option Menu as shown below 134 72mm CURRENT AMP 812 IN DEPTH 15 58 Y 15 85mm CSC SPOTWELD IF GATE ADV DAC TVG MER FLOATING GATE EDIT PARAMETR WAVE
141. he peak of the highest amplitude echo breaking the Gate 1 threshold is brought to 80 screen height 31 EPOCH 4PLUS 32 1 070 53 HIN DEPTH 1 069 d in y 1 5TART 1 MIDIH 1 LEVEL AUIO B0 Figure 10 Before Activating AUTO 80 To use Auto 80 with Gate 2 follow these steps 1 Press GATE 2 2 Press F4 to turn on the gate if necessary 3 Use the green slewing keys to position the gate over the desired echo Be sure the echo breaks the gate threshold 4 Press F5 The peak of the highest amplitude echo breaking the Gate 1 threshold is brought to 80 screen height Figure 11 DEMO gt B05 GAIN 25 8dB A 4 900 1 070 sl A PIN DEPTH Hp 869 in START 1 WIDTH 1 LEVEL AU TO 80 After Activating AUTO 80 4 3 Part 910 250C Adjusting the Pulser Receiver Note You can use AUTO 80 when an echo exceeds the desired amplitude The echo can be either above or below 80 full screen height If a signal is above 80 screen height the EPOCH 4PLUS reduces gain in a series of repetitions until the signal peaks at 80 Occasionally for very high amplitudes above 500 full screen height you may need to press the F5 key a second time Setting a Gain Reference Level and Adding Scanning Gain To establish the current system gain as the reference base level press 2nd F GAIN REF This is useful for inspections that require you to establish a reference gain lev
142. hreshold alarm on Gate 1 This results in an alarm being triggered if an echo breaks the Gate 1 threshold indicating a possible critical flaw Gate 2 is generally used to monitor the backwall echo of the test material Gate 2 is commonly positioned to cover the area where you expect to detect the echo from the material backwall Pay attention to the start width and level of the gate to ensure the backwall echo is captured You can set a negative logic threshold alarm on Gate 2 This position results in an alarm being triggered if the backwall echo falls out of the gate This could indicate an obstruction flaw in the sound wave propagation that may prevent a backwall echo from being received by the instrument Defining Gate Commands When the Interface Gate is active press GATE 1 to view the Interface Gate controls on the function bar menu of the EPOCH 4PLUS Note Press GATE 1 at any time to bring these controls back to the function bar 123 EPOCH 4PLUS 124 START 1 WIDTH 1 LEVEL GATE11F SETUPSIF F1 Selects Gatel or Interface Gate Start use slewing keys to adjust position F2 Selects Gatel or Interface Gate Width use slewing keys to adjust position F3 Selects Gatel or Interface Gate Level use slewing keys to adjust position F4 Toggles between controlling the Interface Gate or Gate 1 F5 Toggles between Setup mode and Run mode The Setup mode sets up the instrument s parameters and gate positions The Interf
143. ic Engineering New York John Wiley amp Sons Inc 1965 Handbook of Chemistry and Physics Cleveland Ohio Chemical Rubber Co 1963 4 Mason W P Physical Acoustics and the Properties of Solids New York D Van Nostrand Co 1958 5 Papadakis E P Panametrics unpublished notes 1972 Appendix C Glossary Part 910 250C Term Appendix C Glossary Definition Acoustic Impedance A material property defined as the product of sound velocity C and the materials density d Acoustic Interface The boundary between two media of different acoustic impedance Acoustic Zero The point on the CRT display that represents the entry surface of the specimen Amplifier An electronic device that increases the strength of a signal fed into it by obtaining power from a source other than the input signal Amplitude Referring to an indication on the CRT screen the vertical height of an indication measured from the lowest to the highest point on the indication In wave motion the maximum displacement of the particles of the material Angle Beam Transducer A transducer that transmits or receives the acoustic energy at an angle to the surface to set up shear waves or surface waves in the part being inspected A Scan Pulse echo format wherein the CRT display shows the pulse travel time in the horizontal direction left to right representing the corresponding sound paths The vertical d
144. in signal power usually expressed as the ratio of the output power for example of an amplifier to the input power in decibels Gain Control Selects the amount of calibrated gain dB available within the instrument Usually consists of a coarse gain control additions at 20 dB increments and a fine gain additions at 1 or 2 dB increments Gate An electronic baseline display used to electronically monitor portions of the displayed range with reference to distance or amplitude 167 EPOCH 4PLUS 168 Term Definition Hertz Hz The derived unit of frequency defined as the frequency of a periodic phenomenon of which the period is one second equal to one cycle per second Symbol Hz 1 Kilohertz KHz 10 cycles per second 1 Megahertz Mhz 10 cycles per second Horizontal A The smaller length if rectangular of the actual crystal The software will compute the affective length automatically Immersion Testing A test method useful for testing irregularly shaped parts in which the part to be tested is immersed in water or other liquid so that the liquid acts as a couplant The search unit is also immersed in the liquid but not in contact with the part being tested Incidence Angle of The angle between a sound beam striking an acoustic interface and the normal that is perpendicular to the surface at that point Usually designated by the Greek symbol alpha
145. ing the slewing keys and capture the reflector using the TVG key F1 If setting up a TVG Table without capturing reference points proceed directly to Step 5 4 Use the slewing keys to position GATE 1 around each additional reflector and press the TVG key F1 to capture reflectors and bring each to 80 of FSH A line will appear to visually indicate the rate of change of the gain across the defined screen range 5 Once each point is captured the operator can use the EDIT PTS key F5 to enter the TVG Table mode and edit or delete existing points or add new points The operator can also use the DONE key F2 to complete the TVG setup process and begin inspection Note that once the DONE key F2 has been pressed the operator cannot enter the TVG Table mode and edit points This function must be performed during the initial TVG setup The TVG table displays each point from left to right on the screen in sequential order from top to bottom in the table The point s corresponding soundpath time in usec distance measurement in inches or millimeters if applicable and gain level are displayed across the screen 6 Toscroll through TVG Table points press ENTER If there are more points than can fit in the table on screen press the PAGE key F4 to see subsequent point ranges Up to fifty TVG points may be stored in a setup 7 To adjust the reference point location of a particular TVG point use the RIGHT and LEFT slewin
146. ing under the harshest and most extreme lighting conditions Note Brightness settings affect battery life A minimum brightness setting results in approximately seven 7 hours running time a maximum brightness results in approximately four 4 hours To adjust the screen follow these steps 1 Press 2nd F CALIBRATION BRIGHTNESS 2 Use the slewing keys to adjust the setting BRIGHTNESS Depending on sunlight conditions you may need to adjust the brightness of the LCD to maximize the screen EPOCH 4PLUS 3 2 3 2 1 3 2 2 3 3 10 visibility You can slew through a wide range of the adjustment to optimize the display Using the Keypad The most commonly used keys on the keypad Gain Freeze Save Enter and Slewing Keys are close to your left thumb The keypad is grouped and color coded according to function The outlined section of yellow keys on the left side of the keypad is used primarily for calibrating The separate group of grey keys on top are the function keys designed to provide easy access to preset parameter values The EPOCH 4PLUS also has extensive data storage features controlled by the datalogger keys at the right side of the keypad Enter Key While you can access most functions directly via the instrument keypad you can change all essential ultrasonic controls by using of the ENTER key and one of the four green slewing keys 4 y 4 and gt This method provides control of virtua
147. inspection This mode requires the activation of the PEAK MEMORY function To activate the PEAK MEMORY function press the orange PEAK MEM key on the EPOCH 4PLUS keypad The letter P appears to the right of the live A Scan display Once the PEAK MEMORY function is activated calibrate the instrument using the following steps 1 Find the signal from the reference notch and move the transducer back and forth around the reference notch to create a peak envelope 2 Adjust your screen range to adequately encompass the entire peak envelope Capture the width of the envelope with GATE 1 setting the gate level to under 40 4 Use the AUTO80 key F5 to bring the maximum height of the peak envelope to 80 of FSH 9 17 4 2 Part 910 250C 5 Use the COLLECT key F1 to calibrate the instrument Using Software Options Se ae da E GAIN 25 2dB RANGE 1 800 in CURRENT AMP 88 0 633 0 449 4 0 449in 100 ACA y 80 a O OOOO F P 68 Poncnnomoon ares n Mes EN con 10 6 a e Po mm Ms ina aaa AE COLLECT Figure 106 Envelope Mode ais oa GAIN 25 2dB RANGE 1 8B8Bin CURRENT AMP 882 0 635 0 449 4 0 449in 108 Figure 107 Envelope Mode cont The EPOCH 4PLUS automatically collects A max T1 and T and calculates a k factor from the known reference height These three collected values A pax T1 and T3 are displayed on the screen in their respective positions using x marks
148. ion may involve an on line type approach with the test material moving steadily past a stationary transducer or vice versa If the front surface of the test material is not uniform a slight difference in the water path distance may result The Interface Gate option graphically compensates for the change in water path distance between the test material and transducer When the option is activated a third gate Interface Gate is visible on the EPOCH 4PLUS display You can position this Interface Gate in the area where you expect to detect the interface echo The interface echo is a result of the sound energy reflection at the interface between the water path and the front surface of the test material The advantage of using the Interface Gate is that it maintains the interface echo on the left side of the EPOCH 4PLUS screen regardless of the water path distance The instrument s flaw gates Gates 1 and 2 automatically track the location of the Interface Gate 121 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 9 1 9 9 2 9 9 3 122 Activating the Interface Gate To activate the Interface Gate follow these steps Press OPTION Use the slewing keys to select the IF GATE sub menu and press ENTER Select On Select either Standard or Echo Echo mode AE ee eh ES Press OPTION to exit the menu and return to the live screen STANDARD ECHO ECHO Figure 72 Selecting Parameters from the Interface Gate Menu Operating in Standard Mode
149. ion mode follow these steps 1 Press PULSER once to display the current screen rectification This is highlighted and displayed at the bottom of the screen 4 4 2 4 4 3 Part 910 250C Adjusting the Pulser Receiver 2 Use the function keys for direct access or the 4 and y keys to toggle through the different waveform rectification modes Pulser Energy The EPOCH 4PLUS has four 4 pulser energy settings depending upon test conditions e Low 100 V e Medium 200 V e High 300 V e Max 400 V Tip Generally the lower pulser energy settings is used for thin materials while the higher settings are used for thicker materials and or highly attenuating materials To select a pulser setting follow these steps 1 Press PULSER to access the energy level settings In the split screen mode the pulser energy level is highlighted on the lower half of the screen 2 Use the function keys for direct access or the 4 and y keys to toggle among the four selections Damping The damping control lets you optimize the waveform shape for high resolution measurements via an internal resistive circuit There are four damping settings e 50 ohms e 63 ohms e 150 ohms e 400 ohms Tip Generally the lowest ohm setting increases the system damping and improves near surface resolution while the highest ohm setting decreases system damping and improves the instrument penetration power Selecting the correct d
