In ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation, one of the factors that can greatly affect the inspectibility of a part is the condition of its surface. In nuclear reactor components, factors such as weld overlay, claddings, grinding and diametrical shrink can generate interfaces with wavy, corrugated or abruptly stepped topographies. These large scale surface roughnesses could, in turn, cause excessive beam distortion and produce unreliable results. Therefore, there has been a need to quantify the adverse effects of surface conditions during ultrasonic inspections.