This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles

for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

Designation: E127 − 20

Standard Practice for

Fabrication and Control of Flat Bottomed Hole Ultrasonic
Standard Reference Blocks1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E127; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.

1. Scope* priate safety, health, and environmental practices and deter-

1.1 This practice covers a procedure for fabrication and mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
control of metal alloy reference blocks used in ultrasonic 1.10 This international standard was developed in accor-
examinations that contain flat bottom holes (FBH). dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
1.2 These blocks may be used for checking the performance ization established in the Decision on Principles for the
of ultrasonic examination instrumentation and search units and Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
for standardization and control of ultrasonic examination of mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
metal alloy products. Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
1.3 The reference blocks described are suitable for use with 2. Referenced Documents
either the direct-contact method or immersion pulse-echo
ultrasonic methods. 2.1 ASTM Standards:2
1.4 Standard sets are described for flat surface sound entry; B107/B107M Specification for Magnesium-Alloy Extruded
the Basic set, Area-Amplitude set, and Distance Amplitude set. Bars, Rods, Profiles, Tubes, and Wire
B221 Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Ex-
1.5 The requirements for FBH fabrication may be applied to truded Bars, Rods, Wire, Profiles, and Tubes
round bar/billet reference standards and reference standards B241/B241M Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-
fabricated from other product forms. Alloy Seamless Pipe and Seamless Extruded Tube
1.6 This practice does not specify reference reflector sizes E317 Practice for Evaluating Performance Characteristics of
or product rejection limits. It does describe fabrication prac- Ultrasonic Pulse-Echo Testing Instruments and Systems
tices and applied tolerances. In all cases of conflict between without the Use of Electronic Measurement Instruments
this practice and customer specifications, the customer speci- E428 Practice for Fabrication and Control of Metal, Other
fication shall prevail. than Aluminum, Reference Blocks Used in Ultrasonic
1.7 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded Testing (Withdrawn 2019)3
as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical E1065 Practice for Evaluating Characteristics of Ultrasonic
conversions to SI units that are provided for information only Search Units
and are not considered standard. E1158 Guide for Material Selection and Fabrication of
Reference Blocks for the Pulsed Longitudinal Wave Ul-
1.8 This practice has incorporated the requirements of
trasonic Testing of Metal and Metal Alloy Production
Practice E428 and Guide E1158. Reference standards that were
Material (Withdrawn 2019)3
manufactured under Practice E428 and Guide E1158 comply
E1316 Terminology for Nondestructive Examinations
with the requirements of this practice.
E1324 Guide for Measuring Some Electronic Characteristics
1.9 This standard does not purport to address all of the of Ultrasonic Testing Instruments
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the E2375 Practice for Ultrasonic Testing of Wrought Products
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-

1 2
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E07 on Nonde- For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
structive Testing and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E07.06 on contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM
Ultrasonic Method. Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
Current edition approved Dec. 1, 2020. Published January 2021. Originally the ASTM website.
approved in 1958. Last previous edition approved in 2019 as E127 – 19ε1. DOI: 3
The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced on
10.1520/E0127-20. www.astm.org.

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States

1
 E127 − 20
2.2 SAE Standards:4 obtain either a maximum number of back reflections from a
AMS 4928 Titanium Alloy Bars, Wire, Forgings, and Rings reference block or a maximum indication from its entry
6Al - 4V Annealed surface.
AMS 6409 Steel, Bars, Forgings, and Tubing 0.80Cr - 1.8Ni
- 0.25Mo (0.38 - 0.43C) (SAE 4340) Special Aircraft 3.2.1.1 Discussion—Angular error results when the entry
Quality Cleanliness, Normalized and Tempered surface, hole bottom, and back surface are not parallel to each
AMS 6415 Steel, Bars, Forgings, and Tubing 0.80Cr - 1.8Ni other.
- 0.25Mo (0.38 - 0.43C) (SAE 4340) 3.2.2 entry surface, n—the end of a reference block through
AMS 6484 Steel, Bars, Forgings, and Tubing 0.80Cr - 1.8Ni which ultrasonic energy must pass when reflections from the
- 0.25Mo (0.38 - 0.43C) (SAE 4340) Normalized and hole bottom are obtained.
Tempered 3.2.3 hole bottom, n—the flat reflecting surface in a refer-
QQ-A225/6 Aluminum Alloy, 2024, Bar, Rod, and Wire; ence block that is obtained by making the entire end of a drilled
Rolled, Drawn, or Cold Finished hole smooth and flat using best machining practices; the hole
QQ-A225/9 Aluminum Alloy 7075, Bar, Rod, Wire, and bottom is parallel to the entry surface of the block.
Special Shapes; Rolled, Drawn, or Cold Finished
3.2.4 hole size, n—the diameter of the hole in a reference
3. Terminology block that determines the area of the hole bottom.
3.1 Definitions—For definitions of terms not specific to this 3.2.5 metal distance, n—the distance in a reference block
practice, refer to Terminology E1316. from its entry surface to the hole bottom.
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
3.2.1 angular error, n—the condition observed in ultrasonic 3.2.6 non-standard blocks, n—blocks fabricated from pro-
tests of reference blocks when the response from the hole duction material shapes, round and flat bar and billet, concave
bottom is not maximum while the search unit is positioned to surface standards, extruded, forged and additive manufactured
shapes.
4
Available from SAE International (SAE), 400 Commonwealth Dr., Warrendale,
3.2.7 standard block sets, n—flat entry surface blocks fab-
PA 15096, http://www.sae.org. ricated per Fig. 1.