150. irection bottom to top displays the maximum value of the acoustic pressure echo amplitude received by the probe Attenuation The loss in acoustic energy that occurs between any two points of travel This loss may be due to absorption reflection and other phenomena Attenuation M L A The loss of sound pressure in a travelling wavefront caused by the scattering of some of the wave s sound pressure by the grain structure and or porosity of the medium and by absorption a conversion of sound energy into heat Back or Backwall Echo The echo received from the side of the specimen opposite the side to which the transducer is coupled This echo represents the thickness of the specimen at that point Background Noise Extraneous signals caused by sources within the ultrasonic testing system and the material being tested 165 EPOCH 4PLUS Term Definition Beam Index Point The point on the base of an angle beam probe s wedge from which the sound leaves the wedge and enters the specimen Cal Block Velocity Material sound velocity for the calibration block Couplant A material usually a liquid or gel used between the transducer and the test specimen to eliminate air from this space and thus facilitate the passage of sound waves into and out of the specimen Critical Defect Either the largest tolerable defect or the smallest intolerable defect The critical defect size is usually
151. ition is set to cover a range below the minimum depth alarm value Press 2nd F GATE 1 ALARM 1 to display the alarms in the function boxes at the bottom of the screen Press F3 to activate the minimum depth alarm Use the 4 y and gt keys to set the desired minimum value The range of minimum depth values is limited by the gate start and width settings The minimum depth alarm value must be greater than the gate start value and less than the gate width value Once activated a marker appears on the gate to indicate the current setting Any indication that exceeds the gate threshold to the left of the marker will activate the alarm Press 2nd F GATE 1 ALARM 1 and then press F4 to shut off the alarm 53 EPOCH 4PLUS 6 9 4 6 9 5 54 Minimum Depth Alarm in the Echo to Echo Measurement Mode Use the minimum depth alarm when making Echo to Echo thickness readings In Echo to Echo mode the minimum depth marker appears on Gate 2 To set the minimum depth alarm when in Echo to Echo mode follow these steps 1 Position Gate 1 and Gate 2 over the desired areas See Taking Echo to Echo Thickness Readings on page 3 Be sure the start position of Gate 2 is setto cover a range below the minimum depth value that will be used for the alarm Press 2nd F DEPT H AMP ECHO ECHO to activate the Echo to Echo Measurement mode Press 2nd F GATE 2 ALARM 2 to activate the alarm Press F3 to select
152. ividual IDs and corresponding measurement values as well as thickness readings e Waveforms Press SAVE WAVE to save all waveform data and setup parameters in the datalogger These IDs can be recalled to the live screen to restore the instrument s settings to what they were when the calibration waveform was initially saved Data is saved in the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger in the currently displayed file and tagged with the ID code displayed on the screen The ID code automatically increments to the next ID in preparation for saving additional data See Incrementing ID Codes on page 6 To save thickness readings and waveforms to a different file already created in the EPOCH 4PLUS or a completely new file return to the Memory screen and position the highlight bar over the desired filename or on a newly created filename When you return to the live screen the EPOCH 4PLUS saves data to whichever file was highlighted when the Memory screen was exited The file name is also displayed on the top left portion of the live screen 75 EPOCH 4PLUS 8 6 76 Note Every time the EPOCH 4PLUS is initially turned on the next available blank file is displayed The top left portion of the screen displays a blank line indicating that no file has been selected If you enter an ID and then attempt to start saving data the EPOCH 4PLUS automatically creates a new file name where the data is stored The file is named UNTITLED XXX where the extension incremen
153. key to exitthis HELP screen and return the setup process UNWELD ONE s F1 TO TRAIN STORE THE SERES COUPEE SNOW OD WELD IF AVAILABLE PND gt TO TRAIN THE SPOTWELD AS ANT AND STORE THE 600D WELD TEMPLATE MERA 5 F4 TO ENTER THE ADYANCED SETUP PR ZE OR CONTINUE TO STEP 4 STEP 4 PR FS TO EXIT SETUP MODE AND BEGIN INSEP ING SPOTWELDS Figure 62 Help Inspection Mode Basic Once both GOOD and UNWELD reference conditions are stored during setup of the Spotweld Assistant software the operator can proceed directly to the inspection of unknown weld conditions In the inspection mode the operator simply interrogates the unknown weld nuggets and a weld rating is displayed at the top right corner of the screen This rating is based on default echo attenuation echo spacing and intermediate echo tolerances as well as the GOOD and UNWELD reference conditions stored during setup To enter the inspection mode from the setup screen press the F5 function key labelled INSPECT In addition to the dynamic weld rating automatically displayed on screen the EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Assistant software allows the operator to store weld condition templates and overlay these templates with a live signal for comparative purposes This is the same functionality as the EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Overlay software option described in Section 9 7 The operator can recall the GOOD and UNWELD reference conditions from the setup mode and can also sto
154. keys to select ON from the list and press ENTER to turn the function on 4 Tocomplete activation press OPTION to exit the menu and begin using the Spotweld Assistant Part 910 250C 109 EPOCH 4PLUS OPTIONS SETUP 16 DAC AIN DEPTH p AAA TVG ADV DAC TYG PRE SPOTWELD SPOTWELD IF GATE OVERLAY DGS FLOATING GATE RAMETR Figure 60 Completed Activation 9 8 4 Reference Weld Setup After activating the EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Assistant software option the operator sets up the reference conditions for a known GOOD and UNWELD pattern The storage of these two reference waveforms provides the basic parameters for the dynamic weld rating algorithm Before storing these reference waveforms it is necessary to adjust the screen range and gain so that a clear and complete inspection of the ring down pattern can occur Usually the gain is adjusted so that the first echo from the weld nugget reaches approximately 80 of full screen height The range is set so that the ring down pattern can be observed through multiple reflections The screen range fora GOOD weld should show the full attenuation of the multiple echoes and usually include range beyond the last noticeable echo 21 BdB RANGE 4 8 MIN DEP A y da i i Pi UNWELD 5600D ADYANCED Figure61 Range 110 9 8 4 1 Part 910 250C Using Software Options AUTOFREEZE Spotweld reflections can be difficult to capture and maintain especia
155. ko DPU 414 includes EP4 PR CABLE EP4 PR CABLE Printer Cable for EP4 PR and EP4 PRE EP4 PP Printer Paper 5 Rolls EP4 DP E Screen Protective Cover Qty 10 EP4 C 15VGA 6 VGA Cable 6 0 ft EP4 C 25PRL 6 Parallel Port Cable 25 pin to 25 pin Table E 5 Optional Hardware Accessories Documentation Comments Olympus NDT is always interested in improving its documentation Please complete this questionnaire and return your responses to Olympus NDT pana OlympusNDT com Attention NDT Marketing Dept Technical Publications You can also fax your comments to Marketing Dept Technical Publications Note The following questionnaire is from the Society for Technical Communication and Revision Checklist from Technical Writing Seventh Edition Document Title Document Number Documentation Usability Ratings In the sections that follow please rate the usability of the document according to the following rating system 1 Poor 2 BelowAverage 3 Average 4 Above Average 5 Excellent Audience and purpose Is the purpose of this manual clearly stated 1 2 3 4 Does the document fulfill the purpose 1 2 3 4 Is the audience clearly defined 1 2 3 4 Does the document meet audience needs 1 2 3 4 Organization Do the instructions follow the exact sequence of steps 1 2 3 4 Is the organization appropriate and logical 1 2 3 4 Are the headings specific and helpful 1 2
156. l and mark the side of the transducer wedge directly over the 0 mark on the block This is the BIP the point at which the sound leaves the wedge and enters the material with maximum energy Verifying the Refracted Angle Beta The refracted angle of the probe should already have been entered in the EPOCH 4PLUS in the initial steps of the calibration procedure Although the wedge may be marked 45 for example the actual refracted angle may be slightly different due to the properties of the test material or the amount of wear on the wedge It is necessary to verify the actual angle This ensures the EPOCH 4PLUS s soundpath calculations are accurate To verify the refracted angle follow these steps 1 Position the probe over the appropriate angle mark on the block which is 45 in this example Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS 45o 60 IW TYPE 1 REFERENCE NA Figure 32 Verifying the Refracted Angle 2 Move the probe backward and forward to peak up the echo coming from the large circular hole in the side of the block The circular hole may be filled with Plexiglas but the procedure is the same Tip The Peak Memory feature on the EPOCH 4PLUS is an excellent tool to aid in finding the peak of the signal 3 Hold the probe stationary once you have peaked up the signal Note the degree mark on the block that lines up with the BIP which you marked on the side of the wedge in the previous step This is
157. lection from the 4 arc this should be the first large echo after the Main Bang is exceeding the gate threshold Adjust the gain setting so that the echo amplitude is approximately 80 A thickness reading appears in large text above the A Scan sL T CAC EER ANGE 16 880in 3 476 REJECT 8 2 4 846 3 476 in 80 j 90 i E CAL ant m 20 8 2 4 6 8 18 VEL 1288in us FULLWAVE 8 8 3 8 MHz ZERO 11 88 us ENERGY MED ANGLE 45 82 DAMP 50 9 THICK 6 668 in PULSE ECHO GATE START WIDTH LEVEL 1 4 300 1 113 292 0 543 OFF 1 2 4 502 4 543 OFF 16 86 dB 26 6 dB 38 6 dB 46 8 dB 68 6 dB Figure 33 Calibrating for Distance 5 Press ZERO OFFSET once the reading is steady The screen freezes and a pop up box appears on the screen Use the alphanumeric keypad to enter the exact known soundpath distance for this arc For this example press 4 0 0 0 The entry appears in the pop up box If you enter an incorrect number press 0 multiple times to clear the entry and then type the correct thickness ENTER VALUE FOR THIN STANDARD 004 000 Figure 34 Entering a Thin Standard Value 6 Press CALIBRATION The display returns to the live A Scan Position Gate 1 so that the echo from the 1 crescent is exceeding the gate threshold This echo is generally located at approximately the ninth or tenth screen division and is usually the 3rd echo after the Main Bang Adjust the Gain setting so t
158. leg of measurement Thickness Soundpath values Edge or Peak Depth mode Current and Maximum Amplitude data Amplitude mode or Time of Flight data Microsecond mode e Complete Waveform Parameter Setup All data listed in the Thickness Reading section Waveform screen Peak Memory echo envelope or Peak Hold frozen waveform if selected Complete setup parameters Flag status Freeze Zoom Peak Memory etc e Memo User defined memo typed via alphanumeric keypad The EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger can store a maximum combination of 120 000 thickness readings or 6 000 waveforms The EPOCH 4PLUS can save information in 500 separate files The first nine files are fixed files meaning that each file can only store one complete waveform parameter setup with an associated identifier ID code This structure allows a quick recall for up to nine calibration setups This is useful when an operator changes transducers during an inspection and needs to recall the associated stored calibration Files 10 500 are flexible files which can store numerous thickness readings waveforms and memos Thickness waveform data and memos can all coexist in the same file Calibration waveform parameter setups can also be stored in these files and recalled to the live screen although it requires an extra key press to do this See Saving Waveforms and Thickness Readings on page 5 All the keys on the EPOCH 4PLUS alphanumeric keypad are in a common section on
159. lewing keys to highlight CURVE 1 CURVE 2 and or CURVE 3 3 Activate any combination of the three custom curves by highlighting that curve and pressing ENTER A x will appear in the box next to the curve name 4 After selecting a custom curve use the RIGHT and LEFT slewing keys to adjust the curve level from 24 dB to 6 dB Repeat this for each selected curve 95 EPOCH 4PLUS 96 5 B4BIn CURRENT AMP 4 IN DEPTH 4 988 4 5 003 in SPOTWELD IF GATE DGS FLOATING GATE EDIT PARAMETR WAVE ANALYSIS AWS D1 1 AUTO FREEZE DYNAMIC COLOR MORE OPTIONS gt OPTION EXIT J area ere A ae 4 db CURVE 3 ON 4A 14dB WAAR MAMABABBRBBE DD BS Figure 49 Activate and Set Up Customized Curves 5 Select either the STRAIGHT or POLYNOMIAL point connection by using the UP and DOWN slewing keys to highlight the desired selection and press ENTER 6 Press OPTION once the setup is complete to exit the CUSTOM DAC CURVE menu and begin capturing curve points 7 Use the RIGHT and LEFT slewing keys to capture the first echo of the desired DAC curve and press the DRAW DAC key F1 8 Continue using the RIGHT slewing key to capture the next desired DAC curve echo and press the DRAW DAC key F1 to capture successive points The primary DAC curve will draw between each echo and each Custom DAC Curve will appear at the predefined levels above and or below the primary curve If desired use
