Preparatory Notes for ASNT NDT Level III Examination - Ultrasonic Testing, UT

Source-3: Advantages and Disadvantages
The principal advantages of ultrasonic inspection as compared to other
methods for nondestructive inspection of metal parts are:
• Superior penetrating power, which allows the detection of flaws deep in
the part. Ultrasonic inspection is done routinely to thicknesses of a few
meters on many types of parts and to thicknesses of about 6 m (20 ft) in
the axial inspection of parts such as long steel shafts or rotor forgings
• High sensitivity, permitting the detection of extremely small flaws
• Greater accuracy than other nondestructive methods in determining the
position of internal flaws, estimating their size, and characterizing their
orientation, shape, and nature
• Only one surface needs to be accessible