FIG. 1 Standard Set Block Dimensions

2
 E127 − 20
3.2.7.1 Discussion—Recommended Area Amplitude, Dis- determine the effect of variations in metal distance upon the
tance Amplitude, and Basic sets of these blocks are described ultrasonic response from detected discontinuities. Test sensi-
in Section 6. tivity standardizations and corrections for metal distance are
most reliable when made under the same conditions employed
4. Summary of Practice for the actual tests. For these purposes, reference blocks
4.1 Standard Sets (See 3.2.7) containing various combinations of hole size and metal dis-
4.1.1 These recommended sets are described in Section 6. tance are necessary.
Reference standard material is ultrasonically evaluated to 6.2 The following combinations or sets of blocks are rec-
ensure freedom from significant discontinuities and is then ommended:
precisely fabricated into cylindrical blocks of prescribed 6.2.1 Basic Set—The basic set consisting of ten reference
lengths. A single, flat-bottom hole of specific diameter is drilled blocks is listed in Table 1. Area-amplitude relations are
to a constant depth into the end of each block at its center, and obtained by intercomparison of blocks containing the 3 in.
the blocks are grouped into sets according to hole size and (76.2 mm) metal distance and 3⁄64 in., 5⁄64 in., and 8⁄64 in. (see
block length, or metal distance. Table 2 note) diameter holes, respectively. Distance-amplitude
4.1.2 Each block is checked ultrasonically using a calibrated relations are obtained by intercomparison of the blocks of
ultrasonic test system at a prescribed test frequency. Distance- various lengths which contain 5⁄64 in. diameter holes.
amplitude and area-amplitude characteristics are established
for sets of fabricated blocks using specific reflectors to provide NOTE 1—Direct conversion from inches to millimetres
(1 in. = 25.4 mm) gives hole size dimensions for which there are no
a standard response. Curves are plotted to establish the standard metric drills; however, Table 2 gives the nearest standard metric
interrelationship between the various blocks in the sets. drill size.
4.2 Non-Standard Blocks (See 3.2.6) 6.2.2 Area-Amplitude Set—The area-amplitude set consist-
4.2.1 Reference standard material is ultrasonically evalu- ing of eight ultrasonic standard reference blocks is listed in
ated to ensure freedom from significant discontinuities. The Table 3. Area-amplitude relationships are obtained by inter-
entry surface shall be free of surface discontinuities that would comparison of any three or more blocks with different flat
interfere with the sound beam. bottom-hole sizes at the same metal distance from front surface
4.2.2 Due to the variability of the end user test conditions, to hole bottom.
the curves plotting the interrelationship between the FBHs in 6.2.3 Distance-Amplitude Set—A distance-amplitude set
the standard are typically performed by the end user, not the may include any convenient number of the reference blocks
fabricator. shown in Table 4 and does not necessarily include all blocks
4.3 Selection of Material listed. A recommended distance-amplitude set contains at least
4.3.1 Section 7 of this standard contains guidance on the 12 blocks, and each set contains only one of the three hole sizes
selection and testing of material for ultrasonic reference shown in Table 4. Blocks comprising the 19 block distance-
standards. amplitude sets, which are customarily supplied commercially,
are indicated in Table 4. Increments of metal distance in each
5. Significance and Use of the three groups of blocks in the recommended set should be
5.1 Standard reference block sets per 4.1 fabricated in identical. Distance-amplitude relationships are obtained by
accordance with this practice will exhibit specific area- intercomparison of all blocks containing the same size hole.
amplitude and distance amplitude relationships only with an
immersion test at 5 MHz using the search unit, test instrument,
and test parameters described in this practice. Comparison tests TABLE 1 Dimensions and Identification of Reference Blocks in
at other frequencies or with uncalibrated instruments will not the Basic Set (see Fig. 1)
necessarily give the same relationships shown in this practice.
NOTE 1—Direct conversion from inches to millimeters
See Ref (1)5 for area-amplitude limitations at other frequencies
(1 in. = 25.4 mm) gives hole size dimensions for which there are no
and transducer diameters. Also see Ref (2) for cautions standard metric drills; however, Table 2 gives the nearest standard metric
regarding use of standard blocks for test standardizations. drill size.
5.2 Reference standards fabricated per 4.2 may utilize the Block
Hole Metal Overall
Diameter Distance Length
fabrication and verification techniques herein. Due to the Identi- (A) (B) (C)
variable nature of non-standard blocks, the details should be fication
Number ⁄
1 64 ths
in. mm in. mm
agreed upon in the ordering documents. in.
3-0300 3 3.000 76.2 3.750 95.2
6. Description of Various Recommended Sets 5-0012 5 0.125 3.2 0.875 22.2
5-0025 5 0.250 6.4 1.000 25.4
6.1 In ultrasonic testing of metals, a standard reference 5-0050 5 0.500 12.7 1.250 31.8
usually is necessary to establish a specified test sensitivity. A 5-0075 5 0.750 19.0 1.500 38.1
5-0150 5 1.500 38.1 2.250 57.2
standard ultrasonic reference also is required frequently to 5-0300 5 3.000 76.2 3.750 95.2
5-0600 5 6.000 152.4 6.750 171.4
8-0300 8 3.000 76.2 3.750 95.2
5
The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to a list of references at the end of 8-0600 8 6.000 152.4 6.750 171.4
this standard.