160. lly all instrument settings with the thumb of the left hand Multiple presses of ENTER will toggle through each of the instrument parameters The parameter highlights when activated Use the 4 y or gt key to change an activated parameter value Press the ENTER key multiple times to toggle through the instrument settings To move quickly through the sequence press ENTER multiple times in succession or simply hold down the key to reach the desired function Direct Access Operation Most commonly used parameters also have their own individual keys to provide direct access to the parameter setting To use the EPOCH 4PLUS in this manner press the appropriate key to change the parameter and then either press one of the function keys F1 F5 to select preset values or adjust the value using the 4 y and gt slewing keys For example to change the gain press GAIN Press F1 F2 F3 F4 or F5 to select one of the preset dB steps or use the slewing keys for fine adjustments In some cases the parameter appears as a second function above another key To change these parameters press 2nd F and then the appropriate key to access that parameter Whenever a function is opened in the full screen display the EPOCH 4PLUS provides prompts in the Abbreviated Status window directly above the A Scan display on the left side Summarizing Keypad Functions The EPOCH 4PLUS has two keypads The top keypad located
161. lly when using a captive water column transducer The EPOCH 4PLUS AUTOFREEZE software option provides an aid to the process of capturing welds for reference This option automatically freezes the live A Scan display when an echo triggers an alarm condition in GATE 1 and or GATE 2 See Section 9 15for details regarding the AUTOFREEZE option Note There are dangers to using AUTOFREEZE improperly that must be understood to assure good results The gate alarm that is to be triggered must be set near to the maximum amplitude achievable from an echo within 2 3 If the gate level is set too low or the instrument gain too high the instrument will freeze echoes on the screen that are not representative of the echoes that would appear without AUTOFREEZE This can lead to operator confusion and incorrect weld ratings by SWA To store the reference pattern for the UNWELD condition follow the steps below 1 Before storing the UNWELD condition the instrument gain should be set so that the first echo from the known GOOD weld condition is maximized at 80 FSH PAS Couple to a known UNWELD condition Use the FREEZE key to freeze the live A Scan after obtaining the best possible reflection from the UNWELD nugget Ifusing the AUTOFREEZE software option this will happen automatically 4 Onceasatisfactory UNWELD ring down pattern is established and frozen press the 2nd F key followed by the F1 function key to store the UNWELD reference
162. lows simultaneous viewing of waveform and setup data Selectable filled or outline waveform trace Electronically generated 2 625 x 2 375 67 x 60 mm No parallax error No changes in brightness due to repetition rate changes Minimum 60 Hz under all test conditions 110 0 dB max and reference level sensitivity feature with 6 dB or 0 1 dB selectable resolution Continuous automatic self calibration compensates pulse amplitude and receiver sensitivity for temperature and aging effects Automatic calibration of Zero Offset and or Velocity Absolutely linear from 0 to 80 full scale in 1 increments English metric or microseconds 0 025 to 0 6000 in uSec 635 to 15240 m S Switchable between two stored velocity settings 0 to 750 Sec 0 038 400 1 10 000 mm standard range at the velocity of longitudinal waves in steel Provides single echo or Echo to Echo thickness readings in large numerals or soundpath surface and depth display for angle beam testing Measures to either peak or leading edge of gated signal In addition selectable microsecond readout for time of flight measurements Fixed settings of 0 30 45 60 70 or variable from 10 to 85 in 0 1 resolution Variable over entire displayed range Variable from Gate Start position to the maximum displayed range Off or On with level adjustable from 2 to 95 of full screen in both rectified and RF display modes Expands
163. lser and a tunable square wave pulser To choose the pulser type follow these steps Step1 Press PULSER multiple times until the highlight bar is over the pulser selection Step2 Use the function keys or use the 4 and gt keys to change the selection to either Spike or Square Step3 Use the square wave pulser to provide the best ultrasonic performance for a wide range of applications because the pulser can be tuned to best match the transducer being used See Pulser Frequency Selection on page 35 The square wave pulser generally performs best when using low frequency transducers 10 MHz and below Step4 Use the spike pulser to simplify the operation of the EPOCH 4PLUS so that the pulser frequency does not have to be adjusted See Pulser Frequency Selection on page 35 Generally the spike pulser yields better results when using high frequency transducers above 10 MHz In practice try both pulser settings and adjust other parameters during calibration to determine the best settings for the application 4 4 7 Part 910 250C Adjusting the Pulser Receiver Pulser Frequency Selection Pulser Frequency Selection is applicable only when the square wave pulser is selected The frequency selection is designed to tune the square wave pulser to obtain the best performance for the transducer being used The Pulser Frequency Selection is viewable on the display only when the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the Square Wave Pul
164. lter is selected The following preset filter selections are available in Standard User mode e Broadband 0 3 MHz Bypass e 0 3 0 8 MHz e 0 8 1 2 MHz e 0 8 3 0 MHz e 1 7 8 5 MHz e 3 0 6 0 MHz e 6 5 8 5 MHz e 8 0 12 0 MHz e gt 8 0 MHz 8 0 MHz Bypass To select the Filter setting follow these steps 1 Press PULSER multiple times until the filter selection is highlighted or press 2ND F PULSER FILTER to go directly to the filter selection 2 Use the function keys for direct access to the preset selection or use 4 and y keys to change the selection Advanced User Mode In the Advanced User mode the filters on the EPOCH 4PLUS are NOT fixed to a limited number of presets The EPOCH 4PLUS lets you select both low and high filter frequencies individually You can choose eight selections on both low and high frequencies to maximize ultrasonic performance High Pass Filter Setting HP gt allows signals ABOVE the selection to pass through e By Pass Broadband e 3 0 MHz e 300 KHz e 6 5 MHz e 800 KHz e 8 0 MHz e 1 7 MHz e Custom Low Pass Filter Setting LP lt allows signals BELOW the selection to pass through e ByPass Broadband e 6 0 MHz e 800 KHz e 8 5 MHz e 1 2 MHz e 12 0 MHz e 1 7 MHz e Custom Part 910 250C 37 EPOCH 4PLUS 4 4 6 38 Y our selections for low and high filter frequencies are generally a function of the transducer frequency We recommend that you sele
165. ly at 50 of the echo s peak amplitude Using Software Options CONTACT2 882 gt 02 4 GAIN 38 dB RANGE 5 1 000 A MIN DEPTH B 057 in 4 A 1 START 1 WIDTH 1 LEVEL hasa AUTO 88 Figure78 Example of 6 dB Mode 9 10 3 Operating in 12 db Mode In 12 dB mode the desired gate floats at 12 dB below the peak echo amplitude in the gate This corresponds to 25 of the echo s maximum height The screen below depicts Gate 1 with Floating Gate active in the 12 dB mode Note that the gate is exactly at 25 of the echo s peak amplitude Note The Floating Gate option is not valid in RF mode Also Floating Gate cannot be turned on or off while the screen is frozen CONTACT2 882 gt 02 4 GAIN 38 8dB RANGE 5 3 1 000 DATEI LEVEL MIN DEPTH p 971 gt in 4 A E 1 START 1 WIDTH Figure79 Example of 12 dB Mode Part 910 250C 127 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 10 4 9 11 9 12 128 Using Gate Alarms Individual gate alarms can be set while Floating Gate is active In general practice select the minimum depth alarms to monitor for thinning areas in the material Curved Surface Correction CSC The Curved Surface Correction CSC option for the EPOCH 4PLUS provides accurate sound path values when inspecting curved surfaces such as pipes When you enter the pipe diameter and thickness soundpath information is adjusted accordingly when using an angle beam probe to inspect the circumference of the curved s
166. make measurements between successive echoes Measurements can be made between two consecutive backwall echoes or between an interface echo and any other selected signal This provides the capability to measure thickness through coatings or to do low speed immersion testing A second gate Gate 2 is used to capture data from the second back wall echo Echo to Echo readings are made by calculating the separation between the detected echoes in Gate 1 and Gate 2 Echo to Echo thickness readings cannot be made in the unrectified RF display mode Calibrate the EPOCH 4PLUS see Section 7 Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS and follow these steps to make Echo to Echo thickness readings 1 2 Position Gate 1 over the region where the first back echo is expected to appear Press 2nd F DEPTH AMP ECHO ECHO to activate the Echo to Echo measurement mode The following information appears in the function boxes at the bottom of the display F1 EDGE F2 PEAK ll Select either edge to edge or peak to peak The icon M appears for peak to peak or KA appears for edge to edge to the right of the display to indicate Echo to Echo measurements are being used If Gate 2 is off and the Echo to Echo mode is turned on then Gate 2 is automatically turned on Define the Blanking Period to avoid possible false readings that could occur due to transducer ringing or material noise A dead zone or blanking period is necessary after the detection of the firs
167. movement of the particles molecules on the surface of the specimen as the wavefront moves forward this movement penetrating the specimen to a depth of one wavelength Through Transmission A test method in which the vibrations emitted by one search unit are directed toward and received by another search unit The ratio between quantity of vibration sent and received is a measure of the integrity or quality of the material being tested Time Varied Gain TVG Circuit that automatically adjusts gain so that the echo amplitude of a given size reflector is displayed at a constant screen height regardless of the distance to that given size reflector Transducer A device that transforms one form of energy into another Transmitter Circuit of the flaw detector that sends the initial pulse voltage to both the transducer and receiver Ultrasonic Of or relating to frequencies above the human audible range e g above 20 000 cycles sec Hertz Ultrasonics Study of pressure waves which are of the same nature as sound waves but which have frequencies above the human audible limit i e above 20 000 cycles sec Hertz 171 EPOCH 4PLUS 172 Term Definition V Path The angular distance sound travels measured from the top surface of the material to the bottom and reflecting back up to the top surface Vertical B The larger length if rectangular of the actual crystal The software will compute the
168. n a Side Drilled Hole in the calibration block used for the angle beam calibration Other reference reflectors may be used provided that they meet AWS requirements for these inspections In order to store a REF B value you must gate the echo from the reference reflector and bring the echo to 80 FSH You can achieve this by pressing the GAIN key and adjusting the gain with the Up and Down Arrow keys or by pressing F5 to automatically adjust the gain to bring the echo to 80 FSH Once the echo has the appropriate amplitude press F1 The following screen appears Part 910 250C 147 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 16 3 9 16 4 148 OKs F2 ABORT 0 MHz DAMP 50 a PULSER SQUARE PULSE ECHO FREQ 2 27MHz WIDTH LEVEL ALARM 8 5568 29 2 OFF 8 322 OFF OFF Figure 100 Pressing F1 to Store the REF B Value Adding Scanning Gain AWS codes require that an operator enter a certain amount of scanning gain to the REF B dB value allowing the operator to locate flaws that may be smaller or deeper into the test piece than the reference flaw By pressing F4 you can enter the amount of scanning gain necessary to perform the inspection as outlined by AWS Code The EPOCH 4PLUS allows scanning gain to be entered in increments of 0 1 dB and 6 0dB by default However you can customize these settings by using the Editable Parameters feature that is included with all EPOCH 4PLUS instruments This feature is located in the Options M
