Production of Ultrasonic Test Piece by Utilization of Additive Manufacturing Technique
Mohammad Ali Riahi, Hamidreza Javidrad
Abstract
Test pieces are principal elements in the utilization of ultrasonic testing equipment. This is particularly evident when testing takes place for parts produced by additive manufacturing (AM) processes. In light of common defects in these types of parts, e.g. gas and powder cavities, lack of fusion, etc., as well as differences in the forming mechanism compared to parts produced via conventional methods, the existing test pieces are not responsive to the required scrutiny needed for the procedure. In this paper, the overall procedure for the manufacturing of a test block by additive manufacturing selective laser melting (SLM) process is presented. Cross-cutting of the manufactured part took place followed by measuring embedded defects’ characteristics by microscope. In addition, the distance of defects from the outer surfaces was also measured by a micrometer. The produced data was indicative of affirmation of findings in terms of dimensional precision and accuracy. As a result, the manufactured test block was found to be reliable and acceptable.