Term Categories: Glossary

Mechanical vibrations transmitted by an elastic medium

Nonmetallic solid material entrapped in weld metal or between weld metal and base metal.

An angle beam transducer designed to cause converted shear waves to propagate at a nominal angle in a specified test medium.

Waves which move perpendicular to the direction the wave propagates.

A discontinuity open to the surface of a solid object which possesses little depth in proportion to the width of this opening. A scratch or nick may be a “shallow discontinuity” in this sense.

A measure of the ability to detect small signals. Limited by the signal-to-noise ratio.

Movement of the transducer over the surface of the test object in a controlled manner so as to achieve complete coverage. May be either contract or immersion method.

See Rayleigh wave.

The ability to clearly distinguish signals obtained from two reflective surfaces with a minimum difference in depth. Near surface resolution is the ability to clearly distinguish a signal from a reflector at a minimum distance under the near surface without interference from the initial pulse signal. Far surface resolution is the ability to clearly distinguish signals from the back surface when the sound beam is normal to that back surface.

Electrical resistance to the passage of a current, expressed in ohm-meters; Reciprocal of conductivity.