169. nal is present within the gate Either Gate 1 or Gate 2 can be set positive or negative Once a threshold alarm is activated markers at the starting and ending points of the gate will point upwards or downwards to indicate which type of alarm has been set 100 oo Fa ee y GAIN 37 048 RANGE 2 000in 0 697 a MIN DEPTH 0 695 in y A Figure 16 Negative Logic Alarm 6 9 2 6 9 3 Part 910 250C Using the Gates NAAA DESTE 4 GAIN 37 4dB RANGE 2 000in 0 697 IC MIN DEPTH 6 695 in 198 A Figure 17 Positive Logic Alarm Press 2nd F GATE 1 ALARM 1 and then press F4 for OFF to shut off the Gate 1 alarm Press 2nd F GATE 2 ALARM 2 and then press F4 for OFF to shut off the Gate 2 alarm Minimum Depth Alarm The EPOCH 4PLUS is equipped with a minimum depth alarm which is triggered whenever the current thickness reading falls below an operator defined level Use the minimum depth alarm with a single gate or in the Echo to Echo Measurement mode In Echo to Echo the cursor appears on the second gate A cursor appears at the bottom of Gate 2 to indicate this level Minimum Depth Alarm with a Single Gate Minimum depth alarms can be set on Gate 1 and or Gate 2 To set a minimum depth alarm on Gate 1 follow these steps 1 Press GATE 1 and use the start width and level parameters to position the gate over the desired area Be sure the gate start pos
170. ng the Editable Parameters feature See section 3 4 for details ASME ASME 3 and JIS Options ASME and ASME 3 The activation use and features of the standard ASME and ASME 3 DAC software are described in section 9 2 of this manual They are identical in their basic functionality to the ADT software option Advanced DAC TVG provides more flexibility even with these standard functions With each option ADT offers the ability to toggle between a DAC view and a TVG view after setting up the initial DAC curve This toggle function is accomplished after completing the DAC curve by using the F1 key which allows the user to select either DAC or TVG Using Software Options All curves displayed in DAC view are carried over to straight lines in TVG view to show the main curve and any corresponding reference curves seen in DAC ooo gt AMP DAC 100 2 REF 5 3 QRANGE 5 BBBin CURRENT AMP 472 MIN DEPTH 1 606 4 1 995 in MAA A A TV6 188 2 REF 5 3 RANGE 5 008 in CURRENT AMP 80 MIN DEPTH 1 608 4 1 995in DAt vie ae SE EE E Figure 47 DAC Curves All gain functions described in the previous section are functional with ASME and ASME 3 curves This includes transfer correction scanning gain manipulation and curve gain adjustment Unlike the standard DAC TVG options the EPOCH 4PLUS and ADT now allow the operator to adjust the RANGE ZERO OFFSET and ANGLE settings after completing the
171. ng the Reference Gain to Add Subtract Scanning Gain 70 Managing the Datalogger and Data Communication Features 8 Managing the Datalogger and Data Communication Features This chapter describes how to manage the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger Olympus NDT has designed the datalogger for ease of use while providing a wide range of features for virtually all flaw detection and thickness gaging requirements It includes the following capabilities Data organized by file and identifier ID code Alphanumeric file names and identifier codes Memo mode to allow entry of detailed comments Edit feature for adding deleting and clearing of individual file names and IDs On screen scroll review of all file contents Quick recall of stored setups Ability to transfer data between the unit and a PC or printer Topics are as follows Defining the Datalogger Storage Capacity Using the Memory Screen Using the Alphanumeric Keypad Creating New Files and Identifier ID Codes Saving Waveforms and Thickness Readings Incrementing ID Codes Recalling Transducer Calibrations and Waveforms Saving and Recalling Quick Recall Calibrations Creating Memos Editing a File Printing 8 1 Defining the Datalogger Storage Capacity The EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger is designed to store the following data Part 910 250C Thickness Reading Identifier ID code Alarm conditions Peak Edge Depth Mode Indicator 71 EPOCH 4PLUS 8 2 72 Soundpath
172. nge around the interface echo to suppress the effects of the interface echo Other echoes near the surface are then easier to see and size REF 24 5 QRANGE 4 000 in CURRENT AMP 1 318 Ba 4 in Figure53 Immersion Setup 9 4 7 2 9 4 7 3 Part 910 250C Using Software Options For immersion inspections EPOCH 4PLUS instruments with the latest hardware revision allow the TVG Table function to work in conjunction with the High Pulse Repetition Frequency HPRF option and the Interface Gate IG option This compatibility allows the TVG Table to be used in fast scanning applications where HPRF is required Manual TVG Setup In many circumstances a part must be inspected for flaws using aT VG curve to determine the rejectability of any flaws found within the part but the part is too large or expensive to have a reference block of equal size and composition The TVG Table feature allows the operator to manually add points along the TVG curve and manipulate the gain slope across the screen range to create an accurate TVG curve without a reference block typically this is accomplished using the DGS diagram that corresponds to the particular material and transducer being used Highly Attenuating Material In many highly attenuating materials such as many composites it takes a large amount of gain to successfully penetrate to the backwall of a part This high level of gain can cause significant noise in nearer areas of
173. not be adjusted To activate the Editable Parameters menu follow these steps 1 Press the OPTION key 2 Use the slewing keys to select the Editable Parameters option EPOCH 4PLUS OPTIONS SETUP DAC TYG ADY DAC TW6 PRF csc SPOTWELD IF GATE DGS FLOATING GATE WAYE ANALYSIS AWS D1 14 AUTO FREEZE DYNAMIC COLOR MORE OPTIONS OPTION EXIT 5 668in IN DEPTH 6 888 VV VVVVVVV AAA A Figure3 Selecting the Editable Parameters Option 3 Press ENTER The Editable Parameters screen opens parani PARAMETERS F2 F3 F4 FS CT MEEA 20 0 30 6 46 6 68 6 5 18 15 20 a 000 1 000 18 80 11 00 14 86 0 0 30 8 45 6 60 0 78 86 8 56 1 66 2 22 5 68 10 00 in 0 580 1 008 2 000 5 090 10 090 gt mm 10 000 25 000 50 000 250 00 2500 0 us 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 008 in 6 080 0 180 0 250 0 5904 1 090 mm 2 45 5 00 10 00 25 00 58 68 VEL3in us 6 27328 0 1288 6 27496 6 1236 6 8586 YEL m s S988 3748 6378 3136 1486 REF dB 3 8 6 8 ENTER NEXT PARAMETER lt gt CHANGE COLUMN TL CHANGE VALUE F1 DONEs F DEFAULT Figure4 Viewing the Editable Parameters Screen 4 Press the ENTER key to move downward to different parameters 5 Use the left and right slewing keys to select which F1 F5 parameter to edit Edit each parameter using the up and down slewing keys 18 Managing Basic Operations EDITABLE PARAMETERS F1 F2 SOMME 15 9 25 9 35 9 8 8 8668
174. notes comments regarding the inspection data Blue L Database Edit Allows you to edit an existing directory or file name when in the datalogger memory screen Table 4 Datalogger Keypad Functions Continued 3 4 Part 910 250C Managing Basic Operations KEYS COLOR FUNCTION Yellow Alphanumeric Entry Entry of DELETE ABC DEF alphanumeric characters The 1 Zy e numeric characters are entered after h ONS pressing the key The alpha GHI JKL MNO characters are entered after pressing ANS 5 the ALPHA key PRS TUV WXY The Delete function is used to erase a n 9 number or character az Note The international keypad uses ZA an X symbol instead of the Delete b label over the 1 key 7 Table 5 Datalogger Alphanumeric Keypad Functions Editable Parameters Software Using the Editable Parameters option you can customize some of the values that appear above the F1 to F5 keys These are the values that the EPOCH 4PLUS recalls automatically when the corresponding F key is pressed You can edit the following parameters Gain Reference Gain Reject Zero Offset Angle Frequency Range Thickness Velocity Note Parameters that contain text such as Rectification cannot be adjusted Also parameters that are limited by hardware and or software constraints such as Damping can
175. nsists of a reference gain setting and scanning dB the base gain level of the Backwall Echo Attenuator will be the sum of the refer ence and scanning gain levels REJEC a ZERO BM 795 us THICK 6 688 in 1 AAA 6 2 258 a T START 2 WIDTH gt GAIN Ei aoe RANGE 8 5161 ae DERIS a 88 in 4 2 6 WEL B 2387in us FULLWAYE ENERGY LOW ANGLE 0 0 DAMP S y PULSER SQUARE PULSE ECHO FREQ 5 MHZ GATE STARI WIDTH LEVEL ALARM ir pf inet 8 16 BROADBAND BEA 258 40 2 OFF 867 OFF Z LEVEL BEA GAIN AUTO 38 Figure 93 Gain Levels 141 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 14 4 142 The position of GATE 2 is controlled using the GATE 2 key When using the Backwall Echo Attenuator option the starting index for GATE 2 cannot precede the ending index of GATE 1 When the width or position of GATE 1 is changed GATE 2 will be automatically adjusted so thatthe two gates cannot cover the same screen region Also the EPOCH 4PLUS will not allow the user to scroll GATE 2 to the left so that the two gates overlap The process to adjust the starting point width and height of GATE 2 is the same as detailed in section 6 2 Positioning Gate 2 To adjust the gain within GATE 2 follow these steps 1 Press the GATE 2 key to select GATE 2 2 Press the BEA GAIN key F4 Pressing this key highlights the Backwall Echo Attenuator gain indicator at the top right corner of the live A Scan display 3 Use the up and down slewing k
176. ntermediate echoes e Purple Line Customizable acceptance height of intermediate echoes Note When first activated both lines begin at the same level and the red line may not be visible Adjust the height of the customizable purple line to reveal both lines To adjust the height of the customizable purple line use the UP and DOWN slewing arrow keys to move the line to the desired screen height The default red line of acceptance height is predefined in the Spotweld Assistant algorithm and is not adjustable Adjusting the height of acceptance for intermediate echoes is especially helpful in the situation where the transducer diameter is slightly larger than the weld nugget size In this case some intermediate echoes will be present but are a result of mismatched transducer diameters and not an undersized weld condition Once the desired adjustment is made if any press ENTER to continue STEP 3 ECHO SPACING The third advanced algorithm training step allows the user to define the minimum acceptable echo spacing for potentially thin nuggets In this step two horizontal lines appear under the A Scan display each with vertical line indications representing echo placement e Green Line Represents echo spacing of stored GOOD weld condition e Purple Line Represents minimum acceptable echo spacing 9 8 7 9 8 7 1 Part 910 250C Using Software Options THIN WELD TOLERANCE LEVEL CCE Figure 68 Thin Weld Tolerance Lev
177. o This allows the operator to use scanning gain while maintaining an accurate digital measurement of the ratio of the gated peak to the DAC curve for sizing purposes The gated echo amplitude is corrected back to the Reference Gain level for amplitude evaluation compared to the DAC curve The reference correction feature is activated by highlighting REF CORRECT in the ADT Options Menu and pressing ENTER to check the REF CORRECT box Once all desired settings are activated in the Options Menu press the OPTION key again to exit the menu and begin using the selected software option 9 4 3 9 4 3 1 9 4 3 2 Part 910 250C Using Software Options Gain Adjustment Options The ADT software features three separate types of gain adjustment for each DAC TVG setup These gain adjustments allow for better inspection precision easy manipulation of curves and live peak information and transfer correction Scanning Gain In order to quickly find and identify potential defects it is common to increase the gain on the EPOCH 4PLUS from the Reference calibration Gain for scanning purposes However once a potential defect is identified this gain may be removed to view the reflector at REF Gain level set at calibration The ADT software for the EPOCH 4PLUS can add temporary scanning gain for inspection purposes This scanning gain affects only the live A Scan and does NOT adjust the level of the DAC curve s set up on screen To add tempora
