GE Phasor 16/16, Operating Manual

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Safety and Warranty Information
PHASOR XS Operating Manual Page 5
Safety Information
Before powering or operating this instrument, the
following safety information should be carefully read.
This Operating Manual should be kept in a safe place
for reference.
This instrument is to be used only for materials test-
ing in an industrial environment. Any use for medical
applications or any other purpose is not permitted!
This instrument is waterproof according to IP 54. It can
be operated with batteries or a power supply unit. The
power supply unit meets the requirements of Electrical
Safety Class II.
Batteries
For the battery operation of the instrument, we only
recommend the use of a lithium-ion battery. You
should only use the battery recommended by us for
operation of the instrument.
You can charge the lithium-ion battery within the instru-
ment itself or externally with the charger.
Important information on ultrasonic testing
Please read the following information before using your
instrument. It is important that you understand and
observe this information to avoid any operator errors
that might lead to false test results. This could result in
personal injuries or damages to property.
Preconditions for testing with ultrasonic test equip-
ment
This Operating Manual contains essential information
on how to operate your test equipment. In addition,
there are a number of factors that affect the test results.
A description of these factors is beyond the scope of
the Operating Manual. The following list mentions the
three most important conditions for safe and reliable
ultrasonic inspection:
• Operator training
• Knowledge of special technical test
requirements and limits
• Choice of appropriate test equipment.
Operator training
The operation of an ultrasonic test device requires a
proper training in ultrasonic test methods.
Proper training comprises adequate knowledge of:
• the theory of sound propagation
• the effects of sound velocity in the test
material
• the behavior of the sound wave at interfaces
between different materials
• the shape of the sound beam
• the influence of sound attenuation in the test
object and the influence of surface quality of
the test object.
Lack of such knowledge could lead to false test results
with unforeseeable consequences. You can contact
us or NDT societies or organizations in your country
(DGZfP in Germany; ASNT in the USA) for information
on opportunities for training on ultrasonic instruments
with time-of-flight measurements.
Accurate measurement results require a constant
sound velocity in the test object. Steel test objects have
only slight variations in sound velocity, thus affecting
only high precision measurements. Test objects made
of other materials (e.g., nonferrous metals or plastics)
may have larger sound velocity variations, which could
adversely affect the measuring accuracy of the instru-
ment.
Effect of the test object’s material
If the test object’s material is not homogeneous, the
sound may propagate at different sound velocities in
different parts of the test objects. An average sound
velocity should then be taken into account for the range
calibration. This is achieved by means of a reference
block whose sound velocity corresponds to the average
sound velocity of the test object.
If substantial sound velocity variations are to be ex-
pected, then the instrument calibration should be re-
adjusted to the actual sound velocity values at shorter
time intervals. Failure to do so may lead to false thick-
ness readings.
Effect of temperature variations
The sound velocity within the test object also varies
as a function of the material’s temperature. This can
cause appreciable errors in measurements if the instru-
ment has been calibrated on a cold reference block
and is then used on a warm or hot test object. Such
measurement errors can be avoided either by warming
the reference block to the same temperature before
calibrating, or by using a correction factor obtained
from tables.