178. ogger for reporting purposes The EPOCH 4PLUS can also transfer inspection data to the Gage View PRO Interface Program to aid in report generation This program allows you to view the instrument setup parameters the waveform generated by a discontinuity the discontinuity s soundpath and location information and all values for the AWS D1 1 formula variables Operating the AWS D1 1 Software The first step in operating the EPOCH 4PLUS for AWS D1 1 inspections is to calibrate the instrument for the transducer and test conditions Using Software Options OPTIONS SETUP 14 B7Bin DAC w T Y 6 gt PRF CSC SPOTWELD IF GATE B SCAN DGS FLOATING GATE EDIT PARAMETR 6 8 16 WAVE ANALYSIS ULLWAVE 4 8 3 6 MHz AWS D1 1 EXPANDED MEM AUTO 88 OPTION EAIT Figure99 AWS D1 1 Software Option Activated in the Options Menu When AWS D1 1 is activated the function keys on the EPOCH 4PLUS provide the following options F1 REF B Store the dB value from a reference reflector F2 No function F3 No function F4 SCAN DB Toggle the scanning gain between a selected value and zero dB F5 AUTO 80 Adjust a gated signal to 80 FSH After the AWS option is activated from the Options Menu you must set a REF B value in order to begin an inspection This number represents the gain level necessary to bring the echo from a reference reflector to 80 Full Screen Height FSH The reference reflector is ofte
179. order of the graticule shows behind the waveform display This is a real time condition only and is not stored Keypad Lock Functions All Lock When you select All Lock all keys except DISPLAY OPTION ENTER 4 y gt and ON OFF are inactive A full padlock appears above the battery symbol indicator to show that All Lock is selected Cal Lock When you select Cal Lock a half padlock appears above the battery indicator and the following keys are inactive GAIN VEL REJECT CALIBRATION ANGLE THICKNESS ZERO OFFSET PULSER FILTER RANGE 3 7 11 3 7 12 3 7 13 Part 910 250C Managing Basic Operations To unlock either the All Lock or Cal Lock return to the Setup screen and deselect the item Filled Live When you select Filled Live the live waveform appears filled in rather than as an outline trace This is used to make the waveform more visible when viewed in bright sunlight Filled Peak When you select Filled Peak a waveform or echo envelope that is frozen on the screen when using either the Peak Memory or Peak Hold feature appears filled in rather than as an outline trace AA Alkaline Battery Selection When using the Alkaline battery pack offered by Olympus NDT the Alkaline Bat selection in the System Setup menu should be highlighted This allows for maximum battery operating time Note This selection defaults to Off NiMH battery when the unit is powered off
180. otweld Assistant weld classification use the UP and DOWN slewing arrow keys to highlight the appropriate weld condition and press the ENTER key to complete the storage process with this alternative weld stamp When an operator rejects the Spotweld Assistant s recommendation the instrument stores the inspection data with BOTH the Spotweld Assistant s recommended characterization stamp AND the operator s alternative weld characterization stamp This function allows the training of an operator to supersede the Spotweld Assistant s dynamic rating algorithm and also allows for review of the quality of the advanced algorithm setup and of operator precision after the inspection is completed 9 8 7 3 Spotweld Assistant and GageView PRO The EPOCH 4PLUS interface program Gage View Pro has powerful advanced functionality to compliment the Spotweld Assistant software option In addition to the standard functionality of downloading data and calibration files from the EPOCH 4PLUS and or uploading files to the EPOCH 4PLUS Gage View Pro also features the capability to design full Spotweld inspection plan templates on a PC prior to inspection as well as enhanced data export features for inspection reporting using Excel These features save time during inspection and aid the reporting process after inspections are completed Inspection Plans Among the most powerful features of Gage View Pro relating to the EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Assistant software o
181. path amplitude or time of flight When using an angle beam transducer the EPOCH 4PLUS 1 2 1 3 1 4 AN EPOCH 4PLU S provides the soundpath surface distance and depth to a flaw and displays which leg of the soundpath the reflector is in with a leg indicator e Spotweld Assistant option to aid in making decisions regarding weld integrity based upon echo patterns algorithms optional software e Dynamic color change of waveforms based upon alarm conditions This manual is written in a functional format The information contained within can be read in modular format to answer questions about how to perform specific functions We suggest reading through the information completely at least once with your EPOCH 4PLUS in hand so that you can combine reading the descriptions and examples with actual use of the instrument About this Document This document is the Instruction Manual for the EPOCH 4PLUS The Instruction Manual describes routine tasks for operating the EPOCH 4PLUS These tasks include operating the power supply managing basic operations adjusting the pulser receiver managing special waveform functions using the gates calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS managing the datalogger and data communication features and using software options Audience This document is intended for any operator using the EPOCH 4PLUS Olympus NDT recommends that all operators have a thorough understanding of the principles and limitations of
182. pection involves analyzing the pattern of multiple echoes reflecting from a single weld nugget By comparing a series of multiple echoes from each nugget to known good and bad welds of similar specifications the quality integrity relative size and composition of unknown welds can be characterized This pattern of multiple backwall echoes from the weld nugget is commonly referred to as a ring down pattern 9 8 2 Basic Spotweld Characteristics Spotweld ring down patterns are analyzed according to three main criteria e Echo attenuation e Echo spacing e Presence and strength of intermediate echoes Using these criteria as compared to aknown GOOD weld condition and a known bad or UNWELD condition an inspector can characterize the quality of the weld and can rate the weld according to multiple forms of defects Some of these defects include e Undersized welds critically small nugget size e Stick welds no weld nugget formed 106 9 8 2 1 9 8 2 2 9 8 2 3 Part 910 250C Using Software Options e Thin welds excessive indentation sometimes resulting in poor weld quality e Burnt welds overheated welds resulting in brittle crystalline structure e Undersized welds weld nugget is smaller in diameter than specifications allow e Porosity gas bubbles present in nugget less common Echo Attenuation As sound reflects within a potential weld nugget its energy is absorbed into the material a process
183. penses both ways In this manual we have attempted to teach the proper operation of the EPOCH 4PLUS consistent with accepted flaw detection techniques We believe the procedures and examples given are accurate However the information contained herein is intended solely as a teaching aid and should not be used in any particular application without independent testing and or verification by the operator or the supervisor Such independent verification of procedures become more important as the criticality of the application increases For these reasons we make no warranty expressed or implied that the techniques examples or procedures described herein are consistent with industry standards nor that they will meet the requirements of any particular application Olympus NDT expressly disclaims all implied warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any particular application Olympus NDT reserves the right to modify all products without incurring the responsibility for modifying previously manufactured products Olympus NDT does not assume any liability for the results of particular installations as these circumstances are not within our control THE WARRANTIES SET FORTH HEREIN ARE EXCLUSIVE AND ARE IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER STATUTORY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OR TRADE EPOCH 4PLUS Table o
184. ple of the material Material V in usec V m sec Acrylic resin Perspex 0 107 2730 Aluminum 0 249 6320 Beryllium 0 508 12900 Brass naval 0 174 4430 Copper 0 183 4660 Diamond 0 709 18000 Glycerin 0 076 1920 Inconel 0 229 5820 Iron Cast slow 0 138 3500 Iron Cast fast 0 220 5600 Iron oxide magnetite 0 232 5890 Lead 0 085 2160 Lucite 0 106 2680 Molybdenum 0 246 6250 Motor oil SAE 20 30 0 069 1740 Nickel pure 0 222 5630 Polyamide slow 0 087 2200 Nylon fast 0 102 2600 Polyethylene high density HDPE 0 097 2460 Polyethylene low density LDPE 0 082 2080 Polystyrene 0 092 2340 Polyvinylchloride PVC hard 0 094 2395 Rubber polybutadiene 0 063 1610 Silicon 0 379 9620 Silicone 0 058 1485 Steel 1020 0 232 5890 Steel 4340 0 230 5850 Steel 302 austenitic stainless 0 223 5660 Steel 347 austenitic stainless 0 226 5740 163 EPOCH 4PLUS 164 Material V in usec V m sec Tin 0 131 3320 Titanium Ti 150A 0 240 6100 Tungsten 0 204 5180 Water 20 C 0 0580 1480 Zinc 0 164 4170 Zirconium 0 183 4650 References 1 Folds D L Experimental Determination of Ultrasonic Wave Velocities in Plastics Elastomers and Syntactic Foam as a Function of Temperature Naval Research and Development Laboratory Panama City Florida 1971 2 Fredericks J R Ultrason
185. ption is the Gage View Pro capacity to create Spotweld inspection plan templates Using Gage View Pro an operator can map out an entire Spotweld inspection using multiple transducers and allow for storage of inspection data in a blank template format Once this file is uploaded to the EPOCH 4PLUS the operator simply recalls the file and begins inspection The inspection plan contains all required calibration files for various transducers IDs for all welds to be inspected in the part and memos that appear on screen to remind the operator to switch transducers when the calibration is changed All calibration files must be previously setup in the EPOCH 4PLUS to begin the inspection plan design These calibration files are downloaded to Gage View Pro and stored on the PC The operator then uses the inspection plan window in GageView Pro to logically map out an initial calibration to recall a memo describing the transducer to be used with this calibration and ID values for every nugget inspected using this transducer When a transducer switch is required the operator can have the EPOCH 4PLUS automatically recall the new calibration display a memo reminding the inspector to switch transducers and continue with ID values for the successive weld data Part 910 250C 119 EPOCH 4PLUS 120 Enim Cate mi Mes inem irm paran ci the lapori Pira a dis tem has wil ben ent te EPOCH EE MEA A a oe 14435 p En 444434 Fnr ENTI E 7
186. r WAVE AAA a L ao BRIGHTNEES ZOON REJECT E ero f vee fr E Pence E THILKNE 33 iy A ra ia _ COLOR ear ten a a on Figure1 English Keypad EPOCH 4PLUS 3 3 1 Figure 2 FILTER AEk E A Bm de A ES I poa oo pS d 7 4 E El International Keypad Main Keypad Functions L r E k p fiy DATA LOGGER 9 A x 8 b z El a 3 D wi a i a J EE e e e kr P p gt a Y WM English Int Color Function AB IXX Blue Sensitivity Adjusts system sensitivity COLOR COLOR White Option Accesses the instrument s setup menu and software options OF TION OPTION Table 3 Main Keypad Functions Managing Basic Operations English Int Color Function OND F OND F White 2nd Function Press the 2nd F key with a key that has dual functions the main function written on the key the secondary function written above the key and the secondary function becomes active OND F GAIN 2ND F AB XX NE White Blue Reference Level Sets a gain reference level and allows addition of scanning gain in 6 dB or 0 1 dB increments FREEZE Blue Screen Freeze Holds displayed waveform until FREEZE is p
187. ransducer Use Olympus NDT transducer part number A109S RM with a frequency of 5 0 MHz and an element diameter of 0 50 13 mm to perform the sample Straight Beam calibration The calibration requires a test block with two known thicknesses made from the material to be measured Ideally the two thicknesses should represent thicknesses that are both below and above the expected thickness of the material being inspected For this example we are using Olympus NDT standard 5 step steel test block part number 2214E The steps measure 0 100 0 200 0 300 0 400 and 0 500 Note If the EPOCH 4PLUS is set to metric units the calibration process is exactly the same except that the entries below will be in millimeters rather than inches To calibrate using a Straight Beam transducer follow these steps 1 Follow the initial set up procedure outlined above Connect the transducer to an appropriate cable and then connect the cable to either of the transducer posts on the EPOCH 4PLUS 2 Press CALIBRATION A Cal symbol appears to the right of the A Scan signifying the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the Auto Calibration mode To exit the Auto Calibration mode at any point press ENTER Part 910 250C Calibrating the EPOCH 4PLUS Couple the transducer to the THIN calibration block step For this example the transducer is coupled to the 0 200 step depending on the frequency of the contact transducer being used it may be impossible to obtain
188. ration aa AS feature in conjunction with the ZERO OFFSET and VELOCITY keys CALIBRATION CALIBRATION White BRIGHTNESS Adjustment Adjusts the brightness of the Liquid Crystal Yellow Table 3 Main Keypad Functions Continued Datalogger Keypad Functions English Int Color Function Blue Open Datalogger Opens the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger memory screen Blue Move Cursor Left Moves the cursor to the left one space each time this key is pressed when the datalogger is opened and you are entering editing a directory name filename etc Table 4 Datalogger Keypad Functions EPOCH 4PLUS 16 Int Color Function ol yv E 5 Blue Move Cursor Right Moves the cursor to the right one space each time this key is pressed when the datalogger is opened and you are entering editing a directory name filename etc ALPH I gt White B Alpha Entry Allows entry of the characters that are in beige colored text above the numbers keys This includes entry of the letters A through Z the entry of symbols above the ID key and the Delete function above the 1 key Yellow Number Entry Allows entry of the number keys 0 through 9 Blue 4 oO ID Entry Allows entry of an ID Identifier location code This ID could be a new location code or editing of a current one Blue 3 Memo Entry Allows entry of
189. re weld templates for four additional labelled weld conditions including U S undersized STICK THIN and BURNT Storing other weld templates is accomplished using the same process as storing the reference weld conditions 1 Once a weld condition is captured and characterized use the FREEZE key to freeze the A Scan display If using the AUTOFREEZE option this is done automatically Using Software Options 2 Make sure the desired template name is visible over the function keys on the screen To see additional template names use the F5 key MORE to toggle between template options 3 Press the 2nd F key followed by the function key below the desired template name For example to save a BURNT weld template press the F5 key to toggle to other template name options then press the 2nd F key followed by the F2 key to store the A Scan as the BURNT weld template 4 A screen confirms the reference indication Press the F1 key to accept and store the weld reference or press F2 to abort and begin again As with the Spotweld OVERLA Y software option to view these stored templates during a live inspection press the named template s corresponding function key to turn the template ON or OFF The template will be overlaid on the live display in a different color for comparison SRO S Silent GAIN 43 4dB RANGE B 816in MIN D A A42 DUUE Figure 63 BURNT Weld A Scan Display st BdB RANGE B 816in D 045 MIN DEPTH
190. ressed a second time Purple Save Thickness Reading Saves displayed thickness reading in current file If the EPOCH 4PLUS is in Time of Flight mode the value will be in microseconds AN AV INAS Purple Save Waveform Saves the current waveform and instrument setup parameters in current file m z 4 m a Dlba zal Purple Enter Press this key multiple times to toggle through the setup parameters ia Red Gate 1 Controls the positioning of Gate 1 on the display Press this key multiple times or use the function keys to access Gate Start Gate 1 Width and Gate 1 Level me gt a E gt D D 2 GY o 2 5 Pra m oT m E a ro z 7 k n E White Red Gate 1 Alarm Activates the alarm mode for Gate 1 Use the function keys to access the Threshold or Minimum Depth Alarm Table 3 Main Keypad Functions Continued EPOCH 4PLUS 14 English Int Color Function ALARM 2 E2 Red Gate 2 Controls the positioning of Gate 2 on the display Press this key e i l multiple times or use the function keys to access Gate 2 Start Gate 2 Width and Gate 2 Level White Gate 2 Alarm Activates the alarm mode for Gate 2 Use the function Keys to select the Threshold or Minimum ALARM 2 2 Dep
191. ry scanning gain follow the steps below 1 Press the GAIN key 2 Select either a 0 1 dB or 6 dB adjustment increment using the F1 or F2 keys respectively 3 Use the up and down SLEWING keys to adjust the scanning gain by the desired increment The scanning gain is displayed at the upper left of the screen next to the calibrated Reference Gain level 4 Once the desired scanning gain level is set use the SCAN DB Key F4 to toggle between the base reference gain and the adjusted scanning gain 5 Scanning gain is disabled using the OFF key F5 Note When reference correction is active the digital comparison between a captured reflector and the DAC curve will be accurate even with scanning gain applied to the inspection provided that the gated echo is not saturated Curve Adjustment Gain DAC Gain or TVG Gain The overall gain level of the entire DAC curve and TVG line setup can be adjusted higher or lower from the Reference Gain Most inspection codes do not allow reflectors to be sized below 20 of FSH Therefore to inspect beyond a certain depth sound path time within a part itis necessary to raise the gain of both the live A Scan and the DAC curve to continue inspection This is accomplished on the EPOCH 4PLUS using the DAC Curve Adjustment Gain This gain adjustment is displayed at the top right corner of the live A Scan at all times and is adjusted using the following steps 1 Press the STEP X X key F5 to choos
192. s This value is then used to calculate the depth to a reflector that lies beyond the first leg Measuring Signal Amplitude When estimating discontinuity size the instrument is adjusted so that a particular gain setting and screen height represent the echo amplitude produced by a known size reflector in a reference standard In general a signal with smaller amplitude may indicate a smaller reflector and a signal with higher amplitude may indicate a larger reflector than the reference standard Press DEPTH AMPL and then F3 to display a direct on screen readout of amplitude information 49 EPOCH 4PLUS 6 7 50 If an echo exceeds the gate threshold and the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the Amplitude mode the amplitude information for that echo is displayed as a percentage of Full Screen Height as both Current Amp and Amp Max GAIN 33 4dB RANGE 2 000in _ ZAMP SELECTED CURRENT AMP 692 AMP MAx 712 108 98 68 40 Figure 14 Amplitude Mode Displaying Current Amp and Amp Max Current refers to the real time percentage of screen height of the highest amplitude signal within the gate The Amplitude Max display retains the highest amplitude of a signal that has broken the gate threshold Ifa higher amplitude signal is read the Amplitude Max value is updated Reset the maximum amplitude value by pressing any one of the red gate keys If there is no echo within the gate Current will read indica
193. sents the amplitude from a flat bottom hole with a diameter of the Registration Level at different depths This is usually equal to the critical flaw size for the application e WARNING LEVEL This is the position of the secondary DGS AVG warning curve compared to the position of the main DGS AVG curve If this value is set to zero the warning curve will be turned off e ACVSPEC This is the attenuation value in dB m for the test piece specimen In some cases it is necessary to calculate the relative attenuation within the test piece and enter the value here e ACVCALBLK This is the attenuation value in dB m for the calibration block In some cases it is necessary to calculate the relative attenuation within the calibration block and enter the value here Note Trained operators must be aware of when it is necessary to apply values to ACVSPEC and ACVCALBLK These values affect the shape of the DGS AVG curve and will therefore affect the accuracy of defect sizing A suggested method for the measurement of relative attenuation can be found later in this manual The operator must use ENTER to move from one parameter to the next The up and down arrow keys are used for adjusting the individual settings When settings are complete the operator must press the F1 key to continue 135 EPOCH 4PLUS STEP 5 The final step in the DGS AVG setup procedure is to capture the reference reflector gt l REF 24 1 2 3RA
194. ser mode In Spike mode the selection is disabled To select Pulser Frequency Selection follow these steps 1 Press PULSER multiple times until the FREQ selection is highlighted 2 Use the function keys for direct access or the 4 lt and gt keys to select the desired frequency 3 Choose the frequency that is closest to the frequency of the transducer being used Note Actual results may vary It is recommended that you try various settings when evaluating a test sample in order to maximize ultrasonic performance 39 EPOCH 4PLUS 40 5 1 5 2 Part 910 250C Managing Special Waveform Functions Managing Special Waveform Functions This chapter describes how to manage special waveform functions Topics are as follows e Reject e Peak Memory e Peak Hold e Screen Freeze Reject The Reject function eliminates unwanted low level signals from the display Because the EPOCH 4PLUS features a digital waveform display the reject function is linear Increasing the reject level does not affect the amplitude of the signals above the reject level The reject level is continuously adjustable from 0 to 80 of full scale with 1 resolution and is displayed in the upper left corner of the screen in the split screen view Note It is not possible to add Reject while in the unrectified RF display To access the reject function follow these steps 1 Press 2ndF VEL REJECT 2 Use the function k
195. t echo This period is defined during set up as the separation between the start of Gate 1 and the start of Gate 2 When an echo is detected in Gate 1 the Gate 2 start automatically adjusts to trail the detected echo by the blank period 47 EPOCH 4PLUS 6 5 48 For example if Gate 1 Startis set to 0 25 6 35 mm and Gate 2 Start is set to 0 40 10 mm then the blank period is 0 15 3 8 mm of metal path If the first detected echo breaks Gate 1 at 0 35 8 9 mm then Gate 2 Start automatically adjusts by the value of the blanking period to 0 50 0 35 0 15 or 12 7 mm 8 9 mm 3 8 mm There is a trade off in defining the blanking period While a relatively long period may prevent false readings the minimum measurable thickness is limited to a value slightly greater than the blanking period MIN DEPTH 1 141 100 ga enn ae j AS AAE 2 0001 1 142 in R Figure 12 Set up for Peak to Peak Measurement Locating Flaws with an Angle Beam Transducer During an angle beam inspection you can obtain accurate and reliable soundpath information using the EPOCH 4PLUS s high resolution distance calculator If a refracted angle is entered into the EPOCH 4PLUS and an echo is exceeding the gate threshold all angular soundpath components are displayed at the top of the A Scan 100 20 4 6 8 FULLWAY E D 6 0 MHz ENERGY LOW ANGLE A DAMP 58 y PULSER SQUARE THICK 0 0 in PULSE ECHO F
196. tails the procedure to calibrate the EPOCH 4PLUS when using the four basic transducers configurations straight beam delay line dual element and angle beam Note DoNOT use the Auto Calibration feature when the EPOCH 4PLUS is in the following modes Microsecond Time Of Flight Mode DAC TVG Topics are as follows e Getting Started e Calibrating with a Straight Beam Transducer e Calibrating with a Delay Line Transducer e Calibrating with a Dual Element Transducer e Calibrating with an Angle Beam Transducer Getting Started Until you are completely comfortable operating the EPOCH 4PLUS we recommend that a basic review and set up procedure be used prior to starting the actual calibration The split screen feature of the EPOCH 4PLUS is useful for this as it lets you simultaneously view the waveform display and all instrument calibration data To setup the EPOCH 4PLUS before calibrating follow these steps 1 Press DISPLAY to select the split screen display 2 Press 2nd F VEL REJECT to set the reject level to 0 Press F1 or use the y slewing key to adjust the value to zero 3 Press GAIN to select an initial gain value that is appropriate for the calibration and adjust the value by using the direct access function keys or the 4 and y keys If the appropriate gain level is unknown set the initial gain at 30 dB and adjust it as necessary during calibration 55 EPOCH 4PLUS 7 2 56 4 Press V
197. tally increases depending on the number of untitled files created Incrementing ID Codes This feature automatically increments the EPOCH 4PLUS s ID code every time you press the SAVE THICK or SAVE WAVE key You do not have to enter a new ID every time a reading is saved For example if a user wants to save several readings when inspecting an aircraft wing Begin by entering an initial ID of Wing 01 Press SAVE THICK or SAVE WAVE to save desired thickness readings and waveforms Every time you press one of these keys the ID code listed at the top of the screen increments by one character value In this example the first thickness reading waveform is saved with an ID code of Wing 01 the second one with an ID code of Wing 02 and so on Some guidelines for the auto ID incrementing features are e Only the portion of the ID consisting of digits and letters no punctuation marks beginning with the rightmost letter and extending leftward to the first punctuation mark or leftmost character whichever comes first is incremented e For the EPOCH 4PLUS to properly increment first create and hold using zeros the maximum number of needed digit positions To save 999 readings enter 001 as the first ID code If an initial ID code of 1 is entered the EPOCH 4PLUS only increments up to 9 and beeps The message Id Cannot Increment appears Press F1 to exit and enter a new ID code to continue sa
198. tch calibrated zero offset values for common straight beam delay line and angle beam transducers USB Connector The USB 2 0 port located on the top of the instrument allows for high speed data transmission between the EPOCH 4PLUS and a PC The most common use of this port is communication with a PC via the EPOCH 4PLUS Gage View PRO Interface Program contact Olympus NDT or you local representative for further details 27 EPOCH 4PLUS 3 7 7 3 7 8 3 7 9 3 7 10 28 The external trigger allows the EPOCH 4PLUS to trigger in or trigger out communications with an external device via the parallel port VGA Output On Off The VGA output on the EPOCH 4PLUS lets you view the full color screen display on a PC monitor projector or a heads up display Connect the EPOCH 4PLUS to the external device with a cable attached to the VGA port on the top of the unit The default setting for the VGA output is OFF The EPOCH 4PLUS consumes a slightly greater amount of power when the VGA circuitry is turned on which reduces battery operating time To turn on the VGA output follow these steps 1 Move the highlight bar over VGA On and press ENTER in the corresponding box signifies the VGA output is on 2 Press ENTER again to turn it off 3 Press OPTION again to the return to the live screen Beep On When Beep On is selected pressing the keypad results in audible beeps Grid On Off When you select Grid Off only the b
199. te in either broadband mode or can use one of many narrowband filters Filters improve signal to noise ratio by filtering out unwanted low or high frequency noise outside the test frequency spectrum The EPOCH 4PLUS user interface for the filter selection varies depending on whether you are in Standard User or Advanced User mode See Advanced User on page 26 Standard User Mode In the Standard User mode you can choose one of nine preset selections Generally the best results are found by filtering out frequencies below and above the selected transducer frequency The filter selection is saved in the instrument s datalogger when the entire waveform calibration is saved The appropriate filter selection is recalled when the waveform calibration is recalled to the live screen For example if you are using a 10 MHz transducer select the 8 0 12 0 MHz filter for best results Sometimes the transducer frequency falls between several preset selections We recommend that you couple the transducer to a known standard and then adjust the filter selection until the best signal to noise ratio for the desired echo is achieved The Broadband selection means that the entire frequency spectrum is analyzed This setting is appropriate when you do not want to adjust the filters when either changing Adjusting the Pulser Receiver transducers or changing to a different application However the signal to noise ratio may not be as great as when a narrowband fi
200. th Alarm FILTER FILTER Orange Pulser Press this key multiple times to toggle through the pulser parameters ie Use the function keys to select preset values for each pulser parameter White Filter Moves directly to filter OND F parameters FILTER FILTER PULSER Orange Sanat fees Orange Peak Memory Function Activates ER the Peak Memory function allowing continuous accumulation of peak envelope data with the live waveform Press this key again to deactivate the function White Peak Hold Function Activates the Peak Hold function which allows you to capture a screen while allowing the PEAK HOLD PEAK HOLD view of the live waveform Press this Orange key sequence a second time to oy UBL deactivate the function ae a Orange Depth Amplitude Allows z selection and display of peak depth DEPTH E i AMP YNZ edge depth signal amplitude or time of flight data Table 3 Main Keypad Functions Continued 3 3 2 Part 910 250C Managing Basic Operations BRIGHTNESS CALIBRATION BRIGHTNESS CALIBRATION English Int Color Function White Echo to Echo Measurement Activates the Echo to Echo Measurement mode This ECHO ECHO ATA automatically opens Gate 2 if it is not DEPTH E Orange already active and allows you to select ia edge to edge or peak to peak measurement using the function keys Yellow Auto Calibration Initiates the HINE HINE EPOCH 4PLUS Auto Calib
201. that address the requirements of JIS Z3060 These considerations are listed below Because of the large number of curves drawn for the JIS DAC mode it is possible to temporarily add in 6 12 18 or 24 dB of additional gain while constructing the DAC curve set The purpose of this feature is to facilitate construction of additional curves when testing at longer ranges Once construction of the curve set has begun add up to 24 dB of additional gain through repeated presses of the GAIN key In order to make clear that gain has been added while constructing the curve the gain appears as follows GAIN 46 2 dB 6 GAIN 46 2 dB 12 and so on Once the curve set is completed the gain is reset to its original level 46 2 dB in this example It is also possible to change Angle Material Thickness Zero Offset and Gain in the normal manner when in the JIS DAC mode Be careful when adjusting these parameters to ensure that the relationship of DAC curves to material thickness or distance is not unintentionally altered Any of the six curves can be used to trip the alarm when in the JIS DAC mode Additionally you can set the alarm to positive or negative To select which curve will be used as the alarm reference level first activate JIS DAC and then use the F4 and F5 function keys to select which curve to use for the alarm threshold The selected curve appears as a double thickness line Once a curve has been selected an alarm can be
202. the next point for the curve and press F1 again Repeat this step until all points for the curve are captured 9 Press F2 when all echoes have been set to lock the TVG setup The letters TVG will appear to the right of the screen to indicate that TVG is active A double thickness line appears at the top of the display to mark the area over which TVG has been programmed CAIN 3 B RANGE 1 00Bin al aM ID SECT MIN DEPTH in 100 E 2 d 6 B 10 Figure45 TVG Example 88 9 3 2 9 3 3 9 4 9 4 1 Part 910 250C Using Software Options When TVG mode is active any parameter that would affect instrument calibration is automatically locked This includes GAIN ZERO OFFSET VELOCITY ANGLE REJECT and all pulser and filter parameters Once the TVG setup is complete you can activate the Reference Gain function by pressing 2 4F GAIN REF DB This locks in a reference gain level and allows scanning gain to be added or subtracted to accommodate specific applications Note that the additional scanning gain cannot be added to the original reference gain level as this would change the calibration and invalidate the TVG setup Saving and Recalling TVG Setups TVG setups are saved and recalled in the same manner as any general waveform calibration With TVG mode active the SAVE WAVE key is used to save the entire setup in the datalogger When a setup that was stored with a TVG set
203. the slewing keys to highlight the PRF selection and press ENTER Use the slewing keys to highlight HIGH and press ENTER Press OPTION to return to the A Scan display A HPRF symbol displays on the right side of the screen to inform you that the High PRF mode is enabled E A Exiting High PRF Mode To exit the High PRE mode follow these steps Press OPTION Use the slewing keys to highlight the HPRF selection and press ENTER Use the slewing keys to highlight Auto and press ENTER Press OPTION to return to the A Scan display AS A Spotweld Overlay The inspection of Spotwelds using ultrasonic equipment has become increasingly popular due to the cost effectiveness safety and reliability of the technique The EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Overlay software option makes this application easy and quick When the Spotweld option is activated you can save A Scan waveform template overlays in the instrument s memory An overlay can represent a waveform from a certain type of Spotweld Good Undersized Stick and so on You can customize and save up to five distinct overlays for each setup A setup may consist of a transducer and material combination 103 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 7 1 9 7 2 104 During the actual inspection of the Spotweld you can quickly recall these frozen overlays to the live screen The live waveform is still displayed allowing an easy comparison between the unknown sample and the overlay from the known
204. ting for Sensitivity The final step in the angle beam calibration is to calibrate for sensitivity This lets you set up areference gain level 1 Couple the probe to the IIW calibration block so that the transducer is aimed at the 0 060 diameter side drilled hole which is used as a reference reflector Part 910 250C 69 EPOCH 4PLUS o INV TYPE 1 REFERENCE BLOCK Figure 37 IIW Calibration Block with 0 060 Diameter Drilled Hole 2 Move the probe forward and backward until you have peaked up the return signal from the hole that is found the maximum amplitude Do not confuse the reference reflector echo from the side of the block Tip The Peak Memory feature on the EPOCH 4PLUS is an excellent tool to aid in finding the peak of the signal 3 Adjust the system sensitivity Gain up or down once the echo is peaked up to bring the reference reflector signal to a predetermined reference line on the screen In this example the echo is brought to 80 of full screen height 4 Press 2nd F GAIN REF to lock in the reference gain level and add subtract scanning gain separately 5 Press the function keys once the reference gain functions are activated to select between adding or subtracting in 0 1dB or 6 0 dB increments AA eee a 4 REF 49 2 0 MRANGE 18 490 in 1 144 1 619 1 144 in gt 3 4 188 8a 40 rooomioros POP OS 8 1dB 6 6dB Figure 38 Locki
205. ting no reading was taken Operating Time of Flight TOF Mode The EPOCH 4PLUS is capable of displaying Time of Flight TOF soundpath data for an echo that breaks the gate Time of Flight is the location of the reflector in terms of microseconds us When the Time of Flight mode is turned on all EPOCH 4PLUS distance parameters are displayed using us values instead of inches or millimeter values Note Unlike other measurement modes Time of Flight mode does NOT divide the reading by two The entire Time of Flight through the test piece in both directions is displayed As a reminder when taking thickness measurements the EPOCH 4PLUS must divide the product of material velocity and Time of Flight by two in order to calculate the thickness of a part If this were not done then the unit would display twice the actual thickness because the sound energy passes through the part twice 6 8 Part 910 250C Using the Gates ali RANGE 10 000us a4 217 MIN DEPTH 8 2712 i to ee a 16 VEL infus FULLWAVE 0 6 8 MHz ZERO 1 808 us ENERGY LOW ANGLE A DAMP 5 y PULSER SQUARE THICK PULSE ECHO FREQ 5 88MHz GATE 2 000 us WIDTH LEVEL ALARM 1 1 835 5 285 OFF Le a SFr OFF i 30 6 dB 46 6 dB 68 8 dB Figure 15 Time of Flight Mode Displaying us Values To setup the Time of Flight mode follow these steps 1 Press OPTION 2 Move the highlight bar over Setup and press ENTER 3
206. tion DAC 0 0 eee eee eee 84 AT Drawing DAC Curves 24 2uiispateeg ite vets the uted ee a Ea 84 9 2 2 Special Considerations for JIS Z3060 DAC Curves 86 9 2 3 Saving and Recalling DAC Curves 0 0 0 0 eee eee 86 9 2 4 Setting Alarms in DAC Mode 0 0 ee eee eee 87 9 2 5 Exiting DAC Mode 4 4 2 ccsai0i sien aw ee eid eae Seeks 87 9 3 Time Varied Gain TVG o 87 9 3 1 Activating and Calibrating TVG 0 00 eee eee 88 9 3 2 Saving and Recalling TVG Setups 0 0 0 0 eee eee 89 93 3 Exts PVG Mode ox uoaa sa td ce le UEP Ree A A A 89 94 Advanced DAC TV Gee ccn2sed bubs bi pia gee had 89 OAT Description ovine esti ae eyes eV ERAS e BIR Se oR eee 89 9 4 2 Option Activation and Reference Correct 0 0008 90 94 3 Gain Adjustment Options 0 0 0 eee eee eee eee 91 9 4 4 ASME ASME 3 and JIS Options 0 0 0 eee eee eee 92 9 4 5 20 80 DAC Options cive hos teins it Nhs 94 946 Custom DAC Curves Option 0 0 cece eee 95 9 4 7 TVG Table Option sine citados A di da 98 Es TVG Table SUD A a 100 Part 910 250C EPOCH 4Plus 9 5 9 6 9 7 9 8 9 9 9 10 9 11 9 12 9 13 9 14 9 4 9 Advanced DAC TVG and the EPOCH 4PLUS Datalogger 102 Low Pulse Repetition Frequency LPRE oooococococcoococooooo 102 9 5 1 Activating LPRE Mode suicida 102 9032 Exiting PRE Moderno dilata ii
207. training is completed the EPOCH 4PLUS Spotweld Assistant allows the operator to store the entire calibration setting for quick recall of all parameters at a later time This is especially helpful for inspections that require the interrogation of multiple nugget sizes and therefore the use of multiple transducers 117 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 8 7 2 118 Spotweld Assistant calibration files MUST be stored in memory locations 1 9 of the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger Although waveforms and live instrument settings will be stored in other memory locations locations 1 9 are the only memory slots that will store weld templates and Advanced Algorithm Training settings Additionally like other calibration files stored in memory locations 1 9 the EPOCH 4PLUS allows quick recall of any Spotweld Assistant calibrations from these locations by pressing the 2nd F key and the corresponding memory location number on the EPOCH 4PLUS alphanumeric keypad Note The EPOCH 4PLUS allows only ONE calibration file to be stored per memory location for locations 1 9 Each calibration file must be stored in a separate memory location For step by step instructions on saving and recalling calibration files see Chapter 8 Managing the Datalogger and Communications Settings Inspection Data Storage During Spotweld inspections it may be necessary to store data for individual weld nuggets for analysis and reporting purposes This data can be stored in the EPOCH 4PLUS datalogg
208. tside the instrument using an external stand alone charger This accessory is available through Olympus NDT part number EP4 EC or found locally in electronic and retail stores Contact Olympus NDT for more information If the battery is used daily or frequently connect it to the Charger Adapter when not in use Whenever possible the battery should remain connected to the EP4 MCA Charger Adapter overnight or over a weekend so that it achieves 100 of full charge The battery must reach full charge on a regular basis for proper capacity and cycle life maintenance Recharge discharged batteries as soon as possible after use Give a full recharge as described above Note Never place discharged batteries in storage without a full recharge Store batteries in a cool dry environment Avoid long term storage under sunlight or in other excessively hot places such as an automobile trunk While in storage fully recharge batteries at least once every two 2 months Using an AA Alkaline Battery An optional battery configuration for the EPOCH 4PLUS is the AA Alkaline pack Olympus NDT part number EP4 BAT AA This battery style uses readily available AA alkaline cells 10 cells total The battery pack provides a maximum EPOCH 4PLUS operating time of 2 5 hours Note The AA Alkaline battery pack cannot be recharged with the EPOCH 4PLUS charger adapter The Alkaline Battery mode is located in the Options menu
209. ty of a test system instrument and transducer to detect or see a given size reflector This is also known as sensitivity Distance Amplitude A method of flaw evaluation that uses a test block with Correction DAC a known size reflector at varying known distances from the transducer This allows you to plot a curve on the CRT screen that represents the amplitude of that size reflector throughout a given distance range This curve compensates for the loss of energy due to beam spreading and attenuation Dual Element Probe A probe containing two piezoelectric elements one which transmits and one which receives Dynamic Range The ratio of maximum to minimum reflective areas that can be distinguished on the cathode ray tube usually based on decibel ratios Electronic Zero The point in time when the pulser fires the initial pulse to the transducer and the point on the cathode ray tube screen where the electron beam leaves the baseline due to the initial pulse signal coming from the transmitter First Critical Angle The minimum incident angle in the first medium at which the refracted longitudinal wave is eliminated from the test specimen Flaw A discontinuity that may be undesirable but does not necessarily call for rejection Frequency The number of complete cycles undergone or produced by an oscillating body in one second Gain Used in electronics with reference to an increase
210. up is recalled the instrument automatically comes up in TVG mode Exiting TVG Mode To clear the TVG setup and return to the normal operation follow these steps 1 Press OPTION 2 Use the slewing keys to highlight the TVG selection and press ENTER to go into the TVG setup Use the slewing keys to highlight Off and press ENTER 4 Press OPTION to return to the A Scan display Advanced DAC TVG Description The Advanced DAC TVG ADT software option for the EPOCH 4PLUS significantly increases the functionality of the standard DAC TVG software allowing users to customize DAC TVG setups to their unique application requirements The ADT feature incorporates capabilities that adhereto ASME ASME 3 and JIS sizing codes of Olympus NDT standard DAC TVG software with direct control of gain range and zero offset as well as reference and transfer correction In addition the ADT option provides new features such as 20 80 DAC curves customizable DAC curves and a user defined TVG table to meet advanced and unique inspection needs ADT also allows the user to toggle between DAC and TVG views in many of its functions allowing the operator to use both techniques during a single inspection Note For a definition and detailed description of a general Distance Amplitude Correction DAC curve and Time Varied Gain TVG see manual sections 9 2 and 9 3 89 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 4 2 90 Option Activation and Reference Correct
211. urface 1 Press OPTION 2 Use the slewing keys to highlight CSC from the menu and press ENTER A IXI appears indicating that the CSC option is active A cursor appears over the outer diameter value 3 Use the slewing keys to enter the desired diameter 4 Press F1 and then OPTION to return to the live screen ACSC prompt is displayed to the right of the A Scan whenever the EPOCH 4PLUS is in CSC mode 5 Calibrate the EPOCH 4PLUS and be sure to enter the appropriate shear wave angle Correct soundpath information is displayed when an echo breaks a gate Note The CSC option is linked to the EPOCH 4PLUS memory If a calibration or waveform is saved in CSC mode the instrument will be in CSC mode when that data set is recalled A c is displayed on the Memory screen after the ID to signify the calibration or waveform was saved in CSC mode To exit the CSC Mode follow these steps 1 Press OPTION and highlight CSC 2 Press ENTER to display the CSC setup menu 3 Press ENTER to disable the option and deselect the check box 4 Press F1 to return to the Option menu Wave Analysis The Wave Analysis software option is useful in many specialized applications where operators need to select particular points along an A Scan waveform and then obtain a timing thickness measurement between these two points In addition the software displays the dB difference between the two points for example measuring the scale oxi
212. urpose of a DAC curve is to graphically compensate for material attenuation nearfield effects beam spread and surface roughness After plotting a DAC curve reflectors that are the same size as those used for creation of the curve produce echoes that peak along the curve despite different locations in the test piece Similarly reflectors that are smaller than those used to create the curve fall below the level while larger reflectors exceed the curve level With the use of the DAC curve option the EPOCH 4PLUS is capable of drawing user defined DAC curves It is possible to select formats that are consistent with either American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME ASME 3 or Japanese Industrial Standard JIS Z3060 code requirements When the ASME format is selected a single curve is drawn The ASME 3 format lets you draw three curves simultaneously at O dB 6 dB and 14 dB When the JIS format is selected up to eight segmented curves are drawn In all formats the signal amplitude as a percentage of the primary curve level is displayed on the screen Users can select to view this value in terms of a or dB In addition DAC alarms can be set to activate whenever an echo exceeds the primary curve level DAC curves can be saved in the EPOCH 4PLUS s datalogger and recalled when needed Drawing DAC Curves To draw a DAC curve follow these steps 1 Calibrate the EPOCH 4PLUS for the appropriate transducer Adjust the
213. ve Inactive Options 9 2 Distance Amplitude Correction DAC 9 3 Time Varied Gain TVG 9 4 Advanced DAC TVG 9 5 Low Pulse Repetition Frequency LPRF 9 6 High Pulse Repetition Frequency HPRF 9 7 Spotweld Overlay 9 8 Spotweld Assistant SWA 9 9 Interface Gate 9 10 Floating Gate 9 11 Curved Surface Correction CSC 9 12 Wave Analysis 9 13 Onboard DGS AVG 9 14 Backwall Echo Attenuator BEA 9 15 Auto Freeze 9 16 AWS 9 17 APISUE 9 1 Defining Active Inactive Options Access software options using the OPTION key The menu displays a list of available options each with a triangle or box preceding it The following table describes each symbol Part 910 250C 83 EPOCH 4PLUS 9 2 9 2 1 84 Symbol Description gt or O unfilled triangle The option is not activated or box gt filled triangle The option is active To activate an option move the highlight bar over a desired selection using the slewing keys and press ENTER E filled box The option is active no further adjustment is necessary Table 7 Active Inactive Software Options Distance Amplitude Correction DAC A Distance Amplitude Correction DAC curve is used to plot amplitude variations of signals from reflectors of the same size but at different distances from the transducer Normally these reflectors produce echoes of varying amplitude due to material attenuation and spreading of the sound beam The p
214. vigates this menu using the arrow keys to highlight a selection ENTER to choose a selection and the F1 key to move on to the next step The F2 key aborts the setup process STEP 4 The operator must now adjust several DGS AVG setup parameters so that the instrument can draw the curves accurately This menu is shown below GAIN 74 1dB RANGE 100 88mm 38 1 11 REJECT 2 MIN DEPTH 37 97 tam 108 DGS PARAMETER SETUP REFLECTOR DIA DELTA_YT REGISTRATION WARNINGLEVEL ACYSPEC 8 668 dB m A ACYCALBLK 6 668 dBm ABE ae 8 88 mm PULSE ECHO FREG 2 00 Hz GATE START WIDTH LEVEL 1 37 986 14 958 142 2 214 64 15 814 OFF A E Figure85 DGS AVG Setup Parameters Part 910 250C Using Software Options Setup parameters include e REFLECTOR This setting must be adjusted when the chosen reference reflector is either a Side Drilled Hole or a Flat Bottom Hole The adjustment will be locked out if other reference reflectors are chosen in the previous menu e DELTA VK Correction value for angle beam transducers This value is located on the DGS AVG diagram for the selected transducer e DELTA VT Transfer Correction This value is used to compensate in amplitude differences as a result of coupling variation surface condition from the calibration block to the test piece EN 583 2 2001 provides methods for calculating transfer correction e REGISTRATION This is the height of the main DGS AVG curve The curve repre
215. ving readings e After saving several readings to a file you may want to save data to a different file If you return to a file where data has already been saved the ID code displays the next available ID incremented after the last save e To interrupt the auto ID sequencing press the ID key and enter a new ID code The new ID code then increments in the same fashion Note It is possible to create a list of ID s in the Gage View PRO Interface Program and then transmit this list to the instrument When you select this file to save information the unit automatically begins to incrementally fill the ID database created in the PC Contact Olympus NDT or your local representative for details regarding ordering the GageView PRO Interface Program 8 7 Part 910 250C Managing the Datalogger and Data Communication Features Recalling Transducer Calibrations and Waveforms The EPOCH 4PLUS datalogger is designed to let you quickly review the contents of saved files and then recall saved transducer calibrations to the live screen Note The EPOCH 4PLUS has a total of nine dedicated transducer calibration slots These are located in files 1 9 of the datalogger and are indicated by an asterisk next to the file number These can only store one calibration with complete setup parameters and waveform in each file They are designed to store the most frequently used calibration setups and can be recalled using only two key presses See

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